Colton Takes Loss to Rival Grand Terrace, Gears Up for Second League Match of Season

Colton went head-to-head with inter-district rival, the Grand Terrace Titans, in a league play wrestling match hosted by the Titans on Jan. 17, but unfortunately, they were unable to come out on top. The Titans bested the seasoned Yellowjackets, 53-24, in the final score. "It's kind of a rebuilding year for us," said head coach Anthony Urrea. "We did lose quite a few guys last year and we have a young team this year but there's a lot of young talent coming in. It's just (a matter of getting) mat time and experience." In the first varsity round of the evening, Colton's Isaac Duran went against Grand Terrace's Logan Odenbaugh in an evenly-matched round. "I was proud of the turnout with him," Urrea said of the second year wrestler, only a sophomore. "We were pleased; he did everything on the mat we told him to do." In the second round, first year freshman wrestler Noah Gonzalez went against Grand Terrace's Christian Juarez. Gonzalez was pinned in 18 seconds but Urrea said he was proud of the way Gonzalez handled himself on the mat. Other noteworthy performances came from Daniel Chavez in the 152 weight class; Jess Duran in the 120 weight class, who got Colton on the board when he pinned Grand Terrace's Emilio Loera in the third round of the varsity match; and heavyweight returning wrestler Joel Hidalgo in the 220 pound weight class. Hidalgo has a 19-0 record, ranks 19th in the state and has taken first place in several showings, including the Carter Tournament at Rancho Verde, Upland and in the Christmas Classic. "Overall I was pleased," said Urrea of the performance. "We had six new varsity wrestlers in our lineup; three of those were freshmen, two were juniors and one senior." Colton will face defending CIF champs, the Fontana Steelers, next week in another match that will weigh heavily on Colton's likelihood of traveling to CIF this year.