Santiago Falls to Bishop Amat in Semifinal

Although the Southern Section Division IV semifinal wrestling meet between Santiago and La Puente Bishop Amat was not decided until the final match, the conclusion was apparent early on.

The top-seeded Cavaliers lost two crucial decisions in the lower weights, opening the door for Bishop Amat’s 37-27 victory Saturday at Santiago.

Zino Hessing took advantage of his 80-pound edge and pinned Santiago’s Caesar Soltero in 1 minute 12 seconds in the heavyweight division to clinch the victory for the fourth-seeded Lancers.

However, it was two close losses in the 119- and 125-pound divisions that hurt Santiago the most.

“We lost two in a row at 119 and 125 pounds. That was our two big guys and they had really good guys,” Santiago Coach Rocky Gray said. “It was back to back. Otherwise, we alternated matches. It was 8-6 on wins, it was close.”

Both teams followed with major decisions in the 130- and 135-pound divisions and Santiago clung to a one-point lead.

George Guzman then pinned Bishop Amat’s Tommy Huerta at 140 pounds, but was called for unsportsmanlike conduct afterward, giving the Lancers a point. Theo West then answered with a pin to tie the score, 17-17.

Santiago took its last lead, 21-17, on Aris Ulloa’s major decision over Bobby Valles at 152 pounds.

Bishop Amat’s Jamaar Wallace pinned Adrian Tellex with 42 seconds remaining in the match, and Luigi Ruo and Jeremy Juarez followed with victories to give the Lancers a 10-point advantage with two matches remaining.

Daniel Melendez kept Santiago in contention when he pinned Richard Esparza at 215 pounds, but waiting on deck was Hessing, a 270-pound junior.

“The middle weights are our strengths and we lost three of them, that’s what hurt us,” Gray said.

Santiago reached the semifinals with a 54-9 victory over Quartz Hill and a 57-18 victory over Pasadena.