By Heather Carr, staff writer
It lasts over the course of three days. It invites over 90 teams and hundreds of spectators. It is home to some of the toughest competition in the state, and even the nation. It is the Five Counties Wrestling Tournament, hosted by the Fountain Valley wrestling team and held in the gymnasium of the school, attracting hundreds of athletes for over forty years, and will be doing so again for its 50th Anniversary.
These are widely known facts—though what is little recognized is the history behind the event.
The first Five Counties wrestling tournament, started by Ken Duddridge, a coach and former physical fitness teacher, was hosted at Marina High School in 1966, and invited teams from originally five counties across the Southland.
As reported by The Daily Pilot, Duddridge, who lettered in five sports at Claremont High School (including wrestling), begin coaching and teaching at various high schools. During his stint at Campbell High up in Northern California, the wrestling coach had suffered a heart attack and Duddridge was asked to substitute in the coach’s place by the school athletic director.
Overtime, he begin to develop a considerable passion for the sport, and after his career at Campbell, whose team won the Northern California Championship after he left, Duddridge founded the distinguished Five Counties Wrestling Tournament.
He later transferred the event over to its present home at Fountain Valley in 1968, and was the school athletic director from 1971 to 1978.
Over the years, the tournament has evolved with the sport in regards to equipment and safety procedures, yet most noteworthy was its level of prestige. In its earlier days, attendees came from schools within the five original counties, yet overtime, it had gained considerable recognition to its present standing, ranking among the top three meets in the state of California and the top ten in the nation, yet ranking changes based upon participation per year.
Notable performances by Fountain Valley athletes include those from Steele Escobedo (’13), who won the title in the 145-pound weight class last year. Additionally, the team won the entire tournament in 1973, 1977 and 1978, and scored second place overall in 1976.
From past to present, the Five Counties tournament has evolved throughout the years, and has developed from a local meet to a national class tournament—and from 75 teams with over 900 athletes competing this year, those attending should expect no less.
