"Some succeed because they are destined to.  Most succeed because they are determined to."

02/8/10-02/13/10 - Wrestler of the Week

    Junior Michael Lee earns WOTW honors with his strong performances throughout the past week.  In the final MVAL dual meet of the season on Wednesday, Michael quickly pinned his opponent from Kennedy HS in 55 seconds.  Then on Saturday, Michael earned wins by fall in our dual meets versus Foothill and Castro Valley at the NCS Team Dual Championships, earning the team valuable team points.  His only loss last week was to Curtis Siegfried of De La Salle HS, a highly-ranked NCS medalist from a year ago.  Michael brings a 32-13 record into the MVAL championships this weekend and is currently amongst the team leaders in 8 of 12 major statistical categories this season.  Keep up the hard work and continue leading by example Michael!!

Michael working for the fall during his match versus Castro Valley

02/01/10-02/06/10 - Wrestler of the Week

    This week's honors goes to sophomore Corbin Lee.  It's sometimes difficult to believe that Corbin has only been wrestling for two years.  As a 5th place medalist at the MSJ Invitational last weekend, Corbin solidified his NCS ranking and proved to all doubters that he will be a force to be reckoned with at the section tournament.  Along with his win by fall in the Washington dual meet on Wednesday, Corbin brings his season record to 33-6 and is the team leader with 199.5 total team points scored.  Corbin is now a two-time WOTW after earning co-honors back in early December.  Keep up all the hard work Corbin!!

Corbin working for a takedown in the semis of the MSJ Invitational
(photo provided by Tony Rotundo and Tech-Fall.com)

01/25/10-01/30/10 - Wrestler of the Week

    Elliot Espinoza earns his first WOTW honors after placing 4th at the Puma Classic in the 217-lb. weight class.  Undersized and outweighed by his opponents by nearly 25 pounds, Elliot has learned to use his quickness to find success in this weight class.  Competing as the #4 seed, Elliot advanced into the semifinal round before losing to Ben Holmes of Vacaville HS, the 8th-ranked wrestler in California at 217-lbs.  He bounced back from the loss and advanced to the consolation final but lost to a tough Eric Snipes of Eureka HS to finish 4th.  Also, earlier in the week, Elliot earned valuable bonus points in our dual versus Newark Memorial with his pin at the 0:45 mark of the first round.  His team points helped the team beat Newark for the first time since the '01-'02 season.  Congratulations Elliot!!

Elliot working for his pin in the Newark Memorial dual meet

01/18/10-01/23/10 - Wrestler of the Week

    Junior 132-pounder Zannain Shafi earns this week's WOTW honors after going 2-0 at the first ever MVAL tri-meet.  Versus American HS, Zannain defeated Jason Ortega by 17-1 technical fall.  In the Logan dual meet, Zannain wrestled a close match versus Danjorel Permito and held on for an exciting 4-2 decision.  Since dropping down from the 140-lb. weight class earlier this month, Zannain has compiled a 10-3 record, including 5 wins by fall and another by technical fall.  Still with under 20 total matches wrestled this season, Zannain is continuing to gain his confidence and rhythm on the mat and is looking to peak at just the right time.  Good luck to you the rest of the season, Zannain!!

Zannain Shafi securing a takedown at the edge of the mat over Danjorel Permito (Logan HS)

01/11/10-01/16/10 - Wrestler of the Week

    Senior captain David Wilson has earned this week's WOTW honors after claiming his first tournament championship of the season at the Clayton Valley Invitational.  Competing as the top-seed of the 147-lb. weight class, David tallied up 28 team points (1 fall, 2 major decisions, 1 decision) to help secure the team title over second-place James Logan High School.  David has placed in the top-3 at every tournament this season, but he finally brought home his gold medal with a dominant 9-3 decision over Jake Morales of West Valley HS. 
    The coaches are very proud and happy for you, David.  We hope that this title is just a glimpse of the success you will find in the next several weeks.  We look forward to celebrating with you!!

(pic provided by Tony Rotundo at tech-fall.com)

01/04/10-01/09/10 - Wrestler of the Week

    Junior Leo Yang earns Wrestler of the Week honors after claiming his first tournament championship of the season at the Mat Classic.  Competing as the #4 seed in the 135-lb. bracket, Leo defeated #2 seeded Paul Jackson of Campolindo High School by 2-0 decision in the championship final to finish the day with a perfect 4-0 record.  Along the way, Leo also recorded 26 team points to help the Warriors bring home a 3rd place team trophy. 
    Leo has stepped up this season and leads by example in the practice room, providing a great example of hard work and dedication to those around him.  Congratulations, Leo! Keep up the hard work!!

Leo Yang - 9th Annual Mat Classic 135-lb. CHAMPION

12/28/09-01/02/10 - Wrestler of the Week

    Junior Siwen Dickstein earns this week's honors after capturing 1st place at the Queen of the Mat tournament hosted by Antioch High School.  Dropping down to the 103-lb. weight class for the first time this season, Siwen recorded three straight wins by fall to claim her second tournament championship this season in dominating fashion.  Siwen has consistently been one of the hardest working individuals in the practice room, and her hard work is evident with her success during competition.  Siwen is a model scholar-athlete and the coaching staff is very proud of her determination and commitment to always improving herself.  Congrats Siwen, and keep working towards achieve your goals!!

Siwen Dickstein - 2010 Queen of the Mat 103-lb. CHAMPION

12/14/09-12/19/09 - Wrestler of the Week

    Nathan Ellebracht earns this week's honors after going undefeated at the Healdsburg Duals last Saturday.  Coming off a 4th place finish at the Bay Area Invitational, Nathan improved his season record to 11-5 by pinning each of his opponents at the Healdsburg Duals and earning 1st Team All-Tournament honors in the 140 lb. weight class.  Nathan has been most impressive with his mat wrestling as of late, displaying great control and pressure in the top position.  Also impressive is his confidence level, which is more and more apparent each time he steps on the mat.  Congrats Nathan, on earning this week's WOTW honors.  Keep up the hard work!!

Nathan Ellebracht - Healdsburg Duals 140-lb. All-Tournament Team

12/7/09-12/12/09 - Wrestler of the Week

    This week's honors go to sophomore David Kim.  After placing 2nd at the Newark Ironman Duals last week, David followed that performance by placing 3rd in the 215 lb. weight class at the Bay Area Invitational.  Weighing in at just under 190 lbs., David has continued to defeat opponents who often outweigh him by about 25 lbs.  David has made up for his lack of size with a lot of heart and determination to win.  Seeded 4th at the Bay Area Invitational, David pinned his first two opponents to advance into the semifinals, where he lost to the number one seed and eventual champion of the tournament.  He bounced back after his loss with two more wins, including a very tough 3-2 sudden victory decision, to claim his 3rd place medal. 
    David is also the reigning free throw champion of the wrestling team!! Keep up the hard work and good luck to you this weekend at the Healdsburg Duals!!

David Kim - 2009 Bay Area Invitational 3rd place medalist

11/30/09-12/5/09 - Wrestler of the Week

    After the first weekend of competition, sophomore Corbin Lee and junior Wei Kuo have earned co-Wrestler of the Week honors.  Both wrestlers were crowned Ironman champions at the Newark Memorial Ironman Duals after wrestling to undefeated 8-0 records. 
    Corbin led the Warriors in team points over the weekend and proved that he is ready and able to step up in his first varsity season and make an immediate impact, winning a varsity tournament title in his first attempt.  Wei has proven once again how hard work in the off-season pays off in the winter with his dominant performance at Ironman.  Wei recorded 2 falls, 3 technical falls and 1 major decision over the two-day tournament.
    Great job to both wrestlers and good luck to them as they both look to continue their success at the Bay Area Invitational this Saturday at Castro Valley High School.

Corbin Lee and Wei Kuo - 2009 Newark Ironman Duals CHAMPIONS