Despite falling to Atascadero on Friday night in Hollister, the
San Benito High wrestling team returned to the mat on Saturday and
finished runner-up at the Fehlman/Baxter Memorial Hollister Duals
with a 4-1 record.
HOLLISTER
Despite falling to Atascadero on Friday night in Hollister, the San Benito High wrestling team returned to the mat on Saturday and finished runner-up at the Fehlman/Baxter Memorial Hollister Duals with a 4-1 record.
The Balers won four straight matches to advance to the tournament championship. But they were unable to keep the streak alive, falling to a highly ranked Clovis team in the title round, 57-15.
Clovis is currently ranked No. 4 in the state, according to The California Wrestler, and defeated Atascadero by one point in the tournament semifinal.
As for the Balers, they didn’t have to see Atascadero for a second time on Saturday, the day after they lost to the Southern Section school in a non-tournament match, 48-19.
Head coach Brian DeCarli, noting the team’s depth this season, was pleased with some of the individual matches against Atascadero on Friday night, but not necessarily the team’s bounce-back effort against a strong opponent.
Coming off a weekend in which it went 5-0 in Fresno, the Balers’ match with Atascadero on Friday night was their first true test of the season, and DeCarli felt his team didn’t stand up to meet the challenge.
“That was the first time someone pushed back against us,” DeCarli said. “But we never stood back up against them.”
“Without a lot of heavy hitters, we do have a lot more depth, and it’s all about getting the kids to work as a team,” he later added.
The match with Atascadero wasn’t without some individual highlights, though. Kenny Salcedo won a 4-2 overtime decision at 125 pounds, while heavyweight Javier Bustillos won a 2-1 triple-overtime decision and 152-pounder Zack Rodriguez won by fall (:55).
Meanwhile, Miguel Martin del Campo lost his match by a 5-4 decision at 189 pounds, but his opponent was Steve Trockman, who is currently ranked No. 19 in the state by The California Wrestler.
Saturday proved to be a different case for San Benito, though.
Returning to Hollister’s Mattson Gym one day later, the Balers rifled off four straight victories before squaring off against Clovis. San Benito defeated North Salinas 58-23, cruised past Amador Valley 59-12, topped Atascadero ‘B’ 57-15 and edged Ripon in the semifinals, 42-36.
“On Saturday, our big mission was to be more competitive,” DeCarli said. “We did kind of step up and I think we improved on that aspect on Saturday.
“On Saturday, we did a good job of pushing back.”
At 125 pounds, Salcedo led the Balers with a 5-0 record, and even defeated his Clovis opponent by fall. Meanwhile, teammates Jennifer Espinosa (103 pounds), Robb Rodriguez (119), Jay Garcia (130) and Zack Rodriguez (152) each posted 4-1 marks at the Fehlman/Baxter tournament.
Anthony Gatto (112), Dominic Cortes (135), Greg Landry (145), Jonathan Arballo (160), Tim Castillo (171) and Miguel Martin del Campo (189) each compiled 3-2 records on Saturday, while junior varsity wrestler Eddie Perez went 5-0 at 145 pounds.
For a team that is “relatively inexperienced,” the Balers have already had 11 duals in two weekends, and have already squared off against strong teams like Madera South, Ripon, Atascadero and Clovis.
The Balers could see Clovis again, as well as Turlock, on Saturday at the First Annual Morningstar Invitational in Los Banos, where DeCarli is hoping his Balers see as many top, out-of-section opponents as they can.
“The kids are understanding they’re gonna have to battle through some things,” the head coach said. “These kids are gonna push it for six minutes, and we have to stay on the gas, too.”
Fehlman/Baxter Memorial Hollister Duals
103 — Jennifer Espinosa, 4-1; 112 — Anthony Gatto, 3-2; 119 — Robb Rodriguez, 4-1; 125 — Kenny Salcedo, 5-0; 130 — Jay Garcia, 4-1; 135 — Dominic Cortes, 3-2; 140 — Anthony Davila, 0-5; 145 — Greg Landry, 3-2; 152 — Zack Rodriguez, 4-1; 160 — Jonathan Arballo, 3-2; 171 — Tim Castillo, 3-2; 189 — Miguel Martin del Campo, 3-2; 215 — Nick Angelo, 0-5; Hwy. — Javier Bustillos, 4-1.
