St. Francis wrestlers flatten Valley Christian St. Francis wrestlers flatten Valley Christian (January 13, 2006)

By Erik Koland

Minutes before the meet began on Tuesday, the St. Francis wrestling team looked hungry and ready for action against Valley Christian. But more than a third of the Lancers scheduled to compete would not, because the Warriors forfeited six of the 15 weight classes.

Regardless, the Lancers won their second convincing win in the competitive WCAL league, beginning with a 37-0 run on their way to a final team score of 54-15.

Of the nine contested matches, the Lancers took five, with wins at the 103, 130, 135, 152, 160 weight classes.

St. Francis' Roscoe Kundtz (103) opened the match with a fast-moving and tenacious victory, beating his opponent 12-9.

In the 130 weight class, the Lancers' Brian Brownell out-maneuvered his opponent to 13-16 victory, in a match that featured numerous takedowns, reversals and escapes.

"I thought Brian wrestled well," said St. Francis coach Mathew Danna. "He controlled his match, was good on his feet, and tried new techniques. You've got to try new things."

St. Francis' Trevor Milligan (152) earned 5 points when he locked in a 15-point margin of victory, thus stopping the match. Though unable to pin his opponent, Milligan was convincing and kept his opponent on the defensive for the majority of the contest.

"Trevor Milligan had one of the best matches of the night," said Danna. "He's ranked top section and he's improving."

St. Francis' Parker Sinclair (135) and Rory Pruvot (160) greatly added to the one-sided score by pinning their opponents. Pruvot's pin gave the Lancers their last points of the night, pushing the overall score to a staggering 54-3.

The Lancers' heaviest wrestlers did not fair quite as well. Drew Toney (171), Matt Taufoou (189) and Clovis Kaboga-Miller (215) all lost close matches. Taufoou seemed to overpower Valley Christian's Chad Greer for most of the match, but succumbed to a quick move from Greer and was pinned with 1:23 remaining.

Joel Shaw (145), the returning state-placer for St. Francis, did not wrestle due a Valley Christian forfeit.

This weekend, Danna takes his five best wrestlers south to Fountain Valley for the Five-Counties Invitational -- the toughest tournament in California. The remaining Lancers will wrestle close to home in the Gym Room Classic.

The Lancers will host top-ranked Bellarmine next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

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