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Adele, Altimira wrestling teams youthful, showed desire, set for solid future

 

With a core of young talent anchored by a little experience, but plenty of competitive desire, the Valley’s Adele Harrison and Altimira middle schools’ wrestling teams recently finished their 2011 North Valley League seasons with solid efforts at the league’s championship finals.

Though both Adele and Altimira finished near the bottom of the league standings, both squads are close to the top when it comes to their outlook.

The 2011 Altimira wrestling team – directed by head coach Mike Powers and assistant coach Franc Dusak – consisted of eighth-graders Amber Alquezada, Alyssa Christian, Michael Dunham, Brandon Hodson, Tanner Mathis, Jake Randuch, Ryan Repetto and Cedrick Hernandez; seventh-graders Austen Beltran, Dalton Elster, Logan Hubbenette, Cian Lacy, Miguel Moncada, Miles Pimentel, David Price and Jose Vega; and sixth-graders Zane Chase, Tanya Decendario, Maclain Goertzen, Fernando Gonzalez, Jordan Randuch and team manager Hannah Powers.

At the NVC championships, the Wolves had one weight-class champion, two runner-up silver and two third-place bronze medalists, and a pair of fourth-place finishers.

Altimira’s first-place, gold-medal winner was eighth-grader and first-year standout Dunham, who went undefeated during the season and won the NVC 175-pound title by pinning all his opponents.

Coach Powers nicknamed the tough and quick-learner Dunham the “beast,” and said he will be a welcome addition to the Sonoma Valley High School wrestling team because he is very strong and willing to work hard.

Taking home NVC second-place medals for the Wolves were Randuch at 98 pounds and Elster at 195, while Gonzalez and Hernandez earned bronze at 83 and 155, respectively, and the fourth-place finishers were Vega at 126 and Moncada in the heavyweight division.

 

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Being the smallest school, along with a small roster, with only two eighth-graders, in the NVC led to a lot of weight-class forfeitures during the season. But it didn’t stop the young Adele wrestlers gaining vital experience and making their mark at the league finals, where they had seven top-four finishers, including one champion.

Comprising the 2011 Adele wrestling team – directed by head coach Tim Neves, assistant coach Eduardo Hernandez and parent-volunteer John Bartolome – were eighth-graders Graham Herder and Chris Tith; seventh-graders Delany Brume, Joey Dukes, Zack Mathisen, Gunner Paulson, Brendon Ruiz, Max Serafini and Mingma Sherpa; and sixth-graders Noah Bartolome, Jimmy Baxter, Nathan Borg, Leonardo Macedonio, Matthew Matnlaitis and Brandon Tiereny.

Leading the Hornets at the NVC championships with a first-place finish were Bartolome’s gold-medalist performance at 95 pounds.

Altimira’s third-place bronze-medalists were Borg at 137, Herder at 150, Mathisen in the heavyweight division, and Ruiz at 128, while the fourth-place finishers were Brume at 165, and Serafini at 118.