Gonzalez Provides Heavyweight Drama

Manny Gonzalez outlasted Ken Enriquez in the final bout to give El Camino Real High a narrow victory over San Fernando, 33-31, in the championship of the City Section dual-meet tournament Thursday at El Camino Real.

El Camino Real (24-3), which avenged a loss to San Fernando (7-4) last week, captured its fourth consecutive title.

Gonzalez also avenged a loss to Enriquez from the previous week. He needed all the energy he could muster in the final 20 seconds.

Enriquez, who outweighed Gonzalez, 275-215, put Gonzalez on his back near the end of the third period. But Gonzalez forced himself off the mat, put Enriquez on his back for an 11-7 victory.

“[Manny] basically had to do a sit-up,” El Camino Real Coach Terry Fischer said. “He had to push that tough kid around the entire match.”

“I was just thinking, ‘Don’t get pinned, Don’t get pinned,’ ” Gonzalez said. “I was just trying to keep myself from getting underneath him.”

A week ago, Gonzalez and Enriquez hardly figured in the outcome. San Fernando, ranked No. 2 in the region by The Times, beat the third-ranked Conquistadores, 41-21. San Fernando won six of the first seven matches and El Camino Real was unable to rally.

This time, El Camino Real 103-pounder Matt Berg got his team the start it needed, winning a 14-5 decision over Juan Estrada. Estrada pinned Berg last week.

“We didn’t win the swing match at 103,” San Fernando Coach Mike Castillo said. “It was six points that we didn’t get that we had before.”

El Camino Real was also sparked by the return of City Section finalist Moshe Levi.

Levi, who missed the past five weeks for personal reasons, returned to the team this week and wrestled up in weight at 145 pounds against San Fernando’s Conrad Silva.

Silva won a 17-14 decision but Levi provided valuable momentum by not allowing Silva to earn pin points for his team.

“It came down to everybody,” Fischer said. “It was a team effort and it was a school effort. Every kid did just a little better this week.”

It was the fourth consecutive runner-up finish for San Fernando. The Tigers lost in the final by a point in 1997 and by two points in 1998.

The Tigers took the lead three times, including a 31-30 advantage entering the heavyweight bout between Enriquez and Gonzalez.

San Fernando got pins from Noe Ramirez (215 pounds) and Willy German (160).

Fischer, however, chose to forfeit the 112 and 135-pound bouts, preventing Ramon Perry and Joseph Michel from recording pins.

Jamar Cargo also boosted the Conquistadores down the stretch, pinning Ulysses Ramirez in the 189-pound bout.

El Camino defeated University and Granada Hills to reach the final. San Fernando had a first-round bye and defeated Monroe.