SOUTHERN SECTION MASTERS WRESTLING : Full Speed Ahead, Canyon’s Padgett Steams to State Meet

The guy they call Buffalo trampled everyone in his path at the Masters Meet Saturday at Fountain Valley High.

Canyon’s Matt Padgett, the buffalo in question, picked ‘em up and knocked ‘em down, running his career pin total to 109 when he stopped Julius Reyes of Hemet 2 minutes 53 seconds into their 160-pound championship match.

Padgett, 47-0 with 40 pins this season, advanced to the CIF State wrestling championships Friday at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. The top seven finishers in 13 weight divisions qualified for the State meet. Few were as impressive as Padgett, however.

Gary Bowden, Canyon’s coach for the last 19 seasons, has long since given up trying to teach restraint to Padgett.

Bowden simply watches Padgett, a senior, go for broke.

“Matt definitely has his own style,” Bowden said, shaking his head and smiling.

And there’s no sense taking a more conservative approach at this late date, although it would probably throw more than a few observers for a loop if Padgett spent a moment or two feeling out his opponent. Instead he charges full speed ahead.

“It went all right,” Padgett said when the tournament was over.

Is there any preparation that remains to be tackled before the State meet?

“Nope,” he said. “I’m ready to go.”

In addition to Padgett, David Cha (at 135 pound), Dave Gayer (130), Truc Tran (125) and Justin Young (171) advanced to the State meet. They led Canyon to the 4-A individual tournament title last Saturday, three days after having their dual-meet winning streak stopped at 87 by Fontana in the inaugural Southern Section dual meet tournament.

Including Padgett, there were four champions and one runner-up from Orange County. The others were:

--Shane Valdez of Calvary Chapel, who “survived probably (his) toughest match of the year” to win the 112-pound title, 6-4, over Jose Enriquez of Norwalk Glenn.

“When you get this far all the matches are tough, I guess,” Valdez said.

--David Quintero of Valencia who defeated Eddie Rodriguez of Riverside Sierra Vista, 7-3, at 125 pounds. He was one of five Tigers to reach the State meet.

--Mike Bolster of Huntington Beach who pinned Mark Hamann of Moreno Valley Canyon Springs 2:40 into their heavyweight final. Bolster, the Southern Section 4-A champion, recorded three pins in his four matches Saturday. He and Padgett were the only wrestlers to pin their opponents in championship matches.

--Shane Holloway of Saddleback who lost to Daniel Maes of Arroyo, 17-1, in the 135-pound final. Maes moved up to 135 pounds this season after finishing third at the State meet at 130 pounds last year.

“Maes was just too tough,” Saddleback Coach Paul LaBlanc said.

Meet Notes

There were 26 Orange County qualifiers, five of whom benefited from the Southern Section gaining an extra berth to the State meet this year. Last season, six section wrestlers advanced. This season it’s seven. Hugo Amaya of Valencia (103), David Cha of Canyon (135), Mark Zavala of Anaheim (160), Nick Nosek of Dana Hills (189) and Ryan Brubaker of Laguna Hills (heavyweight) were the county’s seventh-place finishers Saturday. . . . Valencia tied Canyon with five qualifiers--Amaya (103), Jim Provencio (112), Gilbert Quintero (119), David Quintero (125) and Matt Malle (171).