Update: The spelling of varsity coach Joevon Barnes’ name was incorrect on a previous version of this post
The lights dimmed and both sides of the bleachers fell silent. The referee blew his whistle and junior Anahit Falak dove into his stance and began to wrestle. It was the first league match of the season, and this meet was the first under head coach Joevon Barnes. This is Barnes’ first season coaching at MVHS, and on Jan. 5 months of practice were put to the test against Gunn HS. However, MVHS lost their first three matches and forfeited the rest until they got their first win in the 195lb match with senior Shayan Eslamian. Despite a string of consecutive victories after Eslamian’s match, MVHS was unable to match the 42 points Gunn HS had accumulated. The dual meet ended with MVHS losing 22-42.
