The post season is now at hand! The next few weeks is what the team has been working towards all season long. This week, the Cougars will be taking their finals, both academically and athletically. In the study sessions throughout the season, the Cougars ended up 7-6 in duals, and have placed fourth three times ( Corona Del Mar, Irvine , and Laguna Hills —all 16 team tournaments ), fifth ( Brea , over 40 teams), and 11th (ASICS Challenge, over 55 teams), in tournaments. Almost every dual has been a nail biter, coming down to the final matches. The one this week against San Clemente was decided by literally one second!
Speaking of the San Clemente dual, what a match! Though the teams split the matches at 7 a piece, the Tritons pulled out the victory by 6 points. Christian Hauser, Matt Grovom, David Van Workum, Jamey Goddard, Spencer Igram, Mike Maierhofer, and Marc Cordi all won matches for Capo.
On Saturday, the JV and Frosh/Soph teams competed at the Oceanview tournament. Several wrestlers garnered honors: Mark Herrera, Christian Hauser, Kyle Coley, Wesley Wong, Matt Dix, Zach Brown and Jared Giles all finished third. Juan Hernandez finished second, while David Van Workum and Victor Mendoza finished first. Congratulations Cougars!
On January 18, Mike Maierhofer had the opportunity to compete in the prestigious OCWCA wrestling All-star meet. Maierhofer, who is currently ranked #2 in Orange County , faced off against #1 ranked William Knowles of Calvary Chapel. Not only is Knowles #1 in the county—he is #1 in the state and #2 in the nation! Mike fought hard and battled with heart, but dropped a 6-3 decision. This will only serve as a stepping stone to a great post season for Mike, so we are glad he had the chance to test his mettle against such a high caliber wrestler.