The CHS wrestling team had the most ideal senior night possible on Jan. 23 for they had finally ended a 10-year losing streak by defeating Diamond Bar High School with a final score of 48 to 30, ending their season with a record of one win and four losses. The team, having come close to defeating several of their opponents during the 2017-2018 season, hoped to end their season with a win; CHS was determined to end their extended losing streak with the final match of the season.
The first six matches of the meet went to CHS with senior Xiucoatl Mejia, senior Tyler Sanchez, and freshman Ignacio Blanco winning by pin, and junior Jonathan Raviv, senior Victor Mora, and freshman Eduardo Flores receiving byes, or having no opponent to wrestle. CHS’s momentum began to falter as heavyweight senior Enrique Casas, who had struggled with a shoulder injury, was quickly pinned.
Senior Nicholas Parga’s match marked the turning point for CHS. Although Parga did not manage to win his match, he avoided being pinned, leading to a decreased point gain for Diamond Bar. Thus, it was impossible for Diamond Bar to win; CHS was much too far ahead in points. When it came time for senior Eric Tran’s match, he was overjoyed and ready to make his contribution to an already successful night.
“While ecstatic, I also felt like I had to prove myself and show that we didn’t just win because of a technicality,” Tran said. “All of our matches, we displayed how hard we work in practice and our drive to succeed and get better.”
Once the final match had ended, members of the CHS team jumped in ecstasy knowing that their hard work had paid off. The night was particularly emotional for Coach Joe Marchillo, who was a senior on CHS’s wrestling team when they had last won a match.
“I still remember my league win when I was at Claremont like it was yesterday,” Marchillo said. “Everyone on the team knew that story of mine, and they knew how long it had been since we got our last league victory. The look on everyone’s faces when they had accomplished what no other team in 10 years could was priceless.”
In spite of experiencing years of difficult competition and relative apathy from students and the administration alike, CHS wrestling managed to persevere and obtain a silver lining in this win against Diamond Bar. This triumph significantly boosted the team’s morale as seen by CHS’s performance in league finals; nine out 14 varsity wrestlers advanced to CIF.