Article By Brian Mendoza
Photo by: Christine Mendoza
Ramona Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s competition team made a strong showing at the Grappling X tournament in La Jolla, bringing home 11 medals.
In preparation for the tournament, the RBJJ competition team put in extra time in the academy and was pumped and ready to compete, said Coach Kevin Hosseini, adding that the crowd was pumped as well.
“When looking in the stands, black RBJJ shirts could be seen everywhere and the crowd could feel our presence with every win,” he said.
While Kallan McLaughlin represented the adult competitors with a third place finish, the shining light of the day was the kids/teens competition team.
Brandon Setterberg placed second in the no-gi division and third in the gi division. Setterberg is ranked number one in the 10- to 11-year-old 91 to 100 pounds division.
Kilian Brandon, Aidon Yoder, Alaina Austin, James Proctor and Matthew Mendoza placed third in their divisions. Eli Bennett and Matthew Roelle competed in the same division and tied for third place.
In their competition debuts, Jesse Deaver and Noah Katcher both placed first in their divisions.
Katcher had three fights against strong competitors. After a tough first fight, Katcher was able to out point his next two opponents by maintaining dominant positions on the ground, leading him to his first-place finish.
Deaver made quick work of his three opponents, submitting two of them early in the matches and outpointing the other. Deaver used an Ezekiel choke in both matches to finish his competitors.
Another highlight of the day was Lawrence Arroyo’s first-place domination of his division. After finishing second and third in previous tournaments, Arroyo had his mind set on a first-place finish. Facing a tough field of competitors, Arroyo made quick work of his opponents, submitting all of them. He finished his opponents with an inverted armbar and an Americana.
Coach Hosseini stated that he was very proud of all the RBJJ team, win or lose. He thanked all of the Ramona Jiu Jitsu family members who came out in support of the team.
