GHS grapplers make easy work of Hollister in 54-7 win.
HOLLISTER – On one side of the mat were the defending Central Coast Section Champion Hollister Haybalers – a program rich in wrestling tradition.
On the other side were the top-ranked Gilroy Mustangs – a program fielding one of the most lethal line-ups ever to be assembled.
When the two powerhouses of the Central Coast crossed paths in Wednesday’s dual meet at San Benito High – it was the garlic grapplers notching their first win over the mighty Balers in four years. The Mustangs lost only two bouts all night for a massive 54-7 triumph – but there was a fierce battle at every weight class.
“This was a great win. We knew coming in we had the stronger team – which is rare against this program. Matt Olejnik is a great coach. I have nothing but respect for him and I knew that his wrestlers would wrestle tough,” head coach Armondo Gonzalez said. “Let me tell you the final score is not indicative with the competition that went out there today. Every match was very competitive and I take my hat off to him.
“He knew his team was overmanned and he made some very good decisions on the match-ups and it was really a good, exciting dual meet.”
The gymnasium was packed with loyal fans from both schools – boisterously cheering on their warriors as they took center stage one by one. The atmosphere was paralleled to that of a championship match.
“It’s really exciting,” said freshman Adin Duenas of his first trip into Haybaler Country. “It’s awesome to see the whole crowd here cheering us on and giving us support.”
With the on-hand support of what felt like the entire Gilroy community, the Mustang matmen won their second straight Tri-County Athletic League dual meet over another rival school. (The first being a 54-21 home win over Live Oak on Jan. 8.)
“We love it here. I think that the Hollister group here treated us very well, and the fans and the wrestlers and the coaching staff showed a lot of class today,” Coach Gonzalez said. “In past years, there’s been some bad blood and I think that Matt and I are giving each other a lot of mutual respect and I like that environment. I like to come together here, wrestle our teams as hard as we can, and still have a good relationship between each other because after all it’s our CCS against the other sections when we get out there for state.”
The night opened with 130-pounder Chad Haygood winning by a 16-1 technical fall in the second period over Hollister’s Anthony Sunseri. Haygood built a 10-1 first-period advantage with a pair of takedowns as well as putting Sunseri on his back on two separate occasions. With 23 ticks left in the second, Haygood – hoping for the pin – was awarded the tech fall.
“No (I not completely satisfied). I wanted to pin him. I thought I had him on the first one,” said Haygood, immediately following his bout. “It was good to start the match off intense. I wanted to get the other guys fired up.”
The 135-pound weight class pitted two top grapplers – Gilroy’s Gilbert Gutierrez and Hollister’s Octavio Lucatero – in a very technical bout. Following a scoreless first period, Gutierrez jumped out to a 2-0 edge with a reversal from the bottom position – which got a rise out of the crowd. Then Lucatero got to his feet for an escape. Before the end of the second, Gutierrez tried to shoot in for a takedown – but Lucatero snuffed it out and fell on Gutierrez for the takedown and a 3-2 advantage.
In the third period with Lucatero starting from the bottom, Gutierrez was hit with his second stalling infraction to fall behind by the final score, 4-2.
“I just tried to ride him out. It was hard to turn him. I was sinking the half, but he was getting his hips out,” said Gutierrez, giving respect to Lucatero. “The best man won.”
But the two will meet again.
“Octavio wrestled a very smart, strategic match. He did what he had to do to win,” said Coach Gonzalez, “and I think those two are going to have some good ones in the future. I think those two could be in the CCS Finals.”
In another tight match-up, senior 140-pounder Andrew Rauss fought his way to a 2-1 nod over Hollister’s Alex Diaz. Rauss recorded a first-period takedown for his only points, while Diaz received one point for a stall on Rauss late in the third period.
Back in the Gilroy line-up for the first time this season were 145-pounder Callan Romesberg – who looked impressive in his 11-2 major decision over Hollister’s Trevor Guerra – and 152-pounder Miguel Maldonado – who topped Haybaler Rob Johnson by a 6-2 margin.
“I felt all right. I was a little rusty. (The result) was fine with me. Hollister’s our rival,” Romesberg said. “I just wanted to get the feel of my wrestling back.”
So did Maldonado.
“It felt great. I missed my team,” said Maldonado, who had been nursing a shoulder strain. “We’ve been waiting for this all year.”
Senior 160-pounder Martin Serrano gave the Gilroy crowd something to cheer about when he pinned Hollister’s Nick Carpenter just 38 seconds in.
“It feels real good,” said Serrano of his pin. “Before the match, my dad was telling me about him (Carpenter). He beat me in the JV finals for first last year so I knew what he was about. I knew I was stronger. I got the underhooks and knew I had him.”
At 171s, Gilroy’s Danny Melendez won a wild 9-7 decision over Haybaler Francisco Avila in a match where both grapplers had the other on their back in the opening period. Ahead by one going into the third, Melendez scored a reversal to Avila’s escape to secure the victory and extend the team score to 24-3.
After junior 189-pounder Mark Zabala received a six-point forfeit, senior 215-pounder Ryan Reynaud edged Hollister’s Shawn Donnelly in a 6-3 decision. The first-year wrestler was ahead 3-2 in the third when he used a power half-nelson to put Donnelly on his back for three more points.
“It was just payback for football. They took out a whole bunch of us in football, so I wanted to take some of them out,” said Reynaud, a starting linebacker for the Gilroy High gridmen. “Armondo runs a great program. He really got us in great shape.”
The wins by Reynaud, Serrano, Rauss and Melendez were key for the Mustangs, according to Gonzalez.
“These are pivotal matches – Andrew Rauss, Martin Serrano, and Ryan Reynaud. Those three guys were the ones that could go either way and they all pulled off the victories,” Gonzalez said. “That takes it from a close dual meet to what it was. Danny Melendez also was a very good match.”
Following heavyweight Jose Albarron’s 15-3 loss to Haybaler Tito Flores – who had a big weight advantage in the match – junior 103-pounder John Gurich methodically worked for a 17-0 major decision over Hollister’s Jon Verissimo.
Gilroy kept extending the team score as freshman 112-pounder Adin Duenas pinned Haybaler Chris Mora in 1:08 with an Anderson; freshman 119-pounder Armondo Gonzalez registered a 16-6 major decision over Hollister’s Jamie Driskill; and senior 125-pounder Danny San Juan closed out the night with a slick, first-period pinfall of Haybaler Brent Kelsey.
“We’re pushing each other to get better, and to go out there and make some noise at the state level,” Coach Gonzalez said.
Up next, the Mustang matmen will travel to North Salinas for a Jan. 22 dual meet at 7 p.m.
