Garlic grapplers finish in second place with three individual
champions
CUPERTINO – Three weeks removed from their national tournament in Reno, Nevada, the garlic grapplers were back on the local mats, battling with the section’s top 10 ranked teams in the 19th annual Cupertino Tournament.
The preseason favorites finished ahead of the other elite CCS squads, but were 14 points shy of the tournament title, taken by Turlock, top-ranked in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
“We kept it close,” said head coach Armando Gonzalez, whose squad finished with seven semifinalists and three of five finalists winning individual titles. “We weren’t sure how we were going to do. When we came back from Reno, we spent last three weeks working really hard.”
Three grapplers dropped down a weight class with strong results, as sophomore Armando Gonzalez won the 125-pound division, junior Callen Romesberg placed second at 145s, and senior Miguel Maldonado taking the consolation pool title at 152s.
“(Mando) has been wrestling for so many years that he wins and loses with great resolve,” said the coach of his son. “He believes he can win every match he wrestles in.”
In his championship bout, Gonzalez defeated Monterey’s Brandon Hayes by a 13-3 spread.
Senior 112-pounder Johnny Gurich pinned his way into the finals and then scored a 3-0 decision over De La Salle’s Brandon Zoetewey, who won a national Greco Roman title over the summer.
“Johnny was phenomenal,” said Gonzalez of Gurich. “This weekend, he really opened up his offense with some leg attacks. … He really beat some good kids.”
Despite battling the flu that kept him out three days of practice, senior 171-pounder Mark Zabala claimed a weight class crown, topping Palo Alto’s Max Pinto in the finals, 8-1.
“He cowboyed up. He got out there and wrestled and won,” said Gonzalez. “He overcame (his illness) and still beat everyone.”
Senior 135-pounder Chad Haygood wrestled for the first time this season, placing fourth after sitting out the early season with a nagging collarbone injury.
“He did great for his first tournament back. He’s 20 matches behind everyone else and he looked well,” said Gonzalez. “He won the matches he should of won and lost to the No. 5 ranked wrestler in semifinals.”
Freshman 103-pounder Nicolo Naranjo, who placed a team-high sixth in Reno, finished in second place, losing to only Fremont’s Filip Novachkov.
Sophomore 119-pounder Adin Duenas dealt with the toughest field in the tournament to take fourth place. Duenas lost to the state’s fifth ranked wrestler by one point and was in a bracket that included the top two wrestlers in the state.
Romesberg also placed second, winning all of his matches by more than 10 points until he lost in the finals on a last-second escape to De La Salle’s John Clark.
“He really looked solid at 145 pounds,” said Gonzalez of Romesberg. “He hasn’t wrestled better the whole year.”
Along with Maldonado, senior 215-pounder Jose Albarran and senior 130-pounder Joseph Serrano overcame an opening loss to will their division’s consolation pool championship.
The Mustangs must shift their focus to Wednesday’s anticipated home dual meet against bitter rival Hollister at 7 p.m. and then look ahead to the Five Counties in Los Angeles.
