by Ethan Gibbs

Bosco wrestling has continued its dominance with strong individual tournament and team duel showings, which have resulted in a Trinity League dual championship.

On January 22, 2022, Bosco faced off against Orange Lutheran in the JV Trinity League Duels. Bosco came home with the victory with an ending score of 48-33. Giving Bosco the title of Trinity League JV dual champions. 

Shortly after, on January 25th, 2022 Bosco varsity wrestlers faced off against Servite. Junior Nicco Ruiz started a pinning streak which was continued by seniors Oscar Aranda and Abraham Galicia, sophomores Grigor Cholakyan and Mark Ayala and freshmen Joseph Antonio and Nicholas Sahakian. These pins secured another win for Bosco with a score of 48-33. This victory made the Bosco Wrestling program the Trinity League Champions of the 2022 season. 

Though not only has the team as a whole been dominating, as individual wrestlers have been bringing in medals as well. In the Five Countries Invitational, held January 14th-15th, three Bosco wrestlers won titles, Oscar Aranda, Nicco Ruiz and Nicholas Sahakian all placed first in their respective weight classes. These athletes helped Bosco place 2nd as a team at the Invitational. 

These Bosco wrestlers were also crucial in the dual against long-time rival Mater Dei. There was a lot of tension going into this duel but our athletes stepped up to the mat and threw down. The dual ended in a huge victory for Bosco ending in an astonishing 72-6. Going into the match, the Bosco wrestlers were all well prepared and had practiced exactly what they needed to in order to ensure the victory. 

“Nothing really was tough about the dual. We came in prepared and dominated them,” said senior Abraham Galicia.  

Over the break, the Wrestling team worked hard at practice, duels and tournaments. Bosco wrestlers trained hard and consistently during the Winter break in order to stay ready for the upcoming important tournaments and duels. The wrestling team had practice every day and most of the team practiced multiple times a day. They improved conditioning, techniques, takedowns, pinning combinations and were able to find what takedowns work best for each wrestler. 

When facing off against a challenger, Nicco Ruiz reflects on his hard work. He has been wrestling all his life and wants to pursue his wrestling career in college, where he hopes to win an NCAA championship.

“I worked for this. No one can stop me. I put too much time and effort into this,” said junior Nicco Ruiz. 

The wrestlers will now look towards the state championship tournament where they will hope to bring in more prestigious awards to the program.