The members of Central Valley’s and Ceres High’s boys wrestling programs made the short trip to Turlock on Dec. 7 to grapple at the Bulldog Classic.
Central Valley and Ceres High finished eighth and 12th, respectively, in the team standings.
The Hawks and Bulldogs totaled 113.5 and 93 points.
Downey (169.5), Turlock (158) and Merced (145) placed first, second and third, respectively.
“I’m proud of the kids for working hard,” Central Valley head coach Rob Beckhart said. “I think they surprised themselves by placing in the top 10. For a lot of them, it was their first varsity experience. We expect them to all get better over time.”
“To be honest with you, I’m excited with the results we had,” Ceres High leader Adam Borges said. “At one point, we were in third place. We had one bad round that hurt us. Five of our kids medaled. Their hard work paid off.”
The top six finishers in each weight bracket medaled.
Four of Central Valley’s 15 wrestlers claimed medals.
Angel Melgoza captured the 216-pound title.
He won all four of his matches and improved his overall record to 8-0 on the season.
Melgoza defeated Gregori’s Luis Rodriguez (pin, 1:13), Beyer’s Colton Schuckman (pin, 0:45), Livingston’s Ramon Quintero (major decision, 10-0) and Turlock’s Levi Cook (pin, 0:50).
“He did great,” Beckhart said. “He dominated his opponents. He’s a big, strong kid.”
Sal Almazan took third in the 285-pound weight division.
He compiled a 3-1 record.
Almazan defeated Stone Ridge Christian’s Devin MacLachlan (pin, 3:07), Big Valley Christian’s Andrew Coonfield (pin, 2:25) and Modesto High’s Melea Uili (decision, 5-3).
“Sal benefits from having a strong, working partner in Angel,” Beckhart said. “He’s learning and evolving as a wrestler. He’s gained more confidence.”
Sunny Breshears took fourth at 158 pounds
He compiled a 2-2 record.
Breshears defeated Livingston’s Angel Reyes (decision 6-5) and Downey’s Sean Standley (pin, 3:04).
“Sunny hasn’t been an offensive wrestler in the past,” Beckhart said. “I saw him taking shots and trying to create opportunities at this tournament.”
Zack Esparza took sixth at 176 pounds.
He compiled a 4-2 record.
Esparza defeated Johansen’s Jesus Atayde (pin, 3:00), Turlock High’s Mateo Sandoval (technical fall, 17-0), Beyer’s Rowen Carmack (pin, 2:24) and Gregori’s Jaden Green (pin, 4:45).
Five of Ceres High’s 10 wrestlers claimed medals.
Freshman Alijah Jackson took third at 106 pounds.
He compiled a 2-1 record.
Jackson defeated Summerville Union’s Buster Bell (pin, 3:27) and Davis’ Matthew Ratteree (major decision, 27-16).
“Alijah wrestled great,” Borges said. “He listened to us. I’m really excited for him. He has a bright future.”
Freshman Michael King took fourth at 113 pounds.
He compiled a 1-2 record.
King defeated Davis’ Nathan Enriquez (pin, 3:40).
“Michael did really well,” Borges said. “He wrestled hard.”
Parker Borges took fifth at 150 pounds.
He posted a 4-1 record.
Borges lost to top-seeded Christian Cruz of Escalon (technical fall, 16-1) in the quarterfinals.
“He smoked everybody else,” coach Borges said. “He was never behind on points. He ended up dominating.”
Borges defeated Turlock’s Isaiah Torres (pin, 3:38), Gregori’s Edgar Hernandez (pin, 0:34), Big Valley Christian’s Quentin Clark (pin, 0:54) and Livingston’s Jose Gutierrez (pin, 2:30).
Jamie Torres took fifth at 190 pounds.
He compiled a 4-1 record.
Torres defeated Big Valley Christian’s Brenden Martin (pin, 1:09), Kimball’s Ryder Seriosa (injury default), Beyer’s Carlos Vega (pin, 4:23) and Downey’s Alonso Sanchez (pin, 4:23).
Torres last wrestled at Ceres High as a sophomore.
“He’s been working hard at practice,” Adam Borges said.
McCoy Adams took sixth at 126 pounds.
He compiled a 3-2 record.
“He lost his first match and battled back,” coach Borges said.
Adams defeated Granada’s Ethan Neill (pin, 3:51), Livingston’s Aiden Haro (pin, 1:28) and Gregori’s Ethan Razo (pin, 2:39).
