The San Benito wrestling team wasn’t happy with its No. 6 ranking in the Central Coast Section so it decided to do something about it.
Mission accomplished.
The Haybalers finished 25th out of 96 teams in the Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno that ran Wednesday and Thursday, placing second among CCS teams and beating out St. Francis and Bellarmine.
“We looked really pretty tough,” coach Matt Olejnik said. “We wrestled really well.”
Fernando Lucatero was the top performer for San Benito, taking seventh place.
Several other wrestlers had a strong tournaments. Freshman Junior Davila went 6-2 at 112 pounds, losing the match that would have made him eligible to place.
Luis Baracio (140) also was just short of placing, going 5-2, but he separated his shoulder in his last match and is expected to be lost for up to six weeks.
Jesus Segura also went 5-2 at the 125 pound weight class, finishing a win short of being able to place.
The ‘Balers, who were missing two of their regulars, had 13 wrestlers in the 14 weight classes and Olejnik was happy with the experience gained.
“Everybody had eye-opening experiences. We’re fired up for the rest of the season,” he said. ” I think we opened some eyes in the section. We were ranked sixth and we used that as motivation.”
