BVAL FINALS: Six locals heading to CCS
5:00 AM
- Staff Reports
Sobrato's Gustavo Ramirez pinned Overfelt's Kenneth Marquez while placing third Saturday.
Photo by: Lora Schraft
MORGAN HILL -- Sobrato's Gustavo Ramirez and Live Oak's Erik Poulsen put together two impressive tournaments runs that ended with both heavyweights wrestling each other for the Blossom Valley Athletic League consolation title Saturday.
Ramirez won the rivalry bout by pin in the third period, but both wrestlers were already big winners. They are part of a six-person contingent that will represent Morgan Hill in this weekend's Central Coast Section Championships at Independence High.
Ranked No. 17 in the section, Ramirez is confident going into his CCS debut.
"I went into BVALs hoping to take first or second," the junior said. "This feels just as good. Third place; you can't get much closer."
The No. 2 seed at 287 pounds, Ramirez was on track to reach the championship bout after building a 2-1 lead against Sean Dalton of Leland in the semifinals. Dalton was awarded a point on a controversial stalling call against Ramirez in the third period, and the match went into double overtime before Dalton won 3-2.
Poulsen, a senior, used a head-and-arm throw to take down and pin fourth-seeded Dylan Adams of Willow Glen in the second round before losing to Santa Teresa's Javier Licea, the eventual champion.
"This is his first season wrestling, so he definitely looked impressive," Live Oak coach Robert Fernandez said of Poulsen. "I wish we had him for all four years."
Poulsen will head to CCS along with teammate Steven Fernandez, the 154-pound champion. They may be joined by teammate Joe Dorsch, who exhausted his five-match limit Saturday while reaching the fifth/sixth-place match. Today, Dorsch will wrestle John Kawaguchi of Prospect at Silver Creek High with a CCS berth on the line.
Sobrato's Steven Simmons will do the same against Silver Creek's Jeremy Dinh at 137 pounds. Simmons could be the Bulldogs' fifth CCS selection, joining Ramirez, 132-pound runner-up Drew Johnson, 191-pound consolation champ Rafael Anaya and 154-pound consolation finalist Ryan Brewer.
Sobrato placed sixth as a team with 111.5 points, and Live Oak (66 points) finished 11th. Overfelt (211) edged Oak Grove by 16 points to win the BVAL team title.
"We did about as good as I hoped," Sobrato coach Moses Guillardo said. "I'm pleased overall. The guys wrestled really hard today."
Brewer, who entered the tournament seeded fourth and ranked 14th in his division, dealt with a sinus infection and bronchitis during a disappointing afternoon. He beat Pioneer's Charles Wu by technical fall, 18-3, in the first round before losing 11-7 to Maurice Alexander of Leland in the quarterfinals. Against Alexander, Brewer nearly overcame a seven-point deficit in the third period. He exposed Alexander's back to the mat for a near-fall and was about to turn his signature guillotine move for three more points when the referee whistled for a restart because Alexander's arm was bent at a dangerous angle. Brewer won his next two matches handily.
 Rey Sketty · Wed Feb 17, 2010 @ 02:56am · 0 Comments |
