Photos of champs Jake Wallace and Nick Pena courtesy Jose Pena

Millikan High won two individual wrestling titles at the 2010 Troy Tournament on Saturday, and six others placed to give the Rams an impressive second-place finish behind Downey High School. Wilson had three placers, including a champion of their own.  The Rams’ Jake Wallace (135), Nick Pena (152) and Wilson’s 160-pound Josh Newman all took home first-place medals. 

Pena pinned Torrance’s Sam Lee to capture his third tournament title this season and was named the upper-weight MVP. 

Pena is now 31-2 with an astounding 27 coming via pin fall.

“I really kept my head on straight and wrestled well today,” a happy Pena said. “I was real excited to be named the MVP, and to pin a guy in a title match is like hitting a grand slam in baseball. I am also really excited that my teammates did as well as they did.”

Jake Wallace (135) might look like a harmless, happy-go-lucky kid, but on the mat he is lethal.  Despite having an illness that is best left private, and trailing late in the match, Wallace won an 11-8 decision to take the 135-pound crown.

Wallace was a little dazed during and after his matches on Saturday because he lost plenty of fluids.

“It was just a walk in the park, but it is always a good thing to win a tournament championship,” he said.

Jaime Reyes (140) and heavyweight Calvin Gonzalez both finished second, while James Kuwata (112), Nick Arroyo (160), Zack Woodruff (189) and 215-pound Sam Taylor all placed third for Millikan.

Woodruff and Arroyo closed our their tournaments in style with pin-fall victories.

“This was a really good tournament for us, but we still have a lot of work to do if we’re going to do well when it matters,” Millikan coach Marshall Thompson said. “Nick and Jake had impressive tournaments, but so did almost everyone, so I am really proud of our guys. I hope they know, however, we have some hard work ahead of us, because we have the chance to have a very special season and it will take a lot of improvement to get where we want to be.”

The Long Beach area’s top two teams (No. 1 Downey and No. 2 Millikan) along with Wilson, claimed eight of 14 tournament titles on Saturday, so the LBC left its mark on the OC.

Downey was in a league of its own with 162.5 team points, followed by Millikan with 129.0, Troy 117.5, Valencia 111.5 and Torrance rounded out the top-5 with 109.5 team points.

Downey’s Ivan Garibay (119), Brandon McDonald (171), Kenneth Lee (189), Rudy Calderon (215) and heavyweight Robert Chism were part of a Vikings money unit that went 5-0 in title matches on Saturday.

Jacob Barberena (125), Josh Ho (130) and Aaron Esquer (145) finished third for the area’s most talented team.

Perhaps a kick in the butt was exactly what Wilson’s Josh Newman needed.

On Thursday, Newman was pinned by Nick Pena at 160 in a dual between Millikan and Wilson, but on Saturday, the Bruins junior went 4-0 with four pins and looked outstanding.

“I went back to work on Friday after Nick beat me and my coaches really worked me hard and despite trailing in the championship match, I will still confident,” Newman said about overcoming a deficit to pin his opponent. “It is a really good feeling to know that my hard work paid off today.”

Wilson coach Seth Wegter was elated with Newman.

“Josh is a hard-working quiet kid who wrestles as hard as he can every time he takes the mat,” Wegter said. “He is also a very bright kid, so when he loses a match, you know it’s because the other kid is a better wrestler. He never gets cheated and we look forward to him being a part of our future.”

Wilson’s Miguel Peralta (171) finished third after going 3-1 with three pins and is now 23-3 on the season.

Peralta has not lost in Moore League action and has placed at every tournament he’s wrestled.

Andrew Cohn (215) also placed third and went 3-1 with two pins, while the Bruins heavyweight Oscar Ronquillo was fourth.