PREP WRESTLING : Ehlert Saves Tie for Irvine With His Quick Pin

The bronze shoe wasn’t the priority.

In a four-way wrestling meet at University High Tuesday, the much-anticipated match-up between fifth-ranked Irvine and unranked University didn’t disappoint, although it did leave several questions unanswered.

At stake was the lead in the Sea View League race and the city championship , with the impressive trophy--topped by a shoe that once belonged to wrestling great Dan Gable--that goes with it.

Going into the heavyweight class, it looked as though University might wrestle the Dan Gable Olympic Champion Award away from Irvine for the first time in the 15-year history of the city championship.

But when Irvine’s Scott Ehlert pinned Ray Davis at 57 seconds, it evened the score, and Irvine had escaped with a 27-27 tie.

“We got some breaks, they got some breaks,” University Coach Steve Stewart said. “Everyone else in Orange County might be surprised, but we knew if we could get everyone out on the mat together, we’d be OK.”

The Trojans were more than OK, they almost won.

At 172, University’s Andrew Siberfarb fell behind, 8-2, before he reversed his fortune and pinned Scott Kennifer at 5:22 and gave the Trojans a 27-18 lead with two weight classes remaining.

At 189, the Vaqueros’ Chris Kiyan beat Bobby Omid, 5-4, to pull Irvine to 27-21, and it was left to the heavyweights--Irvine needed a pin for a tie--to decide the outcome.

Ehlert, who outweighed Davis by 60 pounds, went about his business like clockwork.

“I wasn’t scared about him getting points,” he said. “I needed the pin.”

It was the fourth time in his three seasons on the varsity that Ehlert’s result has determined Irvine’s fate and all four times, he has won by a pin.

Irvine is 10-2-1, 3-0-1 and University was 12-1-1, 3-0-1.