Wrestlers Fall in Semis at City Duals

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

For the second straight season the Palisades High wrestling team found itself facing San Fernando on Saturday in the semifinals of the City Section Dual Championships at San Pedro High.

Once again, the Tigers proved to be too strong, taking advantage of the Dolphins’ injury-depleted lineup to post a 50-18 victory. San Fernando then lost to Birmingham 35-22 in the finals.

“It’s disappointing that we didn’t wrestle our best,” Pali High Coach Aldo Juliano said. “We had to juggle our lineup and move guys around to fill certain spots and it didn’t work out.”

Parsa Pourmoula prevailed 8-1 at 120 pounds, Aaron “Peanut” Galef won 9-1 at 138, Erick Quero won by fall in the second period at 152 and Joseph Velado won by fall in the first period at 182.

Chance Chapman (160 pounds) was out with a knee injury and Jake Carpenter (152) also sat out with a leg injury for the Dolphins.

Hamzah Alsaudi, the two-time City champion at 195 pounds, led 12-4 going into the third period  before falling 14-12 in overtime at 220 pounds and Jonathan Quero also lost in overtime, 9-7, at 132.

Two days earlier Palisades hosted Eagle Rock in the first round and won, 45-24. Pourmoula won 8-1 at 120, Jonathan Quero pinned the Eagles’ Tyson Sicat in the first period at 132, Galef built a 12-2 lead before pinning Anthony Marquez-Rivas in the third period at 138, Erick Quero pinned Eagle Rock’s Luke Lambino in the first period at 152, Carpenter got a takedown in overtime to beat Jose Davila Valdez at 160, Luke Hansen (170) and Velado (182) got first-round pins and Alsaudi won by forfeit at 220.

“I hadn’t wrestled either guy before but I go out there with the mentality to push the pace and attack,” Velado said of his matches in the dual tournament. “Against the Eagle Rock guy I used a power half and took him down with a single leg and today [against San Fernando] I cradled him. I feel pretty good about my chances in City. I’ve been at 182 almost the entire year but I may drop to 170. I’ll wrestle at whatever weight coach needs me the most.”

Palisades travels to Sylmar High on Saturday for the Region 3 Meet. The top five in each weight class will advance to the City Section finals.