Bonita Wrestling Beats South Hills for the first time since 1993

Bonita’s wrestling team came out of their second league dual at South Hills with wins from all three teams. Girls varsity won 12-0, JV won 40-18 and boys varsity won 59-18. 

On the girls side there were only two matches. Rebecca Harding(121) and Alyssa Palmer(160) both pinned the South Hills girl, winning with a shutout.

Harding(121) said “I felt like I dominated and I was on my game and there was definitely a positive energy running through the team, we all had the same drive and we were all in it to win it”

The girls were the first victories of the night and the team’s momentum and excitement kept going up until the last varsity match.

Tyler Prejusa(120) was the varsity boys first win of the night. He pinned his opponent with only 14 seconds left in the first period. The next eight wrestlers kept the energy up with back to back wins.

Edgar Favela(126) won his match 6-0 and after the match, his wrestling partner Prejusa(120) ran by the Bonita coaches yelling “HE DIDN”T GAS OUT!” Favela(126) dominated his entire match and his energy level never dropped. He may have been tired but it did not show.

“We all felt confident. We felt good. Also we had not beaten this team in thirty years. That being said we really had nothing to lose. We came out headstrong and wrestled hard. The energy was just intense, win after win. The feel was very positive,” Said Favela(126) on the teams victory.

Shane Lohr(132)  won his match 8-0, Bayley Teach(138) pinned the other wrestler with 9 seconds left in the first period, Nico Dominguez(145) won his match 16-0, resulting in a technical fall. When the point gap gets greater than 15 the match is automatically over.

Isaiah Garcia(152) pinned his wrestler with 1:25 left in the second period, Giovanni Torres(160) pinned his wrestler with 47 seconds left in the second period, Gevorg Hope(170) pinned his wrestler with 19 seconds left in the match.

Joey Harrison(182) was the last and fastest pin of the night with 25 seconds left in the first period.

After the dual Coach Brian Sandmark told the team, “That was the second step in a five week process. We’ve got a hard next couple of weeks.”

This win was Bonita’s first win against South Hills since 1993 and the Bearcats were ecstatic about the victory

This was the first time the team traveled to a a school and the Bearcats proved where they wrestle has no effect on their performance.  

Hope(170) said traveling is “different because most people that are there are supporting the other team and I would prefer staying at home”.

The Bearcats will use this momentum and energy they are building up to help them accomplish their goal of being League Champions. Bonita is 2-0 in league with the next three matches looking promising.  

-Alyssa Palmer