Despite a rough start, Gilroy High walked away from the
prestigious Five Counties meet in Los Angeles this past weekend
with three placers, two of whom took second place.
Despite a rough start, Gilroy High walked away from the prestigious Five Counties meet in Los Angeles this past weekend with three placers, two of whom took second place.
“We had our good and our bad,” Gilroy assistant coach Mike Koester said. “Everything that could go wrong went wrong Friday.”
Martin Gonzalez was one individual who had almost everything go right, even gaining a bit of redemption in the semifinals by beating Thomas Williams, a wrestler Gonzalez lost to earlier this season. Gonzalez bid to become the 119-pound division champ was thwarted, however, when he lost 1-0 to Marcus Orona in a very evenly matched final.
Hunter Collins took second in the 189-pound weight class, losing a “great, great match” 10-8 to Luis Bland, according to Koester.
It is the fourth time the two have met, with Bland walking away victorious for the fourth time. Collins lost to him in the state finals as a sophomore, in the state semis as a junior and twice now at the Five Counties meet.
“(Bland) is probably one of the only guys in the nation that can beat Hunter,” Koester said.
Jesse Rogers was the final Mustang to place, taking seventh overall in the 215-pound division.
As if the competition wasn’t difficult enough – the tournament draws many of the best wrestlers the state has to offer – one Mustang was mowed down by poor officiating, according to Koester. Entering the tournament as the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the state, sophomore Jesse Delgado lost his first round match by a “self-pin.”
Since the tournament works in a “carry-on” format, Delgado needed his first-round opponent to win his next two matches to be allowed back on the mat. But Delgado’s opponent lost his next match, eliminating the best 112-pounder in the state.
Leading 11-2 at the time of the questionable call, Delgado tilted on his back while trying to turn his opponent. The referee responded by calling the match over.
Gilroy coaches attempted to protest, but in order to do so, they would have needed to stay on the mat and wait for an official. Aside from not wanting to hold up other matches, Koester said there was no official in their vicinity to hear their complaint.
Upon finding an official, coaches were told they could not present their case with video evidence – which they had – showing that Delgado had not been pinned.
The matter could have been taken another step, but if the protest was found to have merit, the referee in question would have been banished from the tournament. At that point, GHS coaches decided it was time to move on.
“What really stinks is the kid that won (the tournament), Jesse beat at Doc ‘B’,” Koester said, referring to the Doc Buchanan Invite in Clovis two weeks ago. “And the other finalist, Jesse beat last year in the Five Counties final.”
Three other wrestlers Gilroy took to the event performed well, with Ethan Ogle coming the closest to placing. Ogle lost an overtime match 4-2, denying him a spot in the top eight.
“[Ogle’s] two losses were real close and to the guys who took first and third,” Koester said.
Travis Sakamoto found himself one and done similar to Delgado, while heavyweight Luis Barragan won his first match but lost his next two.
While Gilroy would have preferred a stronger showing, Koester said the team still can walk away with plenty of positives.
“This tournament, you got all of the top-ranked kids in the state, it’s a precursor to a state championship,” Koester said. “We know [how good] Jesse is. It just shows we have a good chance at three state finalists.”
The team’s next meet will be Wednesday in Gilroy, the first home meet of the season. In a dual with Salinas, the Mustangs will begin matches at 6:45 p.m.
