Ventura High Pins 59-10 Loss on Buena

The Ventura High wrestling team continues to throw its weight around. With overwhelming success.

The Cougars flattened cross-town rival Buena, 59-10, in a Channel League opener Thursday night at Buena.

Ventura (6-4 in dual meets) recorded seven pins while winning 11 of 13 bouts (one by forfeit) and extended to 31 its streak of consecutive league victories that dates to 1989.

The Cougars, Southern Section Division I champions in 1992 and a perennial state power, have won the league championship five consecutive times.

“We won that with our conditioning as much as anything else,” Ventura Coach Paul Clementi said. “You could look on the faces of the wrestlers in the middle of the match and see who was ready to go.”

That was evident by the amount of time it took Ventura wrestlers to pin their opponents.

Ryan Gatica (140 pounds), Brian Doss (145), Gilbert Pusen (152), Eric Blair (160) and Cody Green (171) all engaged in tenacious struggles before recording pins late in the second period.

Ventura’s Ngiep Dang (135) pinned Jason Helliesen 10 seconds into the third period. Only Cody Naumec (103), who began the meet by pinning Jesse De La Torre in 1 minute 22 seconds, settled matters quickly.

Senior Ryan Burdick, defending league champion at 189 pounds and among the Southern Section’s best at that weight this season, manhandled Buena’s Todd Sweet for three minutes before being awarded a technical pin by virtue of a 17-2 advantage.

“The coaches push us so hard, we’re all in great shape,” Burdick said. “And it shows.”

The meet’s most competitive bout took place between 112-pounders Issac Frutos of Ventura and Wil Chang.

In a rematch of last year’s bout (at 103 pounds) in which Chang recorded an overtime victory, Frutos executed an escape move with three seconds left in regulation to tie the match at 1-1.

A minute into overtime, Frutos recorded a takedown to earn a 3-1 victory.

Sophomore Aaron Sweeney (119) recorded Buena’s only pin, stopping junior Rory Locke in 2:14. Senior Josh Weir (130) dominated freshman Dan Olivera, 11-3, for the Bulldogs’ only other victory.