Freshman is lone representative for Haybalers at CIF State
championship this weekend
San Jose – Freshman Junior Davila shrugged off a tough loss in his first match Saturday by rebounding to win his next two to take third place at the Central Coast Section wrestling tournament.
As a result, the 114-pounder will be San Benito’s lone representative in Bakersfield this weekend at the CIF State Championships.
“My first match was a little bit of a bummer,” said Davila, who lost to Watsonville’s Rey Mendoza 17-10 in the semifinals. “The other opponents I had two close matches with before but I had no trouble with them this time.”
After the loss to Mendoza, Davila faced Gilroy’s Rodney Balajadia, who he edged 5-4 in their duel- meet showdown. This time he took care of him 12-7 to advance to the third-place match and clinch his spot in the state tournament.
He then squared off with Harbor’s Tyler Naman, an opponent he had beaten 8-5 earlier this season, and earned a 5-3 win to claim the third-place medal.
“This means a lot,” Davila said. “I know a lot of people didn’t think I could do this and I proved them wrong.”
While San Benito entered the tournament as the third-ranked team in the section with hopes of a second-place finish, not a whole lot went right for the ‘Balers on Friday and that left them in a tough position Saturday with only four wreslters alive.
When Davila lost his first match, it left San Benito shut out of the finals and the team ended up finishing eighth with 85 1/2 points.
Gilroy became the first team in CCS history to win five straight championships, coasting to the victory with 237 1/2 points and two individual champions. Los Gatos finished second at 157 points and league rival Palma took fifth with 100 1/2 points.
Three other ‘Baler wrestlers entered action Saturday with outside chances at qualifying for the state tournament, and while all three found the podium, none will accompany Davila to Bakersfield.
Senior Luis Barocio easily won his consolation quarterfinal match over Saratoga’s Doug Macklin, earning a 15-0 technical fall victory. But in his ensuing match, in which a win would’ve sent him to state, he was pinned in 1:25 by San Lorenzo Valley’s Cody Rodebaugh. He then was pinned in eight seconds by Fremont’s Mark Scandalis in the fifth-place match.
“The last two matches, I don’t know what happened,” Barocio said. “I just wish I would’ve done better.”
But for the unseeded wrestler, it was still a strong performance and an improvement over his eighth-place finishes the past two years.
“I feel good. I think I should’ve done better but for not being ranked, to place is pretty good,” Barocio said.
Sophomore 154-pounder Josh Ramirez also found his way onto the podium, although he was not present for the ceremonies. He recovered from Friday’s quarterfinal loss to open Saturday’s action with a 4-1 win over Los Gatos’ Sean Goodison.
In his match that could’ve sent him to the state meet, he lost 6-4 to Palma’s Isaiah Jimenez – a wrestler who already had two 2-point victories over Ramirez this year. In the fifth-place match, the sixth-seeded Ramirez came back strong with a 7-5 win over Pioneer’s Nick Kelsey.
Senior Ryan Cowell was the final ‘Baler to earn a medal, taking fifth at 217 pounds. He started his day with a majority decision win over Lynbrook’s Bobby Esquivel, then fell to Valley Christian’s Ryan Gardner by pin and earned a 6-3 win over Palma’s Hunter Baird in the fifth-place match.
