Wrestling opens bid for 10 with win
Wendy Alexander/The madera Tribune
Madera 160-pounder Adan Madrigal gets his Sanger opponent into a pinning position during Wednesday’s dual meet victory.
In its bid for a 10th straight County/Metro Athletic Conference championship, the Madera Coyotes wrestling team easily defeated the Sanger Apaches to open the league dual meet season.
The Coyotes won nine of the 13 bouts for a 44-18 win Wednesday in Joe Flores Gym. In the nine victories, two came by pin and two came by technical falls.
“We only have three guys returning from last year’s squad,” head coach Joe Romine said “It’s been a work in progress to get to this point. The kids have had a really good work ethic over Christmas break. So far, so good, I guess.”
Now without a league tournament to determine a champion, the CMAC will use dual meets to crown its league champion. Last year, Madera went 4-0 to capture its ninth straight title so Romine knows the importance of dual meets.
“That’s why we went to two rotationals this year to get a feel for dual meets,” Romine said. “You have to get it done in duals. I told the guys, you have four bus stops. If you want to win again, you have to win four times.”
Madera 160-pounder Adan Madrigal got the Coyotes started on the right foot. After jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the second period, he pinned his opponent 55 seconds into the second for the win.
Abelando Juarez battled with his 172 pound opponent with neither wrestler leading by more than two points. After trailing 2-1 at the end of the first, Juarez recorded a reversal, but fell victim to a reversal before getting an escape with six seconds left in the second to tie the score at four.
Sanger got an escape 33 seconds into the third period. However, Juarez worked a takedown for a 6-5 lead with 40 seconds left in the match. Juarez fell victim to a reversal with three seconds left in a 7-6 loss.
Gauge Bonderer almost posted a shutout in his 184-pound match. He led 5-0 after the first period after a takedown and near fall. He extended the lead to seven with a reversal in the second. He added a takedown and a near fall for an 11-0 lead before he was hit with a technical violation as the match ended for an 11-1 major decision victory.
After a scoreless first period, Alex Carillo led 3-0 in his 195-pound match after the second. After he received a point for a technical violation, he recorded a takedown for a 6-0 decision.
Hulise Santiago has his 220-pound opponent in control. After a 2-0 first period lead, Santiago recorded an escape and takedown to open the second. After his opponent got an escape, Santiago took him down again and got a near fall. His opponent rolled out of the near fall, but Santiago immediately got his opponent’s back to the mat again and rolled him into a pin with seven seconds left in the second period.
Sergio Rios battled to a scoreless tie at 285 pounds. He seemed to have the upper hand in the second period before his opponent took time out for blood. After Sanger was tapped up around the face, Rios fell victim to a reversal and was pinned with 26 seconds left in the second period.
Nathan Galicia had his way with his 108-pound opponent. He scored 10 points in the first period and then ended the match 46 seconds into the second with a takedown and a pair of two-point near falls for a 16-0 technical fall.
At 115 pounds, Victor Calderon battled to a 2-2 tie early in the second round. However, from there, Sanger scored eight of the next 10 points for a 10-4 victory.
Josh Romero fell victim to a takedown 26 seconds into his 122-pound match. He got a point from a technical violation and scored a reversal with six seconds left for a 3-2 lead at the end of the first. He scored a reversal 46 seconds into the second period for a 5-2 lead. Neither wrestler scored in the final three-plus minutes.
JoJo Nicolas had one of the best matches of the night at 128 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Nicolas scored the first point with an escape. However, he gave the point back four seconds later with a technical violation. Sanger recorded an takedown for two more points, but he escaped the hold nine seconds later.
Sanger scored an escape 56 seconds into the third period for a two-point lead, but Sanger was also hit with a technical violation to drop the lead to one. Nicolas kept battling and recorded a takedown with 1.5 seconds left in the match for a 5-4 victory.
Apolonio Ordaz, after leading just 4-3 after the first period, scored 15 straight points for a technical fall at 134 pounds. He recorded three near falls for seven total points in the second. He got a takedown 12 seconds into the third and recorded two near falls, finally getting the technical fall with 14.5 seconds left in the bout for a 19-3 win.
Dominic Gutierrez found himself trailing 1-0 after the second period at 147 pounds. He quickly tied the score with an escape five seconds into the third. He got a point with a technical violation and then recorded a takedown with one minute left. He held on for a 4-1 victory.
Julius Loera closed the night at 154 pounds and quickly found his back on the mat. He was pinned 32 seconds into the bout for a 44-18 Coyote team victory.
