By Caleb Knudsen
Though Healdsburg High School wrestling teams have practiced and competed here since the first of the year, for many local fans the wrestling match with Cardinal Newman on Jan. 15 was an introduction to the new Drew Esquivel Hall, with its dramatic lighting and bright 40-by-40-foot mat.
Named to honor the school’s league champion wrestler of a dozen years ago, the remodeled hall sets a high bar for success. The hope is that the inspiration, and a young roster of talent trying to find their way, will result in more success in coming years.
After all, the young Greyhounds athletes are learning a sport that is new to many of them, and many of them are only in the ninth or 10th grade.
Which means the final result of the Jan. 15 meet was in some sense a victory. Cardinal Newman scored 45 points to Healdsburg’s 24, but the local coach was pleased. “The meet against Cardinal Newman was probably the best team effort we’ve had so far this year,” said Scott Weidemier, who for over 40 years has coached the Greyhound wrestling team.
Even in the sparsely entered girls wrestling categories, an 18-0 Healdsburg win is decidedly a positive result. Josie Ramirez, Serena Dimas and Adriana Ramos all downed their opponents, while the rest of the weight classes went uncontested.
Add to that the girls who wrestled with boys in the overall JV competition, like Cecile Michener. She won by fall in the 120-lb. category over Nathan Funaro of Newman.
Healdsburg’s Alexander Diaz-Cano also won by a fall, in less than a minute, over Shriman Sharma in the 126-pound category. Other Greyhound JV victories came from 138: Quinn Vallotton (138 lbs) and heavyweight Eli Zepeda Lemus (weights up to 285).
“They are all making improvements, and the intensity they showed that night was impressive,” the coach said at the time.
Road Trips
The following weekend, several of the team placed in a tournament in nearby Windsor, on Friday for JV and Saturday for varsity. First-place medals went to Michener, Alex Francis, Rodrigo Madrigal and Antonio Givens, with Dimas and Vallotton getting silver and Fabian Ortiz a bronze third.
Competing in the right weight class can have an impact on the result, of course. For instance Alex Dimas was at or below 126 pounds for the Cardinal Newman meet on Jan. 15, but competed at the next weight class 132 in Friday’s JV meet in Windsor. He won against Newman, but split 2-2 in the Windsor tournament.
Weight classes have a meaning, and a strategy, although judges today are pretty strict in their weight calls. The technology of measuring weights is so sophisticated these days, there are few if any ways to “nudge” the scale. “So if you go to a competition and you step on a scale, and you are a 10th of a pound over, you are disqualified” in the weight class, Weidemier said. “There’s no leeway. They’re all digital scales these days, that are certified every year.”
The following Wednesday, the HHS team traveled to Ukiah, and the Mendocino County powerhouse had little trouble holding the Greyhounds without a point. The rest of the wrestling calendar shows a meeting with Windsor this week (too late for press time), followed by a home finale on Feb. 5, at Esquivel Hall, when Maria Carrillo comes calling.
“They’re pretty decent,” said Weidemier of the Oak division rival. “They’ve got a coach that’s been there a long time. Obviously, being a much bigger school, they have a lot more bodies than we do. And that’s really part of what the problem is.”
Doing the Work
Though the wrestling roster started with close to 30 interested students, it’s been reduced by a number of factors: health, grades, failing interest. Now about 17 still show up to do the work.
“Honestly, it’s kind of a very young group and most of them have not experienced a long season like this,” said the coach. “Especially the grind of a league wrestling season.”
Looking at the rest of the Oak division, where the Healdsburg team competes against generally large schools, the coach said, “Ukiah and Windsor and Carrillo are all really good teams, and Montgomery has made a lot of improvements. And you know, we were competitive with Newman, but we just didn’t have enough bodies.
“I think it’s hard to get thrown out there against very experienced teams and kind of to keep your enthusiasm up. That’s kind of what we’re fighting right now,” he said, sighing. “But you know, they’re doing okay. They’re gonna be fine, I think, next year. We’re telling ’em it’s a long-term plan, it’s not just this season.”
There’s little doubt that Weidemier is not only happy with the newly remodeled Esquivel Hall, but may have a hunch it could help the team become better wrestlers. “It is really an incredible space, and I keep telling the kids they need to respect and be proud of it,” he said.
The Greyhound grapplers meet Maria Carrillo in Esquivel Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 5, for their final match this season. The starting time is 6pm.
