IRVINE, Calif. – Vanguard went 1-2 on Friday down the road at Goldenwest College, as the Lions took part in the Westcliff Warrior Classic. Vanguard's team record was shaped by their loss in the opener to Menlo's "Oak Squad" 28-20, before beating their B team 24-13, and finishing with a defeat at the hands of the hosts 29-19. The Lions' success was spearheaded by Elena Rameriz, Lillian Avalos, and Loretta Lopez who all went undefeated in each of their three individual showings.
 
 
What Happened? 
 
Dual 1 (L, 20-28): Vanguard had no time to waste to start the day, as they essentially began by trailing 15-0 due to not having a showing at any of 207, 138, and 110. The response was valiant, as Vanguard won four of the six bouts that actually featured wrestling. The highlights included Lopez, Rameriz, and Piper Hall all collecting either four or five team points by inducing the Oaks into falls, with a 10-0 Tech Fall from Avalos punctuating 19 of Vanguard's 20 points. Abbie Hock at 180 for Vanguard was the other lone point for Vanguard in defeat.
 
Dual 2 (W, 24-13): Turning to Menlo's "B" team, the path was not instantly uphill, as each side yielded five points; for VU it was a no-show at 110 again, while Alexis Garza had no opponent from Menlo at 103. Once the action began, Avalos had another Tech Fall at 131 for VU, only this time she was joined by Rameriz in this regard. The momentum looked to be swaying towards Menlo in the 145-class, as VU's Piper Hall was down 8-0. However, Hall buckled down and toppled the Oak in Maci Stemmons winning by fall. Johanna Forman lost a close one to the Oak's Mikayla Lancaster 5-4, but added one team point on the board thanks to her efforts.
 
Dual 3 (L, 19-29): In the final dual of the day, Vanguard took on host-Westcliff. The team scores began at 10-5 in favor of the Warriors with the 207 and 138 going to the opponents, and the 103 belonging to the good guys after the non-showings were sorted. From there, Lopez, Rameriz, and Avalos each punctuated their dominant days, with the latter going three-for-three on 10-0 Tech Falls. Unfortunately, Vanguard was unable to capitalize on their lead after the 131's, as the Warriors took the remaining contests to win by 10 team points.
 

What was Said?  " Going 1-2, we wrestled very well. We were so excited to get back on the mat after last week and work on what we needed from the previous competition. Next up the desert duals," relayed Head Coach Joe Evano.
 

What's Next?  The Lions will press their luck in the desert, with the Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas playing host to several duals on December 19.