Chaminade named a top boys team at Zinkin Classic
The Zinkin Classic provides a healthy dose of intensity every year to the over 80 schools, many of which have histories of CIF State wrestling titles, that convene for the tournament.
The Chaminade boys wrestling team handled the event with calmness and a businesslike demeanor, which earned the Eagles fifth place overall and first place in the small schools category Saturday.
“The kids are seasoned enough that they can handle this kind of pressure,” Chaminade coach Bill Wilson said. “They know how to handle that kind of adversity with calm and they know they’re prepared and ready and they don’t have to have fear take over.”
Arvin Khosravy won first place in the 165-pound bracket, beating Bakersfield wrestler Austin Simmons in a 3-1 decision. Khosravy, whose Greco style of wrestling can be advantageous, is ranked No. 10 in that division by California Wrestler.
“Maturity,” Wilson said of Khosravy’s improvements this season. “And it’s experience. He did some international stuff and it gives you experience. He just knows how to win those tight matches, and all of his are tight.”
Slava Shabazyan came in second place at the Zinkin Classic in the 144-pound bracket. He pinned Fountain Valley’s Hercules Windrath in the semifinals before losing a 7-0 decision to Joseph Toscano, the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the state, in the championship match.
Before the Zinkin Classic, Shabazyan won the Camarillo 10Way tournament and the Newbury Park Invitational.
The Eagles’ Primo Catalano claimed third place Saturday at 175 pounds after winning four straight matches leading up to the quarterfinals. Kevin Rodriguez
finished in fourth place in the 215 weight class. Catalano and Rodriguez are ranked No. 8 and No. 14 in the state, respectively.
Chaminade’s success at the Zinkin Classic could be a positive indicator of what’s to come later in the season at the CIF State tournament. The current state of the program has been built by the lessons from losses that came before and from the leadership of previous wrestlers like Zeth Romney, who now wrestles for NCAA Division I program Cal Poly.
“We really don’t press winning and losing in our room,” Wilson said. “We don’t obsess on the winning and losing part. We like them to score and enjoy the journey of scoring and enjoy the moment. It just seemed to all culminate in that standard they have for each other.”
Chaminade’s next major tournament will be the Doc B Wrestling Invitational at Clovis High School on Jan. 5-6. The tournament is set to feature over 100 schools from around the country.
Chatsworth 58-21 and initially tied Granada Hills 4242, but were declared the winner through a tiebreaking procedure.
The girls defeated Chatsworth 42-24 and beat Granada Hills 2824.
Two days after the meet, girls wrestler Natalie Muzan (140) wrestled at the Laguna Hills Invitational and placed second in her weight class.