Brother Act Has Loara on Roll

Loara Coach Larry Hadley admits that the transfer of Tony Aparicio to Calvary Chapel this year was a blow to the Saxon wrestling program.

But the success of brothers Josh and Orlando Galvan has Hadley looking forward to what he believes might the school’s best season.

Last year, Aparicio helped Loara win its first Empire League title. He finished third at state and won the 135-pound Masters title.

“I won’t say we didn’t lose a very good wrestler,” Hadley said. “But we still have a good team. And a big reason is because of these two kids.”

Orlando, who turned 17 in September, is a junior. Last year, competing at 112 pounds, he won titles at the Southern Section Division III finals and Masters, and went on to take seventh at state. This season, he’s competing at 103 pounds.

Josh, also a junior, just turned 16 and competes at 112 pounds. He didn’t compete on the varsity last year but won the 112-pound title at the Southern Section junior varsity championships.

Both are first in their weight classes in the county individual rankings and both had impressive showings Tuesday at the Santa Ana Five-Way meet.

No. 3 Santa Ana, No. 4 Irvine, Santa Ana Valley and Hawaii Millilani also competed in the Santa Ana Five-Way. Josh and Orlando won all four of their matches.

“These two kids are phenomenal,” Hadley said. “First of all, they didn’t start wrestling until they were freshmen. They had absolutely no sports, let along wrestling experience, before stepping into the gym. But they’ve worked themselves to the top. And it’s been through hard work, dedication and a love of the sport.”

Said Josh:

“My brother and I wanted to do a sport in high school. We didn’t want to do PE, so we decided on wrestling.”

Said Orlando:

“When we went out, we couldn’t believe how much fun we were having. We couldn’t wait to get back in the wrestling room so we could wrestle.”

Hadley said the Galvan brothers seemed to be unlikely candidates for the wrestling team.

“They were small, skinny kids,” Hadley said. “In fact, I remember Orlando getting pinned in 12 seconds during his freshman season.”

Orlando laughs when he thinks about some of his freshman matches.

“I think about that pin. And I sometimes can’t believe that I’m ranked first in the county. But I try not to think about that. I just want to wrestle and have fun.”

In fact, Hadley said the brothers are in the wrestling room during lunch hour to get as much mat time as they can and watch wrestling tapes to improve their technique. And last summer, both participated in wrestling camps and freestyle tournaments.

“After our freshman year, some of the seniors said we should do the off-season stuff, so we both did. And that’s when we decided to get serious about the sport,” Josh said.

In practice, the brothers are wrestling partners.

“I’m stronger and I feel more comfortable wrestling at 103,” Orlando said. “But it goes back and forth as to who wins. But we watch each other when we compete and cheer for each other.”

In addition to division and Masters titles, the brothers want to win at state. But they also want to see their team win its second consecutive league title and have a good showing at state.

“It would have been nice if Tony stayed,” Orlando said. “And I’m not mad at Tony for going. But we can’t dwell on it. I don’t see it as a setback because we’re just as good as we were last year.”

EAGLES ARE READY

Top-ranked Calvary Chapel came away with the gold Saturday at the Clovis Shootout at Clovis West High in Fresno.

The Eagles won all nine dual matches, including one against Clovis West, ranked second in the state, and a 35-24 victory over Oregon state champion Crater High.

“This was a good test for our team and I’m really happy with the way our guys performed,” Eagle Coach John Azevedo said.

Besides a good overall showing, Azevedo said he was particularly impressed with Aparicio’s 140-pound decision over Robert Estrada, a former state champion from Merced, who recently transferred to Clovis Buchanan.

The Eagles wrestle tonight at Temecula Valley, defending Southern Section Division I champion. Last year, Calvary Chapel lost to the Golden Bears, 33-27.

“The team is looking forward to this match and I think there’s a certain sense of wanting to beat them,” Azevedo said.

VAQUEROS WIN FIVE-WAY

No. 4 Irvine, coming off a second-place finish at the Andrew Pena Classic last weekend, finished first at the Santa Ana Five-Way Tuesday, winning all four of its dual matches, including a victory over third-ranked Santa Ana.

Irvine’s Robert Antenore, who’s ranked third in the county, was a big winner, beating second-ranked Gilbert Melendez of Santa Ana, 15-14.

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