One year after struggling to a 50th place finish at the Gilroy High Mid-Cals, 2013 was much different for San Benito.
The Baler avenged last year’s showing over the weekend with a 10th place finish, scoring 132 points. The finish, which was behind first-place Turlock’s 310.5 points, included four wrestlers who placed. It was a dramatic turnaround for the Balers, who have been searching for a return to wrestling relevancy after last year’s up and down season.
After opening this season with a pair of dual meet losses, San Benito is well on its way to just that, SBHS head coach Brian DeCarli said.
“I tell you they are starting to show it more and more,” he said. “We were humbled a lot last year. We had a lot go against us. They understand a little more what it is all about. The kids are wrestling better and better.”
And right now, nobody is wrestling better than the pair of seniors Robb Rodriguez and Tim Castillo.
Rodriguez (134) clinched the best Baler finish, taking third-place after losing early a year ago. Castillo (184) along with Jaime Aleman (128) took seventh. Eric Loredo (108) finished in eighth place.
But Rodriguez’s finish was good to see, DeCarli said.
“He is one of those dudes that works so hard,” DeCarli said. “We were talking that it’s not that he deserves a break, but it would be nice to see something go his way. He beat the No. 1 and 2 seeds. In the consolation you don’t know how it’s going to go. He beat the one and the two. Some of these matches give him some of the added confidence to get him over the hump and stay over the hump.”
After falling 9-1 in a major decision in the quarterfinals to eventual bracket champion Isaac Bertalotto, Rodriguez rallied for four consecutive wins in the consolation bracket for third place.
Starting with an 8-2 decision over Chase Herrin of Hughson, Rodriguez pinned Leo Vasquez and defeated Palma’s Greg Stefani 8-3 to advance to the third-place match.
Against Nick Valdez of Pitman, Rodriguez slipped out a possible pin and snagged a 6-3 decision victory. It was important win for the San Benito senior, he said.
“It means a lot,” he said. “When I was a sophomore I placed fourth. Last year, I didn’t place at all. It’s a pretty big win for me. The team really showed up. I’m glad we brought eight people back. We got four people to medal. That was better than zero last year. I’m really happy with the team. Now it’s time to go back to work and get at it.”
He continued: “We’ve become more of team and more supportive and that’s most important when we are on the mat. These guys, we are doing a lot of work. I’m glad I’m in the room with them. They’ve been pushing me.”
And with such strong finishes at the Mid-Cals, DeCarli expects to see even more growth, he said.
“For anything else it’s good to have the kids have some success,” he said. “Not even talking about sports, it’s always hard to have 100 percent buy in when you’re not having success. No matter how good the kid is, it’s hard to get beat up and beat up. But this year, they are having some success and that’s the best thing.”
