Ridgeview's Sanchez stays unbeaten at wrestling divisionals
| Saturday, Feb 21 2009 02:22 AM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:22 PM
LEMOORE — Maybe Javier Sanchez should try this insomnia thing more often. Then again, he wins whether he sleeps or not.
Kept awake by thoughts of proving his mysterious No. 6 seed a gross underestimation, Sanchez, a Ridgeview senior, tore through his quarter of the 140-pound draw Friday at the Central Section Yosemite Divisional at Lemoore High.
That included a decisive 12-6 win against Josh Zinkin of Clovis West, the No. 3 seed. It was Sanchez's 30th win this year without a loss.
"He was seeded third, and I was seeded sixth," Sanchez said with a tint of disgust in his voice. "Yeah, I was mad, but it's just another way I've got to prove myself, that I'm for real.
"... I didn't sleep last night because I was so angry from being seeded sixth."
Still breathing hard from subduing Zinkin with six takedowns, Sanchez already was looking forward to this morning's semifinal with Bakersfield's Jonah Cruz, the No. 2 seed and Sanchez's former teammate at BHS.
"I've been waiting for this," said Sanchez, who dropped out of BHS his sophomore year, then wrestled briefly for the Drillers last year before running off discipline's course again. "I don't know if I'll sleep though, again."
Now he's back and two wins away from a divisional title — and already guaranteed a berth in next Saturday's Grand Masters tournament at East. The top six Yosemite wrestlers join the top four from the Sierra/Sequoia bracket in Mendota at East, where the top seven qualify for the state tournament.
Cruz's advancement was noteworthy also, because he joined five other Drillers in the semifinals in helping the team to third place with 117.5 points behind Clovis-Buchanan's 156.5 and Clovis' 132.5. Buchanan has 11 wrestlers in the semifinals and Clovis seven.
Included in the Bakersfield semifinalists are top seeds Bryce Hammond at 152 and Brian Schoene at 215, who pinned all three of his Friday opponents.
"I came in wanting to dominate," Schoene said. "My second match I didn't wrestle too well, but I figure I'll just pin my way through the tournament."
The Drillers also have Timmy Box at 130, Adam Fierro at 145 and Jose Ramirez at 160 in the final four, plus three wrestlers alive in the consolation bracket. That includes 112-pound freshman Natrelle Demison, who was seeded No. 8 despite an impressive league tournament and resume from 119 pounds. Demison had to wrestle top seed Vince Rodriguez of Clovis North in the quarterfinals and lost 9-6.
Frontier, a third-year program that has built an impressive dual record but hasn't had much individual success, advanced its first wrestler to the Masters when 145-pounder Lance Castaneda beat Hanford West's Johnny Pedraza 12-3 in the quarterfinals.
"It feels good to be the first one," Castaneda said. "I'm hoping my teammates feed off of it."
The Titans sit ninth in the team standings with 61 points and have six other wrestlers alive in the consolation brackets.
"It means we're headed in the right direction," Frontier coach Kirk Moore said. "All the hard work, it does matter; it does pay off. There's light at the end of the tunnel. ... (Today) will be a test. You've got to win two matches (in the consolation bracket) to make it."
Castaneda will face state No. 1 Scott Sakaguchi of Clovis in the semifinals. That match has upset potential, but it doesn't promise to be as competitive as the Sanchez-Cruz showdown that will happen just beforehand this morning. Or, for that matter, a rematch of the SEYL heavyweight championship between East's Antonio Hernandez and Foothill's Angel Posadas, who both reached the semifinals.
Another all-Bakersfield showdown could be waiting in tonight's finals at 135 pounds, where top seed Seth Hicks of Centennial remained unbeaten and Liberty's Greg Kapler, the No. 2 seed, joined him in the semifinals on the other half of the bracket.
Other local semifinalists are East's Marc Collier at 112 and Peter Gonzalez at 119 ? helping East to 60 team points and 10th place ? and Liberty's Martin Cueto at 145 where he'll stage another SEYL rematch with Fierro in the semifinals.
