Hollister – After winning an exciting dual meet against Tri-County Athletic League rival Palma last night, the San Benito wrestling team is ready for what promises to be an action-packed weekend at the Mid Cals in Gilroy.
The Haybalers prevailed 45-27 over the Chieftains, their third league victory in as many tries, but unlike San Benito’s victories over Sobrato and Salinas, the outcome in this match remained in doubt late into the evening.
Leading by just three points with four matches to go, San Benito sent Kevin Mueller to the mat for the heavyweight competition.
The senior was taken down in the first period and quickly found himself trailing 4-0. After making a comeback to take a 7-3 lead with time running down, Mueller looked primed to win the match. But his Palma counterpart got a reversal with 15 seconds left to force overtime.
The evening’s most hotly contested match continued in the extra period until Mueller was taken down near the edge of the mat to fall 9-7.
“It was one of the most exciting matches,” said San Benito head coach Matt Olejnik. “It could’ve gone either way.”
Leading by a slim 30-25 margin, the ‘Balers secured the victory with some solid wrestling and a bit of good fortune in the final three matches.
First, Armando Lerma posted a 6-4 victory in the 103-pound match, and then San Benito padded its lead when Palma forfeited its only match of the night, the 112-pound competition.
And finally, Chris Mora continued his outstanding senior campaign by pinning his 119-pound opponent to put the icing on the cake for the ‘Balers.
“I was most impressed with Palma, to tell you the truth,” said Olejnik. “They’ve got some real gamers. [The meet] exceeded my expectations. I knew they were up and coming, but I didn’t know how well they’d battle. They gave us everything we could handle. We were fortunate to get that forfeit and the last three wins.”
Jay Ybarra fought off a headlock to pin his opponent with 12 seconds left in the first period–“he got out of a pinner; that was nice to see,”–and Ryan Dunn (215-pound) and Nate Mendoza (154-pound) also registered pins.
Fernando Lucatero (140-pound) won by technical fall, and Josh Sanchez (171-pound) and Nilo Velasquez (145-pound) won close two-point decisions.
With the Mid Cals set to begin at 10am tomorrow at Gilroy, San Benito will get its first look at many local wrestlers, including the arch rival and three-time defending CCS Champion Mustangs.
Dunn, the No. 1 seed in the 215-pound competition, Mora (No. 4, 119-pound) and Lucatero (No. 7, 140-pound) will again be counted on to lead the way for the ‘Balers.
“If those guys can match their seed or do better than that, that’s a huge plus,” said Olejnik, who also pointed to Lerma (103-pound), Luis Barocio (130-pound) and Jesus Sagero (125-pound) as key cogs for his team’s overall performance. “I’m [also] looking for some other guys to step up.”
As for the importance of this two-day, 47-team meet, Olejnik called it an early bearing on the upcoming postseason.
“It’s a good measuring stick to see who can step it up and see who’s going to be ready for CCS.”
