Calvary Chapel Pulls Rank in 53-22 Win

Calvary Chapel validated its No. 1 state ranking Friday and exacted a little revenge in the process.

The Eagles dismantled Temecula Valley, the defending Southern Section Division I wrestling champion, 53-22, in a dual meet before an announced crowd of 1,000 at Temecula Valley High School.

Temecula Valley beat Calvary Chapel, 34-24, in a dual match last year, and the memory of that defeat motivated the Eagles on Friday.

“Heck yes, that loss was on our minds,” said Adam Bones, who beat Thomas Garcia, 19-4, at 145 pounds. “We lost last year. But we’re not the same team we were last year. We wanted to show them our power.”

Bones, ranked first in the county in his weight class, employed a simple strategy against Garcia.

“I wanted to be brutal,” he said. “Beat them to a pulp.”

Freshman Anthony Archuleta gave the Eagles a strong start with a 9-3 decision over Jeremy Mendoza in the 103-pound match.

However, following a Calvary Chapel forfeit at 112 and a loss at 119 pounds, Temecula Valley held a 10-3 lead.

But Steve Esparza brought the Eagles within one by pinning Tim Riscem in 5 minutes 16 seconds.

Then Tony Aparicio demonstrated why he may be the state’s at 140 pounds, pinning Angelo Lago in 5:48.

From there, the Eagles dominated. In all, they scored six pins and four technical falls.

After the match, Calvary Chapel had little time to celebrate before boarding the bus back home.

But the Eagles won’t be there long. They head for the airport today.

“It’s off to the Reno tournament,” Eagle Coach John Azevedo said. “It will be tough, maybe the toughest tournament of the year, but it will be a good experience for our team.”