The San Benito wrestling team sits with a perfect 5-0 record
after day one of the 25th Annual Fehlman/Baxter Hollister Duals,
and are in position for a title run when the tournament reconvenes
today.
The San Benito wrestling team sits with a perfect 5-0 record after day one of the 25th Annual Fehlman/Baxter Hollister Duals, and are in position for a title run when the tournament reconvenes today.
The dual-meet style tournament pits each of the nine teams up against one another, and the team with the best record at the end of today will be crowned champion. Currently, San Benito is the only 5-0 team, and are ranked No. 1.
Atascadero sits in second place at 4-0, while both Dos Pueblos and Mission San Jose are 4-1, and Los Banos is 3-2.
If San Benito runs the table and wins their three dual meets against Mission San Jose, Dos Pueblos and Los Banos, they’ll meet No. 2 Atascadero at the end of the tournament with the championship likely on the line.
“We’re looking very good,” coach Matt Olejnik said.
The ‘Balers began the tournament with a 69-9 win over Atascadero “Gray” (3-2) which was essentially Atascadero’s “B” team. And San Benito followed that match with a 65-9 win over Monta Vista (1-4).
The Haybalers then shut out Harbor (0-5) 74-0, and Olejnik noted a big win for ‘Baler Zach Rodriguez.
Rodriguez was up against Harbor’s 119-pounder Tyler Naman, who’s ranked No. 2 in the Central Coast Section, is a two-time section winner and a two-time state qualifier.
Nonetheless, Rodriguez defeated the touted wrestler by an 8-2 decision.
San Benito then pulled out a 42-32 win against Los Banos, and Olejnik said the key match there came at 152 pounds.
San Benito’s Eddie Tovar, the coach said, fought on his back the whole match. But in the third round with about 45 seconds left, Tovar reversed his opponent and pinned him in the waning seconds.
To wrap up the day, San Benito defeated Independence (1-4) 55-18 to preserve their top spot heading into day two.
Junior Davila, Geo Coelho, Enrique Lucatero, Josh Ramirez, Manny Tovar and Buddy Barraza all finished the day with individual records of 5-0, while Martin Garcia was undefeated at 2-0.
The tournament will commence today at 9am at Mattson Gym in Hollister. San Benito is slated to open against Mission San Jose.
Individual records through day one:
SB – K. Salcedo 4-1, M. Soto 4-1, Jr. Davila 5-0, Z. Rodriguez 4-1, G. Coelho 5-0, C. Solis 3-2, S. Borba 1-2, R. Solis 1-2, J. Andrade 0-1, J. Fontaine 1-0, E. Tovar 3-2, E. Lucatero 5-0, J. Ramirez 5-0, M. Tovar 5-0, B. Barraza 5-0, M. Garcia 2-0, W. Underwood 0-2.
Boys Basketball
San Benito 55, Fremont 42
San Jose
The San Benito Haybalers took fifth place at the Independence Fukushima Invitational after defeating Fremont 55-42 Friday afternoon in San Jose.
Kevin Burley and Tyler Ruiz each supplied 12 points for the ‘Balers, who opened the game up in the second quarter by outscoring Fremont 16-3.
“We played a lot better defense,” assistant coach Dan Quinn said of the second. “They went for a long time without scoring.
“They didn’t get any easy shots. We were pretty much on them and they had to take difficult outside shots.”
San Benito held a steady lead for the remainder of the game, while the closest Fremont came, Quinn said, was about nine points.
“They never really got all that close,” he said. “They never really threatened after that.”
San Benito’s Brian Haggett and Marty Bueno were each selected to the all-tournament team Friday as well. Among other statistics, Bueno supplied the ‘Balers with 41 points in three games, while Haggett had 34 over the course of the tournament.
San Benito (4-3) defeated Monta Vista 69-49 Thursday after falling to Cupertino 51-50 in the opener at the Fukushima tourney on Tuesday. The ‘Balers finished with a 2-1 record at the invitational.
San Benito will play at Pacific Grove Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
SB 14 16 11 14 55
FR 16 3 11 13 42
SB (55) – Medina 0 0 2 2, VonUrff 4 0 0 8, Bueno 1 1 2 7, Haggett 3 0 2 8, DeMateo 1 0 0 2, Burley 6 0 0 12, Zanella 2 0 0 4, Ruiz 6 0 0 12.
Girls Basketball
Santa Teresa 45, San Benito 35
Salinas
The San Benito girls basketball team fell to a formidable opponent in Santa Teresa 45-35 at the Bill Getris Classic in Salinas Friday.
Santa Teresa, who coach David Kaplansky said was the 13th-ranked team in the Central Coast Section by the San Jose Mercury News, had three 6-foot players that crashed the boards to give the Saints countless scoring opportunities.
“They had two and three opportunities every time down and they were holding us to one shot,” he said. “I felt like offensively we were pretty flat. I think we struggled from the field and we didn’t shoot the ball well at all.”
No statistics were provided at press time.
San Benito trailed 21-20 at halftime, Kaplansky said, but couldn’t match the offensive prowess of Santa Teresa in the second half.
“We had a great defensive effort and caused a lot of turnovers,” Kaplansky said. “But we just couldn’t find the bucket.”
San Benito (3-2) will play next at North Monterey County on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Boys Soccer
San Benito 4, Stevenson 0
Pebble Beach
Efrain Espinoza contributed four assists and Gilbert Lizarraga added a pair of goals as the San Benito boys soccer team defeated Stevenson School 4-0 Thursday in Pebble Beach.
The Haybalers (2-1-2) will open their league season Tuesday when they travel to Salinas to battle Palma, and will enter with only one loss – a 3-0 defeat to Gonzales. That mark is far better than last season’s 1-4-1 record the ‘Balers had before their matchup with the Chieftains.
On Thursday, though, San Benito was busy using Stevenson as their final preseason test, and coach Ben Alvarez is ready for the Tri-County Athletic League to get under way.
“The boys are playing good now. We’re getting better and better,” he said. “The boys dominated.”
Espinoza and Lizarraga teamed up for the first goal in the 15th minute. Despite the halftime score only being 1-0, Alvarez said the Haybalers were constantly pressuring Stevenson’s defense.
In the 58th minute, Espinoza and Lizarraga picked up their second assist and goal, respectively, before Espinoza assisted Josh Flores for the third goal in the 70th minute.
Eight minutes later, Espinoza had his fourth assist, this time to Jesus Castro to push the ‘Balers up 4-0.
“Espinoza was all over the field and supplying all the balls to the kids,” Alvarez said. “It was amazing.”
San Benito will play at Palma Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
“I’m ready,” the coach said. “We want to change the outlook the last soccer seasons have been. We’ve got to start on a positive note.”
JV Note: The San Benito junior varsity team won 3-0 over Stevenson Thursday in Pebble Beach.
Miguel Espinoza, Jose Vrmuderez and Brian Cruz each scored one goal a piece.
Said Alvarez, “Those guys are really looking good.”
The JVs will play at Palma Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
Gonzales 50. Anzar 35
Monterey 67, Anzar 27
Gonzales – The Anzar Hawks continue to search for their first win after falling to Monterey 67-27 on Monday and Gonzales 50-35 on Thursday, despite freshman Alyssa Rodriguez pouring in 20-plus points in each game.
On Thursday in Gonzales, Rodriguez caught fire from behind the arc, hitting 5 of 6 on the night for 20 points. She added four blocks and three steals, but a slow start for the Hawks in the first quarter resulted in the loss.
Coach Aaron Netzel said Gonzales was more seasoned than Anzar, whose freshmen class makes up two-thirds of the roster. Netzel said they implemented a half-court trap for much of the game, and it began to pay dividends in the second half.
“It was encouraging. We played better as a group,” said Netzel, adding that the Gonzales players have been forming a bond for the last two or three seasons. “We’re building our cohesive unit.”
Kristina Pavese scored five points and added three rebounds, while Nicole Mello had six points, two boards and a block.
On Monday at home to Monterey, the Hawks lost 67-27. But despite what the outcome may suggest, Netzel said his team played far better than their season opener against Everett Alvarez.
“Going through the motions. Playing better defense,” Netzel said, “by no means are we perfect yet, but we’re getting better.”
In that game, Rodriguez had 23 points on 11 of 13 free throws, and added five steals. Mello had four points and seven rebounds for the Hawks.
Anzar (0-3) will host Monte Vista Christian Monday in San Juan Bautista at 6:30 p.m.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
ANZ 4 10 12 9 35
GON 14 15 11 10 50
Team 1 2 3 4 F
ANZ 7 9 6 5 27
MON 11 24 11 21 67
Girls Soccer
Anzar 4, York 0
Monterey
Despite cold temperatures and pouring rain, the Anzar girls soccer team defeated York 4-0 Thursday in Monterey.
Alex Brown and Olivia Austin each scored two goals a piece for Anzar, who took “total control” of the game in the second half.
“We were able to play our game, especially in the second half,” coach Deric McLean said. “That was a good result for us and against a pretty good team. They were much improved. I was impressed.”
Anzar’s keeper, Erin Deleissegues, only made a few saves, but two came to mind for McLean. The goalie made a pair of diving blocks, one after the other from approximately six feet away, and quite possibly kept the momentum in Anzar’s favor.
“We took total control and they were chasing us (in the second half),” McLean said.
Anzar will host Calvary Christian Wednesday in San Juan Bautista at 3:30 p.m.
