Santa Ana’s Bacerra Quickly Learns How to be Successful

Alex Bacerra started wrestling when he was a freshman at Santa Ana High.

“I really didn’t know that much about the sport,” Bacerra said. “But Coach [Scott Glabb] would always be talking about wrestling in his English class. It sounded interesting, so I decided to check it out”.

Bacerra would spend time in the wrestling room after school.

“I watched and it looked like something I could do,” he said. “But what really did it was when I saw some guys I knew in junior high doing it, and they told me that they wanted me to go out for wrestling so they could beat me up.”

That’s all the coaxing Bacerra needed. He was on the mat the following day.

Now, in his fourth year of wrestling for the Saints, Bacerra, who competes at 189 pounds, says it was one of the best moves he has made in high school.

“I’ve come a long way,” Bacerra said. “I’ve put in a lot of work and it’s been great in helping me in my school and life.”

While Bacerra’s high school career is going well--he’s ranked first in the county and won the 189-pound title at the Five Counties meet Saturday at Fountain Valley High--Bacerra recalls a time when a burly opponent would scare him.

“I would look at these guys and think, ‘Oh, man, I got to wrestle this guy?’ ” Bacerra said, laughing.

“I’ve wrestled guys who don’t look like much but are good, but that’s what’s so great about this sport. You have to have heart, technique and a desire to win.”

Dedication also helps.

“I wrestled a lot during the summer and put in a lot of time with the weights,” Bacerra said. “You have to do these things if you want to get better.”

It’s obviously paid off.

At Five Counties, Bacerra won his title match against Anthony Tobin of Bakersfield, the state’s top-ranked wrestler at 189 pounds.

However, Bacerra wasn’t happy with his victory, which came by injury default when Tobin hit his head on the mat. Bacerra was leading, 5-3, when the injury occurred.

“I didn’t earn it,” he said. “I’m hoping we’ll meet again so we can finish this match.”

Still, his two days of wrestling at Five Counties showed how far he has come.

Seeded third in the 55-team tournament, Bacerra defeated sixth-seeded Ronnie Silva of Clovis Buchanan, 17-6, in the quarterfinals, then beat second-seeded Mike VanWorth from Goleta Dos Pueblos, 9-3, in the semifinals.

“Both those guys beat him last year,” Glabb said, “so they are big wins for him.”

GALVAN PROVES HIMSELF

Loara’s Orlando Galvan showed who was the best 103-pounder in Orange County by beating Anthony Archuletta of Calvary Chapel, 6-2, in the semifinals of the Five Counties tournament.

Galvan, a senior, was also impressive in the final, but lost to Sal Gonzales of Merced, 6-4.

Galvan, the top seed, led most of the match, until Gonzales scored two escapes near the end.

SANTA MARGARITA WINS

Santa Margarita won Saturday’s Woodbridge Invitational.

Matthew Svenson of the Eagles won the 103-pound division and the team added nine second-place finishes.

The host Warriors finished second as Robert Valenzuela (119 pounds) was voted outstanding wrestler at the lower weights, winning the final, 21-5.

Aaron Hacker (160) of Corona Del Mar was outstanding wrestler in the upper weights, pinning his opponent in 3 minutes 30 seconds in the championship match.

LOOKING AHEAD

Last season, Santa Ana defeated Calvary Chapel, 43-21, to hand the Eagles their first dual-meet loss since 1991.

It’s time for the rematch.

On Wednesday, the second-ranked Saints will host Calvary Chapel, ranked first in the county and state and sixth in the nation, at 5:30 p.m.

If you have an item or idea for the wrestling report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail erik.hamilton@latimes.com