As the top-ranked team in the state, the Cerritos College wrestling team was poised to win the Southern California Dual Meet Championship, which the school hosted on Saturday. The Falcons defeated West Hills College (55-0) and Cuesta College (28-12) to advance to the finals. Cerritos (9-1) took on the state's #2-ranked team, Mt. San Antonio College, and came up short, 23-21 in the championship match. The team teams will face each other at The Aviary on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in a Southwest Conference match.
Cerritos vs. West Hills: Facing the Golden Eagles for the third time this season, the Falcons recorded seven wins by pin and another through a forfeit to post the big win. Starting at 125 pounds, where Gary Howe (Los Alamitos HS) needed only :48 seconds to record a pin, Cerritos was on their way to a dominant win. That was followed by a 2:05 pin from Dustin Kirk (Elsinore HS), while 157-pound Keanu Tom (Los Alamitos HS) and 165-pound Ruben Avila (Lake Elsinore HS) posted their pins in :15 seconds and 3:40, respectively. Dylan Clarke (Burnt Hills, NY HS) at 174 pounds and 285-pound Jesse Gomez (Buena Park HS) both registered their pinfalls in 2:48, while Max Kumashiro (Los Alamitos HS) required 3:44.
125 Pounds - Gary Howe (CERR) pinned Ariq Errecart (WH), :48
133 Pounds - Dustin Kirk (CERR) pinned Jason Arredondo, 2:05
141 Pounds - Jonathan Tanap (CERR) def. Axle Huml (WH), 11-3
149 Pounds - Eric Ambriz (CERR) def. Lataurus Harris (WH), 6-0
157 Pounds - Keanu Tom (CERR) pinned Gerardo Maldonado (WH), :15
165 Pounds - Ruben Avila (CERR) pinned Jessie Solorio (WH), 3:40
174 Pounds - Dylan Clarke (CERR) pinned Blake Vargas-Marple (WH), 2:48
184 Pounds - Max Kumashiro (CERR) pinned Trevor Kircher, 3:44
197 Pounds - Jeremiah Gerl (CERR) win by forfeit
285 Pounds - Jesse Gomez (CERR) pinned Kyle Mask (WH), 2:48
Cerritos vs. Cuesta: After the first six matches in the semifinal match, the score was tied, 12-12. But the Falcons went on to win the final four matches and secure the 28-12 victory. Clarke broke the tie with an 11-2 win at 174 pounds, while Kumashiro followed with a 4-1 win. At 197 pounds, freshman Oscar Martinez (Corona Centennial HS) bested Jeff Sanchez, 5-4 in a match that went into double overtime. After both recorded escape points in the first two overtime sessions, Martinez won the match on the strength of riding time. Sophomore 285-pound Robert Chism (Downey HS) finished off the match with a pin in 2:28. Both Howe (18-2) and Kirk (12-2) started the match with big wins, while Tom also picked up a win along the way.
125 Pounds - Gary Howe (CERR) def. Oscar Velasco (CUE), 18-2
133 Pounds - Dustin Kirk (CERR) def. George Sakkas (CUE), 12-3
141 Pounds - Connor Pollock (CUE) pinned Jonathan Tanap (CERR)
149 Pounds - Jonny Callas (CUE) def. Eric Ambriz (CERR), 5-2
157 Pounds - Keanu Tom (CERR) def. John Sinclair (CUE), 8-4
165 Pounds - Joe Else (CUE) def. Ruben Avila (CERR), 3-1
174 Pounds - Dylan Clarke (CERR) def. Amir Bakhshi (CUE), 11-2
184 Pounds - Max Kumashiro (CERR) def. Jack Robinett (CUE), 4-1
197 Pounds - Oscar Martinez (CERR) def. Jeff Sanchez (CUE), 5-4 (ot)
285 Pounds - Robert Chism (CERR) pinned Brett Kimball (CUE), 2:28
Cerritos vs. Mt. San Antonio: In the championship match, the Falcons were able to insert freshman Antonio McKee (Long Beach Poly HS) into the lineup, but not at his usual weight. McKee, the state's top-ranked 149-pounder, competed at 165 pounds after not making weight in the morning. He did come away with an 8-2 win in his match, but it caused a little ripple in the lineup. The key match was at 184 pounds, where Kumashiro was pinned by Nathan Rodriguez. Prior to the pin, Kumashiro was holding an 8-2 lead after the second period. He tired in the third while leading, and eventually ran out of gas. Kirk (10-3), Tom (pin) and Clarke (7-4) all recorded wins, while Chism received a forfeit win at 285 pounds after the Mounties took a 23-15 lead after KeAndre Johnson defeated Gerl, 4-1 at 197 pounds. Johnson is ranked #2 in the state.
125 Pounds - Giovanni Castillo (MSAC) def. Gary Howe (CERR), 7-2
133 Pounds - Dustin Kirk (CERR) def. Jeremy Dizon (MSAC), 10-3
141 Pounds - Terrill Sidner (MSAC) pinned Eric Ambriz (CERR), 3:24
149 Pounds - Lorenzo Medina (MSAC) def. Jonathan Tanap (CERR), 16-1
157 Pounds - Keanu Tom (CERR) pinned Jaime Jimenez (MSAC), 2:32
165 Pounds - AJ McKee (CERR) def. Zachary Mitchell (MSAC), 8-2
174 Pounds - Dylan Clarke (CERR) def. Kolton Martin (MSAC), 7-4
184 Pounds - Nathan Rodriguez (MSAC) pinned Max Kumashiro (CERR), 6:14
197 Pounds - KeAndre Johnson (MSAC) def. Jeremiah Gerl (CERR), 4-1
285 Pounds - Robert Chism (CERR) won by forfeit
Photos by Daryl Peterson
