San Benito freshman has injured ‘Baler on his mind
Junior Davila will be carrying a lot of weight on his 114-pound body when he takes the mat today in Bakersfield for the CIF State Wrestling Championships.
Not only will the freshman – who took third at the Central Coast Section tournament to qualify for state – be wrestling for himself, he’ll also be wrestling for a teammate many feel should be making the trip also.
“I feel bad for Fernando (Lucatero). I’m going to try hard for him because he’s always by my side,” Davila said of the Haybalers’ 162-pounder who was likely ticketed for a trip to Bakersfield before he suffered a broke forearm in his first match at CCS.
“He would’ve taken the tournament,” teammate Luis Barocio said of Lucatero.
The San Benito junior was aiming to become the fifth Lucatero to advance to state, joining brothers Jose, Eddie, Saul and Octavio.
Instead, he’ll have to hold out hope for his senior year.
Barocio, who finished sixth at 137 pounds, felt Lucatero’s injury certainly had an effect on the team, which took eighth.
“I think we would’ve done better as a team if he hadn’t got hurt,” Barocio said. “He definitely would’ve scored some points for us.”
But while it was a tough to see teammate go down, the time is now for Davila to make a name for himself at the state level.
He’s already had a terrific season, earning tournament titles at the Jim Root Classic and North Coast Classic and taking second at the ultra-competitive Mid-Cals.
But a strong performance at the state tourney – even if its just advancing past the first day – could set Davila up for a terrific high school career.
“My coach told me I’m the first freshman from my school to qualify for state,” Davila said. “I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but that really got me going.”
Davila will open the tournament by taking on Tony Mendez, a senior from San Fernando High out of the Los Angeles Section.
While the road will be tough, Davila – who already has seven years of wrestling experience despite being a freshman – seems to have the drive to find success.
Now is his chance to prove that against the best wrestlers the state has to offer.
