The Heritage High School boys wrestling team lost a 35-32 decision to Redondo Union Thursday in a competition that came down to the last match of the CIF-SS dual meet championships.
The Patriots previously won three meets in one day last weekend to advance to the championship bout as an at-large selection. They boasted several more top performances on Thursday.
Each team won seven matches, but Redondo earned more pins. Heritage led 32-31 heading into the 120-pound match, which was won by the host Sea Hawks.
“Two wrestlers stood out by winning matches they were not favored to win,” said coach Oscar Nunez. “Junior Kyle Christopher at 132 turned his match around by scoring a major decision, and Antonio Lara-Lopez at 215 pinned his opponent after being behind on points.
“The MVP of the night was freshman Felix Gutierrez at 157. He maneuvered out of two pinning attempts to pin his senior opponent before the first period was over. I cannot express how proud I am of our program.”
The Patriots will compete in the league finals on Saturday, with the CIF individuals coming up the following weekend.
