Bakersfield, Vasquez Set Records

The final score was 7-2, it took place on his 19th birthday and on a day when his wrestling team set a state record with 226.5 team points, but the only number that mattered to Darrell Vasquez was four.

Vasquez, a Bakersfield High senior, made history in the state wrestling championships Saturday night at University of the Pacific, defeating Jason Williams of Clovis in the 125-pound final for his fourth consecutive state title.

Vasquez is the first wrestler in the 30-year history of the state championships to win four state titles.

“I’m stoked,” Vasquez said after dropping to his knees in prayer near the locker room following his victory. “I’ve been dreaming of this since I was 11-years-old. It’s a weird feeling, it kind of hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Vasquez, who won at 103 pounds in 1999, 112 in 2000 and 119 last year, said he knew he came in this year as a marked man.

Williams nearly put Vasquez on his back early in the match, but Vasquez quickly reversed and maintained control of the match from that point on. As time wound down, the sell-out crowd of 7,120 at the Spanos Center rose to its feet chanting “Dar-rell, Dar-rell” and gave him a minute-long standing ovation.

“It was a lot of hard work,” Vasquez said. “A lot of training, a lot of cutting back. I haven’t been able to have those big hamburgers at lunch. For four years it’s been peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I had to give up a lot the last four years, but this was the goal.”

Bakersfield had 10 wrestlers qualify for the state meet and seven advanced to their weight-class finals.

The Drillers, who had four individual champions and squashed the previous state record of 170 points set last year by Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, scored a state-record 207.5 points before the finals started.

To put that in perspective, consider that all of the Southern Section schools combined had 112 wrestlers entered, got seven wrestlers to the finals and had four champions. Calvary Chapel, which had won state titles the last two years, led Southland schools with 62.5 points for a fifth-place finish.

Bakersfield finished 125 points ahead of second-place Clovis Buchanan. In the last 30 years only three teams have scored 125 points or more. Arroyo Grande was sixth with 60 points and Villa Park was 10th with 46.

Angel Wong of Santa Fe won the 103-pound title, Ricky Turk of Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World won at 135, Danny Cadwallader won at 140 and Joe Williams won at 171 for Santa Ana Calvary, and Arturo Basulto of Arroyo Grande was heavyweight champion.

Turk, who rolled through the Southern Section Masters meet last week, did more of the same at the state meet. He had impressive pins in 45, 21 and 22 seconds en route to the final, which he won, 17-13, over David Roberts of Clovis West.

Cadwallader, somewhat of a surprise winner at Masters, reaffirmed his place atop the 140-pound class with a 4-2 victory over Kirk Fitzpatrick of Union City James Logan.