Three Gilroy High School grapplers place in prestigious
tournament in Reno over weekend
It was quite a run for Hunter Collins during the Reno Tournament of Champions.
The Gilroy High junior dominated the 171-pound class with four pins and a major decision before dispatching Kirk Smith of Centennial, Idaho, in the final. Smith entered the tournament as the No. 1-ranked 171-pounder in the country by WIN Magazine.
Collins was one of three Mustangs who placed in the prestigious tournament, which annually brings the finest high school wrestlers in the country into one venue. Freshman Jesse Delgado finished fifth at 103 and junior Jesse Rogers was seventh at 215.
“I was extremely happy with the results,” GHS coach Armando Gonzalez said. “The kids did very well. It’s the highest we’ve finished since we started going. And the good thing is we’re nowhere near peaking yet and able to compete at that level.”
It’s hard to imagine Collins getting much better, since he dispatched of the top two wrestlers in his weight class in the country. But Collins has tunnel vision when it comes to competing.
“I take each tournament one at a time,” said Collins, who finished fifth as a sophomore at the TOC. “I try to wrestle each one like it’s all the same. I try not to get overly excited to put myself under pressure.”
Instead, he puts his opponents under pressure. His 5-2 decision over Smith gave Gonzalez his first top-rated wrestler.
“He was seeded No. 3, he pinned No. 2 (Mitch Sanderson of Pleasant Grove, Utah) in the semifinals and in the final he beat No. 1,” Gonzalez said. “It was huge for him. It’s just now sinking in. I finally have a wrestler who is No. 1 ranked in the country.”
Pennsylvania dominated the high school division, taking four of the top six places and six in the top-20, paced by runaway winner Easton. California took three of the top-10 and five of the top-20. Gilroy finished 18th.
Delgado was on his way to a top-4 finish, dominating Kade Moss. But the Bingham, Utah, wrestler caught him with a head and arm and pinned the GHS freshman.
“He was unseeded and unranked,” Gonzalez said of Delgado. “With 30 seconds left he got caught by a guy ranked sixth. He wrestled well.”
Rogers was one of the huge success stories of the tournament. He couldn’t beat Brian Keyser of Upper Perkiomen in Pennsylvania, but he did well against everyone else he faced. The unranked Rogers beat No. 8 Rory McBryde of Chugiak, Alaska, 5-2 for seventh place.
“The kid only won 13 matches last year and he already has that many this year,” Gonzalez said of Rogers. “He pinned two state placers. He has the most wins (13) on the team so far.”
Collins was also thrilled about Rogers’ success since the 215-pounder is his sometimes partner during practice.
“He’s just improved immensely since the beginning of the year,” Collins said.
As for Collins, he said there is still room for improvement for himself, and leaving the accolades to others.
“I’m working as hard as I can,” Collins said. “There are times when people win a big match and they think too much of themselves. I’m focusing on pushing harder to keep from getting complacent.”
The Mustangs won’t have time to get complacent. Southern California powerhouse Santa Ana comes to Gilroy for a 5pm match Saturday.
