It was an anti-climactic ending, for sure. But the San Benito
High wrestling team nevertheless exited Gilroy High School’s Bob
Hagen Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon with four placers
from the Mid-Cal Classic, twice as many as last season’s
showing.
GILROY
It’s considered the last true test prior to the postseason. But for many on the San Benito Haybalers, last weekend’s Mid-Cal Wrestling Classic was also the first true test of the regular season.
Although the Balers entered Mid-Cals shorthanded — they competed in 12 of the 14 weight classes — many of them were also short a couple of pounds, and were competing at a lower weight for the first time this season. It’s all in an effort to better prepare for anything and everything the postseason has to offer, and at a weight that will perhaps better suit them in the long run.
The end results left many on San Benito a little more exhausted than usual. But exiting Gilroy High’s Bob Hagen Memorial Gymnasium Saturday afternoon with four placers — including third-place performances by Kenny Salcedo at 114 pounds and Mikey Soto at 142 pounds, a fourth-place finish by Robb Rodriguez at 121 pounds and a fifth-place showing by Zack Rodriguez at 137 pounds — was the type of positive news head coach Brian DeCarli was hoping for to kickstart a stretch run.
After all, the Balers had four placers and compiled 168 points to finish in sixth place out of 70 teams, or twice as many placers and 53 more points than a year ago.
“I think overall as a team, it was a positive weekend,” said DeCarli, who is expecting to see many wrestlers within the Central Coast Section move up or down a weight class in the next several weeks in order to better prepare for the postseason.
With the CCS losing one of its qualifying spots toward state this year — as only the top three in each weight class will advance to state instead of the top four — the importance of being on weight and wrestling well at that weight is magnified.
Salcedo, for instance, noted he’s a little undersized for the 121-pound weight class, where he has been wrestling for much of this year. But on Friday and Saturday in Gilroy, the senior moved down to the 114-pound weight class, and went 5-1 to finish in third place.
“I should have done better, but I couldn’t perform the way I wanted to. So it was pretty tough,” said Salcedo, who felt it was a little more difficult to wrestle since cutting the weight. The senior grappler still won his first three matches on Friday before dropping an 8-2 decision to Selma’s Lupe Florez in the semifinal round on Saturday morning.
Wrestling for the first time this season at 114s, though, Salcedo said he didn’t know what to expect from his body at the lower weight class; he just had to wrestle “mentally strong and wrestle hard.”
He rebounded with an 11-6 decision over Michael Kraft of San Lorenzo Valley in the consolation semifinals, then squared off against Alisal’s Eduardo Lopez in the third- and fourth-place final.
But trailing Lopez 5-2 after the first round and 13-9 entering the third, Salcedo needed points. He allowed Lopez to escape early in the third round, then scored a takedown before letting Lopez get back up again for another escape point. Salcedo scored another takedown seconds later, but decided not to cut the Trojan this time; he had Lopez on his back.
Even though Salcedo was trailing in the match, he earned the pin with just 26 seconds to spare.
“I was down three or four and I needed the points. I could have turned him, but it would have taken more time than it would have been from my feet,” said Salcedo, who earned the pin in 4:34. “I knew if I kept wrestling hard that I’d win the match. He was a tough kid, but I knew if I wrestled hard, I’d come out on top.”
The final result was a different outcome for Alisal’s Lopez, who last week, during a dual meet against San Benito, pinned Baler Tony Gatto in the first round.
For the most part, though, each wrestler for the Balers was competing at a lower weight class than a week ago. Even Gatto, who was at 114s last week against the Trojans, wrestled at 105 at Mid-Cals and compiled a 4-2 record, although did not place.
“He had a lot more success and was really competitive as well,” DeCarli said of the lightweight wrestler.
Although five Balers were eliminated on the first day, including Toby Sherman (0-2) at 127 pounds, Greg Landry (2-2) at 147 pounds, Nick Mendizabal (1-2) at 154s, Tim Castillo (1-2) at 173s and Aaron Silva (2-2) at 217s, San Benito still managed to find the podium four times out of seven wrestlers on the second day.
Dominic Cortes (2-2) at 132 and Luis Ruiz (2-2) at 162 each fell short of placing on the second day, but both Zack Rodriguez at 137s and Mikey Soto at 142s advanced through the consolation rounds.
Each wrestler’s day ended somewhat anti-climactic, though.
For Rodriguez, the San Benito senior won his first two matches by fall before dropping a 6-3 decision to Saratoga’s Alfred Murabito that moved him into the consolation bracket. There, Rodriguez earned two more wins, including a win by fall over North County’s Cesar Moreno, before narrowly falling to Central’s Mason Esqueda by a 5-4 decision.
But the second loss didn’t eliminate Rodriguez. He instead moved to the fifth- and sixth-place consolation match against second-seeded Andrew Perez of Pitman, and eventually walked away with fifth place after the Pitman wrestler was unable to compete due to an injury.
“I thought Zack looked much more comfortable,” DeCarli said of Rodriguez, who had been competing at 142s last week.
It was a similar story for Soto, though. Competing down a weight class at 142s, Soto won his first three matches, two by fall, before losing to Gilroy’s Blake Kastl in the semifinal round. But the senior grappler rebounded to win his consolation semifinal over Jorge Munoz of Los Banos by a 17-4 major decision and advance to the third- and fourth-place consolation final.
But scheduled to wrestle against Alisal’s Oscar Mendez, Soto walked away with third place instead after Mendez was unable to compete due to an injury.
For what it’s worth, Soto did defeat Mendez by a 4-1 decision during last week’s dual meet with the Trojans.
The wrestling-down approach at Mid-Cals showcased, more or less, how the Balers will look as they prepare for the TCAL Championships and CCS Championships in the upcoming weeks. For Robb Rodriguez, though, Mid-Cals was also a measuring-stick tournament with a look towards last season.
A year ago, as a freshman, Rodriguez won his first two matches before dropping his next two, where as on Friday, the 121-pounder won his first three matches before falling to Central’s Javier Gasca by pin.
But unlike last year, the sophomore Baler rebounded through the consolation bracket. He beat Gunn’s Eric Cramer by a 2-1 decision, then topped Kevin Convissar of Homestead by a 7-3 decision. He advanced in his next match as well after Bo Bettinson of Reno injury defaulted, placing him in the third- and fourth-place consolation bout against Independence’s Kaelob Obien, the top-ranked wrestler in the Central Coast Section, according to The California Wrestler.
“I did a lot better than I thought I was going to, but that last match was disappointing,” Rodriguez said.
Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, Rodriguez let the lead go to 3-1 after Obien scored an escape. He then made a move for a takedown in the waning seconds of the third, but Obien blocked his attempt and scored a takedown instead en route to a 5-1 decision.
“It was a desperation move,” Rodriguez said. “I was just trying to take him down, but I didn’t do it.”
Rodriguez still placed fourth at 121 pounds, a year after he fell short of the podium at 114 pounds.
“And that’s a loaded weight class,” DeCarli said. “I think we really should have won that match if we got a couple of breaks our way. But that was good to see him take fourth in that weight class.”
As DeCarli said last season, the Balers have four more weeks to make everything right. With just a few dual meets left on the slate, including Wednesday’s match with Alvarez at 6:30 p.m., San Benito is without any major tournaments until the TCAL Championships on Feb. 19.
But again, placing four wrestlers at Mid-Cals should provide a boost for the Balers.
“We’ll see how the next four weeks go,” DeCarli said. “But this was good for us.”
Mid-Cal Wrestling Classic
Teams
1, Selma, 321.0; 2, Gilroy, 288.0; 3, Alisal, 210.0; 4, Paso Robles, 197.5; 5, Madera South, 175.0; 6, San Benito, 168.0; 7, Pitman, 165.0; 8, Central, 160.5; 9, Los Banos, 147.0; 10, Buhach Colony, 117.0; 11, Dos Palos, 112.0; 12, El Camino, 108.0; 13, Archbishop Riordan, 104.5; 14, South San Francisco, 101.5; 15, San Lorenzo Valley, 98.0; 16, Oak Grove, 97.0; 17, Junipero Serra, 96.5; 18, Castro Valley, 96.0; 19, Palma, 96.0; 20, Buchanan, 95.5; 21, Christopher, 92.5; 22, Willows, 91.5; 23, Dinuba, 86.0; 24, Mount Pleasant, 86.0; 25, Aptos, 84.5; 26, Palo Alto, 80.0; 27, Saratoga, 80.0; 28, Gunn, 75.5; 29, Fremont, 75.0; 30, Santa Teresa, 72.0; 31, Salinas, 71.0; 32, Overfelt, 67.5; 33, George Washington, 67.0; 34, Harker Academy, 66.0; 35, Homestead, 64.0; 36, Monterey, 59.0; 37, Edison, 58.0; 38, Reno, 57.5; 39, North Salinas, 57.0; 40, Sobrato, 56.0; 41, Watsonville, 55.0; 42, Monta Vista, 53.0; 43, Harbor, 51.0; 44, Rio Linda, 49.0; 45, Half Moon Bay, 46.0; 46, Seaside, 46.0; 47, Leigh, 45.0; 48, Arroyo, 43.5; 49, Gilroy B, 36.0; 50, Independence, 36.0; 51, Menlo-Atherton, 36.0; 52, Silver Creek, 36.0; 53, Gonzales, 35.0; 54, North Monterey County, 33.5; 55, James Lick, 32.0; 56, Wilcox, 31.0; 57, Andrew Hill, 29.0; 58, Monte Vista Christian, 27.0; 59, Soquel, 27.0; 60, Sequoia, 26.0; 61, Oceana, 17.0; 62, Soledad, 11.0; 63, Foothill, 8.0; 64, Aragon, 7.0; 65, Pitman B, 6.0; 66, Overfelt B, 4.0; 67, Piedmont Hills, 3.0; 68, Dinuba B, 2.0; 69, Carlmont, 0.0; 70, Oakland Tech, 0.0.
Individuals
105 — Tony Gatto, 4-2, DNP. Def. Kevin Le of Wilcox, 11-0 maj. dec.; Lost to Ramon Zaccarias of Aptos, 8-1 dec.; Def. David Fernandez of Oceana, 8-0 maj. dec.; Def. Cadence Lee of Gunn, fall (4:38); Def. Abraham Ybarra of Gonzales, 16-6 maj. dec.; Lost to Johnni Pimentel of Madera South, 6-2 dec.
114 — Kenny Salcedo, 5-1, 3rd. Bye; Def. Greg Garrison of Buchanan, fall (3:36); Def. Bryan Gomes of Sobrato, 13-3 maj. dec.; Def. Martin Martinez of Palma, 9-8 dec.; Lost to Lupe Florez of Selma, 8-2 dec.; Def. Michael Kraft of San Lorenzo Valley, 11-6 dec.; Def. Eduardo Lopez of Alisal, fall (4:34).
121 — Robb Rodriguez, 6-2, 4th. Def. Mark Formalejo of El Camino, fall (2:15); Def. Duc Doan of Andrew Hill, 8-0 maj. dec.; Def. Sebastian Lopez of Silver Creek, 19-7 maj. dec.; Lost to Javier Gasca of Central, fall (1:17); Def. Eric Cramer of Gunn, 2-1 dec.; Def. Kevin Convissar of Homestead, 7-3 dec.; Def. Bo Bettinson of Reno, forfeit; Lost to Kaelob Obien of Independence, 5-1 dec.
127 — Toby Sherman, 0-2, DNP. Lost to Johnathan Lewis of Leigh, fall (3:40); Bye; Lost to Dario Gamino of James Lick, fall (1:47).
132 — Dominic Cortes, 2-2, DNP. Bye; Def. Chase Phillips of Paso Robles, fall (:58); Lost to Tyler Klinkhammer of Pitman, fall (4:53); Def. Ryan Cosgrove of Edison, 8-6 dec.; Lost to Anthony Rivera of Half Moon Bay, 7-6 dec.
137 — Zack Rodriguez, 5-2, 5th. Bye; Def. Brandon Watson of Monterey, fall (1:30); Def. Mark Bennett of Pitman, fall (4:14); Lost to Alfred Murabito of Saratoga, 6-3 dec.; Def. Arturo Morado of Alisal, 3-0 dec.; Def. Cesar Moreno of North Monterey County, fall (1:20); Lost to Mason Esqueda of Central, 5-4 dec.; Def. Andrew Perez of Pitman, injury default.
142 — Mikey Soto, 5-1, 3rd. Bye; Def. Adam Luu of George Washington, fall (1:08); Def. Jace Basurto of Oak Grove, fall (1:13); Def. Monte Renteria of Dinuba, 7-2 dec.; Lost to Blake Kastl of Gilroy, fall (2:31); Def. Jorge Munoz of Los Banos, 17-4 maj. dec.; Def. Oscar Mendez of Alisal, injury default.
147 — Greg Landry, 2-2, DNP. Lost to Andrew O’Connor of Archbishop Riordan, 4-0 dec.; Bye; Def. Juan Rios of Salinas, fall (:59); Def. Andrew Vasques of Watsonville, 8-7 dec.; Lost to Salvador Osorio of Castro Valley, fall (4:20).
154 — Nick Mendizabal, 1-2, DNP. Bye; Lost to Dylan Forzani of Salinas, fall (2:31); Def. Dominic Ramirez of Christopher, fall (1:00); Lost to Eddie Meza of Alisal, fall (2:19).
162 — Luis Ruiz, 2-2, DNP. Bye; Def. James Garcia of Oceana, fall (2:27); Def. Angelo Goumenidis of El Camino, 7-3 dec.; Lost to Adam Busch of Castro Valley, fall (1:31); Lost to Faleh Salem of South San Francisco, fall (2:18).
173 — Tim Castillo, 1-2, DNP. Lost to Johnny Mallobox of Soledad, 10-5 dec.; Bye; Def. Daniel Cano of Aragon, fall (:41); Lost to Andrew Toste of Gilroy, 11-2 maj. dec.
191 — N/A
217 — Aaron Silva, 2-2, DNP. Bye; Lost to Navi Pannu of Christopher, fall (:28); Def. Fritz Lucas of Monte Vista Christian, fall (1:29); Bye; Lost to Trevor Candelaria of Willows, fall (2:42).
287 — N/A
