BHS avoids trap, coasts
| Thursday, Jan 15 2009 01:21 AM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:41 PM
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Bakersfield's Silas Nacitas lifts Liberty's Greg Kapler during a 140-pound match at BHS.
Bakersfield's Maxx Ramirez holds on to the leg of Liberty's Sean Martin during their 130-pound match at Bakersfield on Wednesday night. Ramirez won 9-1.
There it was, on Bakersfield High's wrestling schedule, a nasty little test tucked between the biggest regular-season tournaments in California.
Jan. 14 -- Liberty.
A league match against a contender, something that even the state's No. 6 team couldn't overlook.
Consider that a needless worry. Highlighted by wins against a couple of Liberty wrestlers listed in the Central Section rankings, BHS dominated Liberty 52-22 at home Wednesday.
That allowed the Drillers (8-0 in duals) to pick up some needed momentum after last weekend's 10th-place finish at the Doc Buchanan Invitational in Clovis and before this weekend's Five Counties Invitational at Fountain Valley.
"When we don't do well in these tournaments, it's a good check," Bakersfield coach Andy Varner said. "'What are we doing wrong? What do we have to do to step it up?' It's all just building. Right now, that's all we're doing. We compete week in, week out."
Bakersfield freshman Maxx Ramirez started the night at 130 pounds with one of the Drillers' most impressive victories.
He used a couple of tilts to collect nearfall points in a 9-1 victory against Sean Martin, who is an honorable-mention listing in the The California Wrestler's section rankings.
"He's a young guy with a lot of talent," Varner said of Ramirez. "He's putting in time, and he's going to get there."
Adam Fierro of BHS beat Martin Cueto 8-0 at 152 pounds to improve to 13-1.
By season's end, both wrestlers plan to drop to 145 pounds, where Cueto is ranked No. 7 in the section.
Liberty 140-pounder Greg Kapler, who is ranked No. 2 in the section, pinned Silas Nacita at the Doc B last week, battled him to a 10-2 major decision this time. The meet's other top-ranked wrestlers, No. 2 (at 160) Jose Ramirez and No. 4 Jonah Cruz (at 145), both won by technical fall. Ramirez was wrestling at 171.
"You never know, so you've got to get it over with as fast as you can," Cruz said.
Both Varner and Liberty coach Ron Rogers agreed, though, that the dual meet's result was essentially meaningless. Both were missing top wrestlers -- 130-pounder Timmy Box and 152-pounder Bryce Hammond for BHS and 119-pounder Jeff Lanier for Liberty.
"From Day 1, everything that we do, it's not about being the Doc B champions; it's not about being the Five Counties champion," Varner said. "It's about March (6-7) and the state tournament."
Rogers added that Martin and Cueto had been sick and were just getting back into a competitive flow.
"I've got four guys that could make it (to state), and that's what I'm devoting my time to," Rogers said. "We know we're not going to beat BHS in a dual, but I don't care if we don't win a dual this year."
