Four Royal wrestlers place at SunDome meet

ROYAL CITY - The team finished way down the list, but four Royal High wrestlers placed at their weights at the SunDome Mat Classic in Yakima on Saturday.

One of the placers, however, was not the team's leading wrestler Danny Barajas. He won his first match by pin and then lost two stunning decisions.

"It was a tough field," coach Seth Weeks said.

The Knights, who are short-handed because of expected wrestlers who have not turned out, warmed up for the SunDome with a dual meet against No. 4-ranked Granger.

Barajas won by pin, but the Spartans prevailed, 57-18.

At the SunDome, the Knights were led by 182-pounder Damien DeLaRosa. He won all but his final match to take second place.

A pleasant surprise for the Knights was a fifth-place finish for Emilio Bustos at 152 pounds.

Laddie Goroski, who won 7-4 at Granger, took seventh place at the SunDome.

Alex Myrick, who scored a pin at Granger, finished seventh at the SunDome at 160 pounds.

In added good news for the Knights, freshman Christian DeLaRosa is emerging as a battler at 113 pounds. He lost two close decisions at Yakima.

At Granger, Christian took on one of Granger's leaders and battled him well into the third period before falling by pin. He was trailing only 4-3 at the time.

"He's tough," Weeks said. He doesn't give up."