Poway, Helix, Clairemont Win Section Wrestling Titles

The way Jake and Aaron Gaeir figured it, losing a wrestling match was the best thing that could have happened. They both wound up winning San Diego Section 3-A titles anyway.

The way Poway High School Coach Wayne Branstetter figured it, it didn’t matter that two of his wrestlers lost in the finals. He had more than enough points to win a second straight 3-A team title at Mira Mesa High Saturday night.

Aaron Gaeir had won the 148-pound San Diego County title last year and finished third in the state as a junior at Granite Hills. But he lost to a top wrestler from Oklahoma in a tournament earlier this season.

That loss propelled him to the 157-pound 3-A title this year, he said. Gaeir pinned Marc Todd of Poway at 5 minutes 5 seconds.

“It’s always good to lose,” Aaron Gaeir said. “It makes you a better wrestler.”

His brother Jake, a junior, had the same experience. His only loss was to Monte Vista’s Frank Millsap, who had won the 3-A title last year, in the Grossmont League 141-pound finals last week. Gaeir came back to defeat Millsap in the finals Saturday, 7-3.

Branstetter was guaranteed of winning the team title before the finals began. Poway had 193 1/2 points by then and finished with 250. Second-place Mt. Carmel finished with 137 1/2.

Poway’s Dale Hannover won the 115-pound division by pinning Gary Kawano of Vista just 40 seconds into the match. Shane Roselle of Poway won his second straight 108-pound title, 11-0, over Tung Thai of El Capitan. Teammates Brett Christianson (135-pounds) and Marc Pease (heavyweight) also won individual titles.

Poway will have 12 wrestlers in the San Diego County Master’s meet. The top five finishers from each division qualified for the meet, which will be held Saturday at El Camino High.