SUMMARY

RESULTS

Tony Zaldua
Thom DeMartino
Jamar Johnson
Andre Gonzales
Jeremiah Rodriguez
Rico Thompson
Walter Simbol
William Alonzo

PROMOTIONS & RERATINGS

Tony Zaldua: +A
Thom DeMartino: +B
Andre Gonzales: C

The Lightspeed Saber SoCal championship, from its very inception, was always to be a prestigious event. For months, competitors vied for position to ensure that they would be qualified to have a chance to be named the regional top dog. But ultimately, only 8 would be allowed in, and those 8 brought some of the best Lightspeed Saber fencing we've ever seen.

The roster included old favorites and veterans, including long-time champion Tony Zaldua, Jamar Johnson, William Alonzo, Andre Gonzales, and Thom DeMartino. The new class, having only earned their qualifying grades this year, were Jeremiah Rodriguez, Walter Simbol, and Rico Thompson. The tournament stood at 3 B's and 5 C's, making it the highest rated tournament in Lightspeed Saber history.

The evening's matches started slow; with all fencers vying for position rather than making it into the playoffs, conserving energy was a key strategy for the 8-person pool and tournament. But that didn't mean some amazing exchanges and points were not scored.

Walter “Stylin” Simbol vs Tony Zaldua (jumpsuit)

Walter Simbol stunned opponents with his quick and accurate stop-hits and his stellar fashion sense. Thom DeMartino, known for his similar style and level of attack accuracy, let loose with many a flying overhead attack, leading to the most devastating headshots of the night. Not to be outdone, Rico Thompson had to have been the most accomplished floater of the night, nimbly avoiding any low attacks (for Thompson, this would count as anything below his neck) with a Yoda-like grace as he brought his countermoves down to bear. But if Thompson was the most agile in the air, Jamar Johnson had to be the quickest and the most agile on the ground. Fighting left-handed for most of the pool, Johnson intentionally played the psychological game and sowed seeds of doubt and confusion for the elimination rounds. Johnson, also known for strong defense, fended off opponents' attacks well as he moved at will throughout the ring.

Rico Thompson floats against Thom DeMartino

Of course, we could not speak of defense without 2021's most seasoned competitors: Tony Zaldua, Andre Gonzales, and Jeremiah Rodriguez, who made it clear that the 3-point counterattack was essentially a normal healthy breakfast for these fighters, as they turned their opponent's energy and offense against them. Still, no matter how skilled the defender, they could only weather so many attacks, and William Alonzo from Krait Base brought out his characteristic 100%-always-on-no-mercy style to the fore, never giving his opponent's an inch of breathing space as they fought desperately to withstand his numerous assaults.

Andre Gonzales shields against Jamar Johnson’s attack

By the close of the pool, champion Tony Zaldua led the pack from far afield, with 7 of 7 wins, leaving Jeremiah Rodriguez a distant second with 5 wins, followed by Rico Thompson, Thom DeMartino, Walter Simbol, Andre Gonzales, Jamar Johnson, and Wiliam Alonzo. This meant that the 7th and 8th place positions, Johnson, and Alonzo, were in significant danger, as they had to face tough battles against the top placers in the very first round, lest they be eliminated.

First up were Andre Gonzales and Rico Thompson, two wolves, often tasked with eliminating each other as their skill levels are about equivalent, though with very different styles. Gonzales fights in a more orthodox fashion, with a wide range of moves and skills, while Thompson is much less predictable, using unorthodox stances and relying heavily on his trademark float-over. The battle included several bolts from the wolf captain, though never without answer from the second in command, bringing the hammer down whenever Gonzales mistimed his step. Other exchanges were won by mere inches as the two carnivora traded attacks and dodges. Ultimately, Gonzales won out yet again, taking Thompson out of the lineup and putting Gonzales into the top 4.

Next, Tony Zaldua faced his own teammate, William Alonzo. Alonzo's aggression was high as usual, but Zaldua's stop-hits and remarkable abil;ity to find the opening were too much for Alonzo, who lost in a lopsided 10-1 bout against the number one contender.

Jeremiah Rodriguez bolts against William Alonzo

Thom DeMartino and Walter Simbol faced off next, again in a very lopsided bout where DeMartino crushed his opponent with superior speed and timing. Though they are both similar fighters, DeMartino was simply more mobile, and better at controlling the pace as well as the space of the battle, giving him the win.

The most-talked about battle of the first round, however, might have been the fight between teammates Jamar Johnson and Jeremiah Rodriguez. Based on pool performance thus far, Rodriguez was favored to win. But Johnson had the advantage of experience, as well as the surprise reveal that he, in fact, is not left-handed. This ended up being a very clean fight, with the both of them delivering thrilling and dramatic exchanges, each of them doing an admirable job of stopping the other's attacks. Ultimately though, Johnson earned an upset win over Rodriguez by a single point, knocking out the former cadet down to 5th place overall, his lowest placement in 2021.

William Alonzo (front) vs Thom DeMartino

With four fencers knocked out, the tournament came down to the semi finals, where Zaldua would meet Gonzales, and DeMartino would face Johnson. DeMartino and Johnson had a close battle, Johnson clearly being faster and more agile, but DeMartino having the advantage of greater accuracy and reach. Ultimately it wasn't quite enough for Johnson, who lost by two points, allowing DeMartino, once again, to contend for the first place finish.

Andre Gonzales and Tony Zaldua also had a close battle. Gonzales took an early lead, and the champion looked to be in trouble as yet another upset seemed to loom. However, Zaldua rallied, and brought the score even before landing the final points and snatching away the victory from the wolf captain.

And so, as it was in December 2019, Tony Zaldua and Thom DeMartino faced off once again for the crown, and for the league's very first 'A' rating. DeMartino surely remembered the old battle well, as 2019 Zaldua changed up his gameplan, relying on a defensive posture that stunned the former Skull Squad fencer. It only remained to be seen what game plan Zaldua would run this time, and whether DeMartino had one of his own that would beat it out.
As the match started out, it certainly seemed to be the case. The Lightspeed Saber champion seemed gassed, having fought hard to top out the pools, and fought even harder to make up the difference in his previous battle against Andre Gonzales. In a crucial exchange, Zaldua was ahead in time but narrowly missed a hand snipe, letting DeMartino crash down with a powerful blow against Zaldua's helmet, bringing the score to 6-0 in favor of DeMartino.

Shortly after, Zaldua visibly began to change plans, altering his tempo and landing his first big score with a double-lunge remise to DeMartino's chest. Zaldua then scored TWO 3-point returns, shooting up the scoreboard and bringing the score to 11-10 with one second remaining. With no time left to lose, DeMartino charged out of the gate with a flying attack into Zaldua's corner. Zaldua, however, bought himself just enough space to dodge the initial action and score a CLEAN counter against DeMartino, finishing the fight at 13-10 as the buzzer sounded, and showing us all why Tony Zaldua is still the reigning Lightspeed Saber champion, and why he is Lightspeed Saber's FIRST 'A' rated fencer.

Despite Zaldua once again taking the top spot, it was no small feat for the other fencers of the top 4. DeMartino earned his 'B' by taking second, and Jamar Johnson earned 3rd place, which was among his best performances in Lightspeed Saber. And Andre Gonzales took 4th to re-earn his C, ensuring his place in the advanced division for the next 12 months.

This tournament could not have happened without the help of the staff and all the supportive moms, dads, brothers, sisters, and friends who came to cheer our fencers on. Thanks to John Mullins for his photography and video clips, thanks to Jowanna Lewis for her great commentary, thanks to Patricia Bauler and Sean Holtzman for directing and reffing the tournament, and thank you to Dinah Kolasa for helping with setup, data, and photography. We'd also like to thank South Coast Fencing Center for hosting us. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you all again in February 2022.

1st: Zaldua, 2nd: DeMartino, 3rd: Johnson

DIRECTORS

Cang Snow
Sean Holtzman

REFEREES

Sean Holtzman
Patricia Bauler

STREAMER

Jowanna Lewis

SETUP/assist

Cang Snow
Dinah Kolasa
John Mullins
Sean Holtzman
Patricia Bauler

MEDIA

Dinah Kolasa
John Mullins

COMPILATION

Dinah Kolasa

COMPETITORS

Tony Zaldua (KB)
William Alonzo (KB)
Jeremiah Rodriguez (LSI)
Jamar Johnson (LSI)
Walter Simbol (LSI)
Andre Gonzales (LWB)
Rico Thompson (LWB)
Thom DeMartino