Aztecs wrestlers ready for DSL meet
BARSTOW - The Barstow High School wrestling team didn't appear to be in championship form at the start of the season.
The Aztecs dropped their first Desert Sky League match to Granite Hills 40-37. However, they won three straight league meetings, including Wednesday's 58-21 victory against Victor Valley, since then to clinch a DSL co-championship with Silverado.
A tiebreaker gives the Aztecs the No. 1 seed going into the CIF-SS Div. III Team Dual Finals. The dual finals will be held on Feb. 10 at South Hills High School in West Covina.
Barstow coach Jose Rubio attributes this year's slow start to missing wrestlers early in the season.
"Against Granite Hills we were competing during Christmas break, which is unusual for us. We still had Michael Barnett out on vacation, and Nick Alva was out with an injury," Rubio said. "So we got better as people got healthy. I knew we were going to get better."
The Aztecs are excelling individually as well with several wrestlers vying for a spot at the CIF-SS Individual Wrestling Championships. In order to enter the CIF-SS finals a wrestler must first qualify during their league finals.
"I expect Donavan Barela and Jose Acuna to make it to state this year," Rubio said. "Sean Silva is still young but I think he'll be in the CIF-SS finals. If all three of them made state it would be very nice."
The Aztecs will host this year's DSL finals at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Barstow High School. Rubio expects the home town advantage to energize his wrestlers.
"We enjoy hosting the finals," Rubio said. "We don't have to travel. We feel comfortable here. It's a great facility when it's filled up with a cheering crowd."
