SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : WRESTLING : Calvary Chapel-Irvine Match Features Several Champions

On paper, it looks like an epic mismatch. It doesn’t appear possible that second-seeded Irvine can defeat top-seeded Calvary Chapel in the Southern Section Division III dual meet wrestling final tonight.

After all, Calvary Chapel is coming off an overwhelming performance at the section individual championships Saturday. The Eagles had seven wrestlers reach the finals. Six won titles.

Irvine had one winner and finished eighth.

Calvary Chapel, which plays host to Irvine at 7 p.m., has a 16-1 dual meet record and has been Orange County’s top-ranked team most of the season. The Eagles breezed through the preliminary rounds last Wednesday, then blitzed all comers at the individual finals Saturday.

Shane Valdez (at 112 pounds), Dane Valdez (119), Joey Coughran (130), Mauricio Mora (135), Josh Holiday (140) and Ed Mosley (145) all won titles. Greg Smith (125) also was a finalist.

Irvine, led by 103-pound champion Sean Billings, is 18-0. The Vaqueros were fourth-ranked for much of the season.

Top-seeded El Modena (17-0) plays host to third-seeded Indio (11-0) in the Division I final at 7:30 tonight.

El Modena placed second to Indio at the Division I individual finals Saturday. The Vanguards had two individual champions to the Rajahs’ one. Juan Alvarez (at 130 pounds) and David Wells (140) won titles for El Modena. Alvarez is 47-5 and Wells is 48-4.

Indio’s Jesse Calderon won a championship at 119 and improved his record to 45-2.