Henry Wrestles and Hosts Beach Battle at Belmont.

On Friday July 26th, Patrick Henry High School Wrestling Club hosted San Diego’s first sanctioned Beach Wrestling Tournament. Forty wrestlers from all over San Diego and a few venturing from as far as Ventura, Menifee and Sacramento, gathered at Mission Beach, just south of Belmont Park. Beach Wrestling has been a end of summer tradition at Patrick Henry for the past three years. Last year it was added to the last day of the San Diego Wrestling Champ Camp that Patrick Henry hosted. This year Patrick Henry partnered with USA Wrestling and United World Wrestling, to put on an officially sanctioned Beach Wrestling tournament.

Beach Wrestling is one of the newest of the hundreds of wrestling styles. It was first sanctioned in 2008 and has been growing in popularity. SD Champ Camp has been partnering with Palomar Wrestling. Palomar College team is coached by Timmy Box who is the first American world medalist in Beach Wrestling and also the head coach of the US Team. He had just returned from Romania where the US Team had their best showing with multiple placers.

Timmy Box held a clinic for the wrestlers prior to start of the tournament, teaching first timers the rules to the style as well as giving a clinic on some style specific throws and tackles.

The competition took place inside of two 18 foot rings on the sand. Age categories included 10 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under, Junior (18 and under) and Open (18 and up). Both girls and boys competed in separate categories. 10 girls and 30 boys in total competed in ten different weight categories.

Patrick Henry CIF placer Aubrey Lund took first place in the 16U age group at 120-140lb weight class, Abdullah Alshami took first in the 120lb 16U along with Anthony Mokhov in 2nd and freshman Alistar Santos in third. Incoming freshman Maverick Hamel Garcia placed 1st at 10/135 14U girls division.

Senior Hondo Hamel took first at 133/155lb and freshman Caleb Arenz took 2nd in the 177lb weight class helping Patrick Henry Wrestling Club secure a first place at the tournament. The Pershing Lewis Middle School Wrestling Club which wrestles under the name Kumeyaay Trails Wrestling Club also had a good showing with six wrestlers most of whom placed.

All results can be found at TrackWrestling