Mei Pearl Holmes-Selby | Sports Editor
January 16, 2026
The Rotary Wrestling Tournament is the longest running wrestling tournament in Orange County. It started in 1975, when an eager coach at San Clemente High School reached out to a Rotarian from Rotary to help him set up this event that would continue for decades to come at SCHS. On January 10, 2026, ten schools gathered early in the morning to participate, cheer, and support Rotary’s 51st Wrestling Tournament. The ten schools include Yucaipa, Poway, Corona del Mar, El Dorado, Palisades, Bonita Vista, Pacifica, Mar Vista, Long Beach Wilson, and our very own home team, San Clemente. These teams came from both near and far, as many traveled over forty minutes to compete in this competition.
Initially, the competition seems chaotic with wrestlers running around and spectators trying to get a perfect photo of their family, friend, or team. But once you understand the organized chaos of it all, everything doesn’t seem as complicated. The gym’s floor is covered by a huge mat, but it’s split into four sections. Each mat is equipped with computers for the score, the score keeper, a referee, the coaches, and two wrestlers.
Ian Thompson, a sophomore on the boys varsity wrestling team at SCHS, expressed how his “favorite part about wrestling is the grit you find when pushing yourself, and the friends you make along the way.” Additionally, his “season has been great [as his] new coach is amazing and has brought [the] team much farther than [they] were at the beginning of the school year.”
On the other hand, Dillenger Neville, another sophomore on the boys varsity wrestling team, emphasized that he “likes winning after his matches.”
Miles Joiner won three of four matches this past Saturday, the last one being a consolation match, which would determine his ranking in his weight class. Although he didn’t snag that win, his performance was still incredible as he won three in a row beforehand.
Even if one did not win the matches he wanted to, at the end of the day, just being able to compete and have fun was enough to make it a memorable experience. Being able to compete in these tournaments against many talented schools is a privilege.
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