Wrestling: Locals stay alive
WESTMINSTER — A wrestling tournament puts the team through as many ups and downs as it does the individual athlete.
As time went on in Friday’s CIF Southern Section Coastal Division Finals at Westminster High, schools watched as their numbers began to dwindle.
Just when they might have thought they were down and out, an individual would step up with all the pressure of a potential elimination weighing down on them.
Exit stage left did not fit into their plans, as two locals successfully traversed the battle back to advance to championship Saturday.
Costa Mesa’s Cody Merrifield and Ocean View’s Daniel Serrano accomplished the feat, winning in their fourth match of the day.
Merrifield needed two wins after losing to top-seeded Justin Sarabia of Trabuco Hills in the second round of the 138s. He came back with a third-period pin before holding off Valencia’s Anthony Galvez, 4-1, for the decision to advance.
The Mustangs senior was not one of the team’s three champions in the Orange Coast League Finals, but the result did not surprise Costa Mesa coach Adam Marquez.
“He’s had a solid performance,” Marquez said of Merrifield. “I believe that today marks his 29th win, so it’s not completely unexpected.”
“He grinded them out as well as he could. It worked out for him today. Let’s see how well it works tomorrow. I’m hopeful, to say the least.”
Serrano, a 152s competitor, also suffered defeat in the second round of the championship bracket. By the end of his day, he had his head held high. The fiery senior bulled his way into Saturday’s slate with a pin against Costa Mesa’s Jacob Jones.
Ocean View had collected as a team in the front two rows of the center bleachers, and Serrano said he could hear their support throughout the action.
“It feels good to have someone support me,” Serrano said. “They’re all my brothers and sisters. That’s how I feel about it. It’s awesome.”
Serrano was also excited to have company as he pursues a Masters Meet bid on Saturday. As anticipated, Noah Edsell also advanced.
Edsell will certainly be disappointed with how the day turned out, however, as he fell one match shy of a championship-bracket duel with state placer Luciano Arroyo of Calvary Chapel.
The Seahawks junior won his first two matches with a pin and a major, but he lost to Laguna Hills’ Steven Kroesen, 15-3.
The top five placers in each weight class will advance to the Masters Meet next week in Ontario.
Others were on the cusp of advancing, including Estancia’s only wrestler to participate in the competition. Senior Kyle Nguyen (145s) had his hopes dashed in an overtime defeat to Shadow Hills’ Nick Brodsky, 6-4.
The winning takedown came late in the sudden-death period after Nguyen had rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third period to tie it. He would call the match most-deserving of his final bout.
“It was a pretty good final match,” Nguyen said. “It was a good fight. I’m excited that I made a really good run.”
Losing was not so easy to take for Costa Mesa senior Ray Welsher (160s), who looked astonished when he was told that he had lost his consolation third-round match.
Welsher had not lost to a league opponent all year, but he was eliminated by Orange Coast League rival Javier Gonzalez of Garden Grove, 4-3, in double overtime.
Gonzalez had taken the lead with an escape in the first 30-second overtime. There were six seconds left in the rebuttal period when Welsher appeared to roll out of Gonzalez’s grasp.
The Costa Mesa coaches felt that Gonzalez had interlocked hands with Welsher. At the very least, such a ruling would have extended the match with a penalty point.
“When Ray went for the Granby Roll with six seconds left, his opponent locked in, and we didn’t get that call,” Marquez said. “[The referee] said it was too late to make that call because the table had already come over and called time.”
“I feel otherwise. I saw something different, but we have to respect the ref’s decision, and that’s what it came down to.”
Costa Mesa’s Alejandro Rojo also reached a consolation third-round match in the 113s to potentially get to Saturday. He was denied by Gabrielino’s Donovan Sanin, who pinned him in 4:29.
Locals at the CIF-SS Coastal Division Finals
106
First Round – Chris Le (Aliso Niguel) pins Puwakun Bunyalug (Costa Mesa), 1:24.
First Consolation – Puwakun Bunyalug (Costa Mesa) BYE
Second Consolation – Noah Rivas (Segerstrom) pins Puwakun Bunyalug (Costa Mesa), 0:43.
113
First Round – Zane Romney (Simi Valley) pins Raxel Ortiz (Ocean View), 0:24.
First Consolation – Abel Mendoza (Santiago/GG) dec. Raxel Ortiz (Ocean View), 11-4.
First Round – Alejandro Rojo (Costa Mesa) pins Kyle Morishima (Tesoro), 1:25.
Second Round – Jacob Ruiz (Camarillo) pins Alejandro Rojo (Costa Mesa), 0:30.
Second Consolation – Alejandro Rojo (Costa Mesa) pins Abel Mendoza (Santiago/GG), 0:24.
Third Consolation – Donovan Sanin (Gabrielino) pins Alejandro Rojo (Costa Mesa), 4:29.
120
First Round – Noah Edsell (Ocean View) pins Joseph Chan (San Clemente), 1:48.
Second Round – Noah Edsell (Ocean View) maj. Alex Argueta (Rosemead), 14-5.
Third Round – Steven Kroesen (Laguna Hills) maj. Noah Edsell (Ocean View), 15-3.
126
None
132
None
138
First Round – Cody Merrifield (Costa Mesa) dec. Michael Cochran (Palm Desert), 7-5.
Second Round – Justin Sarabia (Trabuco Hills) pins Cody Merrifield (Costa Mesa), 0:47.
Second Consolation – Cody Merrifield (Costa Mesa) pins Alex Godina (Westminster), 4:09.
Third Consolation – Cody Merrifield (Costa Mesa) dec. Anthony Galvez (Valencia/V), 4-1.
First Round – KC Tang (Ocean View) dec. Edgar Nolasco (Santiago/GG), 6-5.
Second Round – Jay Juarez (Tesoro) pins KC Tang (Ocean View), 1:12.
Second Consolation – Richard Ayala (South El Monte) inj. def. KC Tang (Ocean View).
145
First Round – Abraham Garza (Fillmore) pins Raul Mojica (Costa Mesa), 4:29.
First Consolation – Tyler Warren (Laguna Hills) dec. Raul Mojica (Costa Mesa), 4-0.
First Round – Giovanni Rios (La Sierra) dec. William Nguyen (Ocean View), 4-3.
First Consolation – William Nguyen (Ocean View) BYE
Second Consolation – Collin Nicholson (Trabuco Hills) maj. William Nguyen (Ocean View), 12-1.
First Round – Collin Nicholson (Trabuco Hills) pins Kyle Nguyen (Estancia), 3:34.
First Consolation – Kyle Nguyen (Estancia) tech. fall Daniel Lara (Cathedral City), 16-0.
Second Consolation – Kyle Nguyen (Estancia) dec. Giovanni Rios (La Sierra), 9-3.
Third Consolation – Nick Brodsky (Shadow Hills) dec. Kyle Nguyen (Ocean View), 6-4 F/OT.
152
First Round – Jacob Jones (Costa Mesa) BYE
Second Round – Diego Gomez (Laguna Hills) pins Jacob Jones (Costa Mesa), 3:14.
Second Consolation – Jacob Jones (Costa Mesa) dec. Matthew Webber (Royal), 3-0.
Third Consolation – Daniel Serrano (Ocean View) pins Jacob Jones (Costa Mesa), 4:46.
First Round – Daniel Serrano (Ocean View) dec. Ben Velasco (LP-L), 11-9.
Second Round – Derrick Top (Valencia/V) dec. Daniel Serrano (Ocean View), 5-2.
Second Consolation – Daniel Serrano (Ocean View) dec. Steven Castellon (Arroyo), 8-3.
Third Consolation – Daniel Serrano (Ocean View) pins Jacob Jones (Costa Mesa), 4:46.
160
First Round – Ray Welsher (Costa Mesa) pins Adrian Gomez (LSR), 0:28.
Second Round – Jeremy Salas (Cathedral City) dec. Ray Welsher (Costa Mesa), 4-2.
Second Consolation – Ray Welsher (Costa Mesa) pins Aaron Hernandez (Shadow Hills), 2:13.
Third Consolation – Javier Gonzalez (Garden Grove) dec. Ray Welsher (Costa Mesa), 4-3 F/OT.
170
First Round – Tommy Rojas (Shadow Hills) pins Scott Martel (Ocean View), 1:47.
First Consolation – Adrien Plancarte (Costa Mesa) pins Scott Martel (Ocean View), 0:57.
First Round – Felipe Mendoza (Hil) pins Adrien Plancarte (Costa Mesa), 4:45.
First Consolation – Adrien Plancarte (Costa Mesa) pins Scott Martel (Ocean View), 0:57.
Second Consolation – Aaron Salgado (South El Monte) dec. Adrien Plancarte (Costa Mesa), 4-0.
182
First Round – Andrew Rasmussen (FB) pins Jason Nguyen (Ocean View).
First Consolation – Cade Flebbe (Valencia/V) pins Jason Nguyen (Ocean View), 0:24.
195
First Round – Andy Voong (ARR) pins Brian Connors (Costa Mesa).
First Consolation – Brian Connors (Costa Mesa) BYE
Second Consolation – Fernando Ramirez (Santa Ana) maj. Brian Connors (Costa Mesa), 9-1.
220
First Round – Junior Fuentes (Ocean View) disqualification Daniel Deybarrondo (Royal).
Second Round – Mario Moz (Laguna Hills) inj. def. Junior Fuentes (Ocean View).
Second Consolation – Marcus Bush (Rosemead) inj. def. Junior Fuentes (Ocean View).
First Round – Jonathan Dominguez (Costa Mesa) BYE
Second Round – Aaron Villegas (Westminster) pins Jonathan Dominguez (Costa Mesa), 1:06.
Second Consolation – Jon Razo (Indio) pins Jonathan Dominguez (Costa Mesa) 1:33.
285
First Round – Tony Miranda (Laguna Hills) inj. def. Antonio Leal (Costa Mesa).
First Consolation – Isaac Munoz (Faith Baptist) inj. def. Antonio Leal (Costa Mesa).
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
