AV Sports - Adult Sports

This could be a very special summer for Lancaster High grad Adam Wheeler, when he travels to China as a member of the US Olympic Wrestling team. However, there is a major distraction Adam is dealing with - getting his Mom to the games so she can watch her son in person.

The Wheeler's approached the current Lancaster High wrestling coach, Patrick Hayhurst, soliciting ideas for raising funds to get Mrs. Wheeler, who still lives in Lancaster, to China for the games. Hayhurst's non-profit wrestling club, the Freebirds, has stepped forward, hoping to be the catalyst for such an effort.

The cost for the trip is in excess of $2500. The Freebirds have donated the first $500. They are challenging the rest of the Antelope Valley wrestling community, and the sports community in general, to help in any way they can.

Any donation will help the club reach its goal, and send Mrs. Wheeler to a once-in-a-lifetime event. The Freebirds will provide a receipt and tax ID number for all donations.

If you would like to send a check please email coach Hayurst at phayhurst@avhsd.org to get the
address for the Freebirds Wrestling Club. If you prefer you could also
donate directly to Adam Wheeler, in which case coach HayhurstI will gladly provide a mailing address.

Please make checks to Freebirds Wrestling Club and write in the memo
area "For Adam Wheeler’s Mom".

Thanks in advance for your generosity.

The Rattlers completed their 2008 season with a 1 to 1 tie against the Southern California Seahorses Saturday night.

It was the last game in what has been a very disappointing season overall, but the pain was lessened by the fact the team improved dramatically after a 0-7-1 first half, closing with 2 wins and 3 ties over their final 8 games.

The Rattlers made this trip with only 13 players due to injuries, suspensions, and personal reasons, 5 short of their regular contingent. As they have done all through the second half, they showed passion right from the start, and in the 28th minute of play Rattler Mauricio Harrie brought the ball down at the center of the field 22 yards out and quickly made a perfect pass to teammate and fellow forward Christian Hernandez who promptly placed it to the back of the net to take a 1 to 0 lead.

In the 38th minute of play the Seahorses appeared to have a breakaway when Rattles defender Hector Macias made a slide tackle from behind getting all ball but the official quickly pulled the red card, removing Macias from the game, leaving the Rattlers with only 10 men on the pitch.
The referee admitted his mistake saying “I should of spoke with my linesmen, it wasn’t a red card and it did not even warrant a yellow card. Sorry but the red can’t be pulled back”.

In the 52nd minute the Seahorses Tomislav Colic headed a corner kick past Rattler Keeper Zach Brunner to tie up the game at one a piece.

The Rattlers continued to dominate the play, drawing two apparent late fouls in the Seahorse box, one on midfielder Carlos Aguilar and one on Miguel Ibarra, but did not get the call from the referee in either instance. The Rattlers kept possession 65% of the game, but had to settle for the tie.

The Rattlers wrap of the regular season play with a 2-10-4 record with 10 points, both improvements over last year.

The Lancaster Rattlers, unbeaten over their last two games, traveled to Ventura to face the Fusion for the first time this season. The teams, both of which were coming off back to back wins, battled to a 1-1 tie.

About 32 Lancaster fans made the trip, and were rewarded with a Lancaster goal in the 23rd minute. Miguel Ibarra charged the net and Ventura keeper Bryan Hill came out and fouled him. Mauricio Harrie converted the penalty to give Lancaster the 1-0 lead.

Fusion answered quickly. They sent a barrage of shots that were turned away by Rattler keeper Zach Brunner, but Michael Farfan took a cross pass from Bryan Byrne and tied it up at 1 apiece.

The game turned very physical from there with the Fusion throwing a lot of elbows and kicks to slow down the speedy Rattlers. The Rattlers attack was quieted as the Fusion attacked continuously, with several near scores coming from Farfan.

In the 72nd minute Ibarra was kicked from behind and he retaliated and was issued a red card, leaving the Rattlers with only 10 men to finish the game. In the remaining 28 minutes of play, the Fusion kept the Lancaster team on it's heels with a relentless attack. Brunner came up big with save after save, denying 10 shots in the last 15 minutes. Brunner showed why he is the starting keeper, stopping 15 attempts of 16 direct shots on goal, upsetting the home team so much that Fusion coach Graham Smith was ejected for unprofessional conduct making obscene gestures towards the referee.

Farfan was issued a red card after his second yellow for a foul on forward Christian Hernandez. With both teams even again with 10 men, neither team could score and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Next up for the Rattlers is a July 4th game against the San Fernando Valley Quakes at Pete Knight High School, where they will attempt to avenge an earlier loss on the road in Calabasas.