Pack Sends Six to CCCAA State Championships

by Cerwin D Haynes

It's hard to look at East Los Angeles College's Miguel Soto as a rookie college head coach given his track record and knowledge of the sport; after all, it was those two factors that helped him become Ralph Valle's successor at the Huskies' wrestling helm. Not only did Soto have a tough act to follow, but a tough year to follow it in, given all the navigational challenges he and his wrestlers endured in their first season back from the Covid layoff. Yet, Coach Soto made sure his team stayed focused, and their endurance and preparation were rewarded yesterday: a fourth-place finish in the SoCal Regional Championships with six of his student-athletes qualifying for the CCCAA State Championships this coming Friday.

"The team did very well," remarks Coach Soto. "After a strong week of preparation, our wrestlers showed up to wrestle!" 

ELAC scored 93.5 total points, with an overall win-loss record of 18-15 on the day with 10 pinfalls. "Just two points out of third," remarked Soto. "A fantastic performance, when you factor that we were shorthanded, missing two weight classes."

Five Huskies finished fourth and one placed as a runner-up. They are:

• Troy Garza, 184 lbs, 2nd Place

• Hector Ramirez, 141 lbs, 4th Place

• Josue Aguilar, 149 lbs, 4th Place

• Nick Lopez, 174 lbs, 4th Place

• Devin Peries, 197 lbs, 4th Place

• Nathan Ramos, 285 lbs, 4th Place

Coach Soto is ready to get his players to lock in for one more week. "I know the team is currently strong and focused, ready to put in another week of preparation and continue developing and competing at next week's CCCAA State Championships."

• The aforementioned "Super Six" will head to Cerritos this Friday to compete in the 2021 CCCAA State Championships. It will be Josue Aguilar's second trip to the state finals, as he finished eighth in the 149-lb class two years ago.
• The Huskies finished in the top-10 in 2019.