New faces fill out Baler wrestling roster
With 11 returning starters the San Benito High wrestling team,
which finished second to Gilroy High in league competition and
eighth overall at the Central Coast Section tournament, has high
expectations heading into the 2007-2008 season.
New faces fill out Baler wrestling roster
With 11 returning starters the San Benito High wrestling team, which finished second to Gilroy High in league competition and eighth overall at the Central Coast Section tournament, has high expectations heading into the 2007-2008 season.
“We should be one of the top three teams this year in the Section. That is doable and we should be able to compete with Gilroy,” San Benito High wrestling Coach Matt Olejnik said.
Keeping pace with the Mustangs – a team that is going for its sixth league and section titles in a row – won’t be easy. The Mustangs have four returning place winners from last year’s state tournament as well as a number of solid freshman wrestlers.
And thanks to the California Interscholastic Federation’s new rule that now allows incoming freshman to attend any school they want and compete in athletics there, even if it is outside of their residence’s district, will help Gilroy’s program because all incoming freshman know that wrestling for Gilroy High’s winning program will help them get much-needed exposure to compete at the college level.
But even with the new rule and Gilroy’s talent-rich roster, Olejnik likes what he’s seen so far in the early going on the mat as he assembles his varsity team for its first match of the season on Dec. 6 at home versus Cupertino High.
“We have 90 kids right now in this program, Gilroy has 20,” Olejnik said. “I think we’re going to be pretty strong this year from top to bottom.”
At 103 pounds, the Balers will look to Kenny Salcedo to get the job done. Although he enters the season as only a 91-pound freshman, Salcedo brings a strong background with him. His uncle David Salcedo was a two-time Section Champion and state place for the Balers when he wrestled at the school. And his father Ralph was a league champion in the late 1980s. The youngest Salcedo himself brings seven years of experience on the mats with him.
“He’s got very good technique,” Olejnik said. “He’s got a lot of heart and he works hard. Then again, he is giving up 13 pounds right now until he can add some weight.”
Another freshman with seven years of experience under his belt is Mike Soto, who is expected to compete this season in the 112-pound division. Olejnik has been most impressed with the experience he brings to the team, despite being an underclassman.
“He’s wrestled in a lot of matches,” Olejnik said. “He’s very aggressive out there, a good wrestler.”
The Balers are expected to have Junior Davila, a 112-pound state qualifier of a year ago, to represent them at 119 pounds. However, Morris Stevens, beat Davila in an early practice challenge match to get the nod in the opener against Cupertino.
“Those two will be battling it out all year,” Olejnik said. “They are both very close. Morris is long and lanky and Junior is short, stocky and very powerful.”
The Balers will look to freshman Zach Rodriguez to take care of business in the 125-pound class. Like his freshman counterparts, he too has been competing since he was just 7 years of age, and he also competes year-round.
“He’s very good technically,” Olejnik said. “He’s a hard worker too.”
In the 130-pound division, Geo Cohleo, Ryan Lopez and Rodriguez will vie to compete. Cohleo, a junior, has an unorthodox style on the mat but his flexibility and strength will help him win a number of matches, according to his coach.
“He does a lot of rolling, but he tends to flop in the right place,” Olejnik said. “In other words, he has good mat awareness.”
Lopez, who runs cross country at the school during the fall, came to wrestling tryouts this year in excellent shape.
“He’s a hard-nosed kid. He’ll see a lot of time in this lineup,” Olejnik said.
At 135 pounds, Christian Solis hopes to shore things up for the Balers. A very solid competitor, he too wrestles a bit unorthodox but has the flexibility to give him an advantage over his opponents.
“He’s very flexible and can step over someone’s back, put a leg in and quickly be able to get control from a neutral position,” Olejnik said. “He’s tall and lanky so he does a lot of leg wrestling.”
Although he’s a senior Jesus Andrade has been ineligible the past few seasons but this year he is expected to compete in the 140-pound division.
“He’s a very hard worker and very determined,” Olejnik said. “He worked very hard over the summer to get ready.”
The only void in the Baler lineup for which Olejnik doesn’t have an answer yet is at 145 pounds. There are a few wrestlers that could compete and be successful in the division; the concern is whether or not the wrestlers will be able to meet the strict guidelines surrounding hydration and body fat calculations to do so. And since the maximum weight a wrestler is allowed to lose per week is two pounds, it would take several weeks before a heavier wrestler could come down in weight enough to compete in the lighter division, factoring in hydration and body fat calculations. The least amount of body fat that anyone can compete at is 7 percent.
Right now, it looks as though Chris Fernquist would be the most natural to fill the hole on the Baler roster.
“Last year was his first year,” Olejnik said. “He struggled a bit but he is a strong kid and still learning about wrestling.”
In the 152-pound division junior Josh Ramirez, who finished fifth in the Section a year ago, is expected to compete. Although, if he could certify in the 145-pound division, he could drop down in weight and junior Enrique Lucatero would step in at 152 pounds. As it stands now both Lucatero and Ramirez are challenging each other to take over the starting spot at 152 pounds.
At 160 pounds, Lucatero’s brother Fernando, the No. 1 seed in last year’s CCS tournament, broke his arm in his first match of the tournament and had to make an early exit. This year he is expected to be the favorite to win the Section title in the 160-pound division.
“He should make a run at the Section title and possibly the state meet,” Olejnik said.
Senior Manny Tovar will compete as the season goes on in the 171-pound division but is expected to make his first start at 189 pounds.
“He’s got a lot of experience,” Olejnik said. “It’s all up to him. He could place in the section if he gets in shape.”
A year ago Buddy Barazza competed in the Heavyweight Division (between 216 and 286 pounds) but this year he has trimmed up after wrestling over the summer months and will step onto the mat at 215 pounds.
“He’s very athletic for being 6-foot-4,” Olejnik said. “He’s much stronger this year and more agile too.”
Two years ago as a sophomore Kevin Mueller competed as a heavyweight. Last year he dropped down a class but will compete again this year, his senior year, in the heavyweight division.
“He’s a very solid wrestler,” Olejnik said. “He’s got a couple of good moves that he does well.”
Olejnik went on to say that Mueller is the kind of wrestler who can beat anybody once and that he’s a good competitor.
“I’m expecting us this year to give Gilroy some competition and finish in the top three at CCS,” Olejnik said. “I’d also like to see us qualify for or five wrestlers to the state meet.”
To earn a trip to the state tournament wrestlers must finish in the top four in their weight class at CCS.
