The wrestling team ended its Senior Night Jan. 15 with a 47-25 win against La Habra in the Sunny Hills gym, securing victories in nine out 14 of matches. 

“Our [wrestlers] pulled through, and we needed those big points in the beginning,” assistant coach Josue Chew said. “I was most worried about the matchups but really happy about the [win] for Senior Night.” 

The wrestling team jumped out to a 35-0 lead after a string of seven victories on the mat, including three pins.

Senior captain Andrew Park, who competed in the 220-pound weight class, locked in the victory when he pinned Highlander wrestler Juan Sanabria while fans erupted in cheers.

Senior Night was organized for the first time by the team moms in honor of the graduating senior wrestlers. 

“It was an amazing night for me and probably my most favorite match of all four years so far,” Park said. 

The last active match ended with junior Brianna Tran, the lone female wrestler on the varsity squad, pinning Xavier Provence in the 106-pound weight class. 

“I thought I was going to lose going in [to the match], but I pulled through in the actual match,” said Tran, who is in her second year on the team. “I noticed my opponent lacked confidence in his actions so I took advantage of that.”

Though this is the first year that Sunny Hills is fielding an all-girls wrestling squad, they are on the Junior Varsity roster and so have yet to compete like Tran against other male opponents at the varsity level.

Chew said he didn’t have any doubts about how Tran would perform on the mat.

“The girl is like the baddest woman on the planet and a beast of a wrestler,” he said. “I was 100 percent confident when she was going in.” 

The Lancers will next take on Fullerton High School at Sonora Jan. 22 at 9:30 p.m. because the Indians’ gym is closed down for modernization.