A week removed from its second-place, five individual champion
showing at the Mid-Cal Invitational, the Gilroy High wrestling team
hit the mat at the 46th annual Overfelt Classic
– its final large-scale tournament tune-up prior to the
postseason – on Saturday in San Jose.
A week removed from its second-place, five-individual-champion showing at the Mid-Cal Invitational, the Gilroy High wrestling team hit the mat at the 46th annual Overfelt Classic – its final large-scale tournament tune-up prior to the postseason – on Saturday in San Jose.
And once again five Mustangs outlasted the field in their weight classes to garner titles en route to Gilroy claiming the team crown with 227 points.
“It was a good tournament and hopefully a good indication of where we will be at heading into (the Central Coast Section Championships),” GHS head coach Greg Varela said.
GHS, ranked No. 1 in the latest section rankings distributed by ccsrank.com, finished ahead of James Logan and No. 2-ranked St. Francis.
Both the Mustangs and Lancers were with out their 142-pounders in Blake Kastl and Nick Cano. The two grapplers are ranked No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, in the 142 division. Kastl beat Cano in the 2010 CCS finals.
Leif Dominguez backed up his Mid-Cal title with another first place, pinning Jacob Macalolooy of James Logan in the third period. Dominguez arrived in the finals via two first-period pins (35 seconds and 26 seconds) before picking up a major decision win (10-0) in the semifinals.
Paul Fox, who is No. 1 at 112 pounds, wrestled up at 121 for the second straight week with identical results – a tournament championship.
Fox defeated Alexis Arciga (No. 8 at 119) of Overfelt 4-2.
After finishing fourth at Mid-Cals, junior Aaron Gonzalez secured his second tournament championship of the season with a convincing 17-8 major decision victory over No. 3-ranked Robbie Chen of Los Gatos.
“It was a great experience all around,” Varela said. “The competition was good enough to where they had to compete.”
Freshman Niko Villarreal, who hasn’t placed any lower than third in his tournament appearances this season, ended the weekend at the top of the podium, polishing off John Claitor of Half Moon Bay via major decision (17-5) in the finals.
The event’s middleweight Most Outstanding Wrestler, Willie Fox, nailed down three consecutive fall victories to grab a spot in the 137-pound finals where a 12-4 major decision against No. 2-ranked Alfred Murabito of Saratoga would suffice.
Fox, No. 1 in the section, also knocked off Murabito in the semifinals at Mid-Cals.
With just one dual meet between now and the Feb. 19 Tri-County Athletic League tournament, Varela sees the time as a valuable period where he can condition his wrestlers just right.
“It’s just about keeping them fresh and healthy for the postseason,” he said. “Their mental approach to practice right now is great. They are all hanging out with one another. Everything is coming together right now. It’s perfect.”
The lone dual meet is against rival San Benito, who currently sits as the section’s No. 3-ranked squad.
The dual meet finale is slated for Feb. 8 in Hollister.
The CCS Championships are Feb. 25-26 while this Saturday is the girls’ CCS Championships held at Oak Grove High School in San Jose.
Top 10 team results
1. Gilroy – 227
2. James Logan – 176.5
3. St. Francis – 173
4. Cupertino – 129.5
5. Overfelt – 127.5
6. Los Gatos – 101.5
7. Junipero Serra – 98.5
8. Aptos – 93
9. Fremont -84
10.Silver Creek – 81.5
