Chargers making their mark

Mike Sciacca, Independent

Dan Rawlins can remember the day when Edison High was a prep

wrestling powerhouse.

It was the late 1970s, and Rawlins was wrestling at Sunset League rival

Marina.

“They really were a powerhouse, one of the teams that stood out back

then,” Rawlins said. “It’s been a while since those glory days.”

Twenty-two years into the present, Rawlins has switched allegiances.

The former Vikings has inherited the Edison varsity wrestling program

after having served the past three years as a Charger assistant. What’s

more, with the talent Rawlins currently has on his hands, Edison is

considered a chief contender for the 2000 Sunset League championship.

It would be the school’s first league title in 10 years.

Already owning a victory over a strong Marina squad, the Chargers take

the next step toward winning a title tonight in a key showdown at

Esperanza.

“I really feel this team has a great shot at winning league,” Rawlins

said heading into tonight’s key match at Esperanza, and two days before

the Chargers were to participate in the highly-anticipated Five Counties

meet at Fountain Valley High. “This has been a great group of kids to

work with, and a young group at that. These kids are laying the ground

work for the future of the program, which has come a long way, really. We

want to bring back that tradition.”

Five Counties will be the fifth tournament of the season for Edison,

which placed 10th overall at the 24-team El Dorado Invite, third at the

10-team Torrance Varsity Tournament (where the Chargers defeated Fountain

Valley), ninth overall at the 24-team Holiday Classic at Silverado High

in Las Vegas, and just last weekend, took eighth-place at the Estancia

32-man tournament.

Three of Rawlins’ wrestlers, senior captains Jason Rawlins (son of the

coach) and Matt Ayala (ranked sixth in the county at 135-pounds and 21-6

overall), and senior Danny Hamamoto (215, 19-6), have placed among the

top six in each of those four tournaments. Rawlins, 21-5 at 130, took first place in his division at both the Torrance and Holiday Classic

tournaments.

In addition, junior Jack Demirjian (160, 18-7) placed in three of the

four meets.