Poway to Skip Section Meet for Oklahoma

San Diego is OK, but it’s not Oklahoma.

Poway Coach Wayne Branstetter, a big contributor to wrestling in San Diego County, has decided his team will skip an important local meet so his team can prepare for a national tournament.

Poway, traditionally the best wrestling team in the county and owner of a 148-match unbeaten streak, will not compete in Saturday’s first San Diego Section Dual Meet Championship, a tournament to decide the county’s best wrestling team.

Branstetter is resting his team for the Cowboy Classic in Stillwater, Okla., Feb. 1-2, a tournament that features eight of the nation’ strongest high school teams, including four from Oklahoma. It is the stiffest challenge to the streak since Branstetter arrived in 1979.

Poway’s pullout prevents a Poway-Valhalla showdown, one that most of the county would like to see. In the most recent California Wrestler rankings, Valhalla was ranked second in the state, Poway fourth. Over the weekend, Poway won the prestigious Five Counties Invitational, Valhalla finishing sixth.

“No question, (the tournament) lost a lot of credibility,� Valhalla Coach Glen Takahashi said. “Personally, I think everyone envisioned Valhalla-Poway in the finals. This could be a real showcase event for San Diego wrestling.

“(Valhalla) had a lot to gain or a lot to lose, but San Diego wrestling has lost because Poway’s not going to be there, (but) I understand his logic.�

Takahashi, representing the Wrestling Coaches Assn., pitched the tournament to the section Board of Managers as an event for this season. It was adopted two weeks before the wrestling season began and Branstetter--the Coaches Assn. president--already had committed his team to appear in Oklahoma. He thinks the dual meet championship is a good idea, but next year.

“There’s no doubt in my mind we’re the best team in the county, but we’re not going to jeopardize that trip,� Branstetter said. “We’re not playing golf or tennis here. These are real battles. You wouldn’t schedule a heavyweight boxing match every weekend.�

To make the Oklahoma trip possible, Poway arranged for athletes to take semester finals early, moved a dual meet with Vista and raised $8,000.

Reality strikes: A war a half-world away struck a chord Thursday in Room 160 at San Dieguito High School.

The girls’ basketball team had lost to Fallbrook the previous night and Coach John Brennan was delivering “a tongue lashing� over poor play. Then John Silverman walked in to get his daughter, Mary, a senior. His appearance confirmed the bad news.

Her uncle, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher of Jacksonville, Fla., was the first U.S. casualty of the Gulf War.

“That one airplane,� said Brennan, a history and U.S. government teacher, “it’s so far away. It’s not that close to the kids, but it’s close to her, and that’s what affects everyone else. It was one of our own.

“Everything was going great, there was only one plane shot down--and it was her uncle.

“That put things in perspective.�

Trivia time: Christian graduate Tony Clark has five of the section’s top 10 single-game basketball scoring marks, including the best--64 points--set last year against La Jolla Country Day.

Whose record did he break?

Out of control: Officials handed out 55 fouls and six yellow cards in Poway’s 3-2 boys’ soccer victory at Mt. Carmel, but the match became unique when two parents came out of the stands to confront referees when a Sundevil goal was disallowed with less than 10 minutes remaining. One parent made a vulgar gesture to official Takis Zardelas, but the parents left when asked to do so.

Moments later, another Sundevil goal was disallowed, which set off Mt. Carmel goalie coach Art Cerveny, who also confronted officials.

The coaches said it was a typical, aggressive match between the rivals. Despite the fireworks by the adults, the players didn’t seem to mind. They shook hands when it was over.

Said Poway Coach Bob Champion: “I’m glad it ain’t my parents.�

Irony of ironies: Vicki de Jesus became Mt. Carmel High School’s all-time leading scorer--male or female--with a 22-point effort against Torrey Pines, giving her 1,136 points. She surpassed Shane Knight’s 1,119. It was the 60th time in 65 games de Jesus had scored in double figures.

In the next game, against Orange Glen, de Jesus failed to score for the first time in her four-year varsity career. She was zero for three shooting in the first half and benched in the third quarter, when she revealed she was feeling ill. De Jesus was the only Sundevil who didn’t score in Mt. Carmel’s 49-22 victory.

Elite company: San Pasqual’s Erik Meek scored 40 points Friday in a loss to Carlsbad. On his 25th point, he went over 2,000 for his career. Meek, who will attend Duke University next year, is only the second player in section history to surpass 2,000 points. Tony Clark has 2,549.

Long time coming: On Thursday, Mar Vista girls’ basketball team (9-7, 4-5) beat Metro Conference-rival Bonita Vista (6-9, 3-6) for the first time in 10 years, 36-32.

“The girls are ecstatic,� Coach Pat O’Neill said. “You hate to have someone you cannot beat. You like to think you’re innovative enough (as a coach) to beat them. It’s taken me 12 meetings (over six years) to beat them, so I’m either not very innovative or not very lucky.�

This time, O’Neill was innovative. With five minutes left, he switched Dawn Houseman from point to wing and Tera Gigax from wing to point. Gigax promptly scored six of her eight points on layups.

Gigax and Houseman, who had nine points, six assists and eight rebounds, are three-year starters for Mar Vista.

Trivia answer: Madison’s Mitchell Lilly scored 61 points against San Diego in 1976, one point better than a 1969 effort of Julian’s Bob Petrie. Clark has the next four-best totals.