With their 28-12 win over visiting Mt. San Antonio College on Wednesday night, the Cerritos College wrestling team clinched the Southwest Conference championship. It was the third win over the season over the Mounties, including a 21-15 win in the Southern California Dual Team Championships two and a half weeks ago.

The Falcons (15-0), suffered a major loss in the match, as sophomore 133-pound Anthony Vargas (Citrus Hill HS) was lost for the season with an injury. Vargas came in second place at the state championships last season.

After the first four weights, Mt. SAC held a 12-3 lead. The Cerritos comeback started at 157 pounds when sophomore Dylan Moreno (Downey HS) defeated Vincent Herrera, 11-4, which was aided by a takedown with :01 second left in the first period for a 3-2 lead. He recorded a quick four-point near fall to start the second period and capped off the win with a takedown in the final second of the match.

Freshman Kennith Kirk (Elsinore HS), ranked #4 in the state at 165 pounds, squared off against Omar Nava and struck quickly with a takedown and pinned him in 1:27, which tied the match at 12-12 with four matches remaining. The Falcons took their first lead of the night with freshman Blake Vasquez (Fountain Valley HS), who is ranked #1 in the state at 165 pounds, dropped down to 174 pounds. Taking on #3-ranked Reed South, Vasquez held on for a tight 5-4 win, which included a big takedown midway through the second period for a 4-2 lead. He added an escape point in the third period and led by two points, which meant his penalty point for stalling didn't hurt his win.

At 184 pounds, freshman Bryant Vasquez (Fountain Valley HS) took on a lighter Kevin Hope, who normally competes at 165 pounds. A two-point near fall in the first period helped him take a 4-2 lead and after Hope tied the match at 4-4 in the second period, Vasquez picked up an escape point before the end of the period. He added a reversal with :15 seconds in the third period to close out the scoring at 7-4.

Cerritos clinched the victory with freshman 197-pound David Van Weems (Corona Centennial HS) and his 13-3 major decision over Barnabas Yi, who dropped down from his normal 184-pound weight. In an aggressively affective match, Van Weems took down Yi four times and added a reversal in his dominant win. The night was caped off with a :48-second pin by freshman 285-pound David Zavala (Lakewood HS).

125 Pounds - John Whisner (MSAC) def. Norberto Buenrostro (CERR), 13-8
133 Pounds - Roy Galvan (MSAC) def. Anthony Vargas (CERR), Injury Default
141 Pounds - Richard Pocock (CERR) def. Casper Sherow (MSAC), 3-2
149 Pounds - Joseph Dominguez (MSAC) def. Wyatt Gerl (CERR), 6-2
157 Pounds - Dylan Moreno (CERR) def. Vincent Herrera (MSAC), 11-4
165 Pounds - Kennith Kirk (CERR) pinned Omar Nava (MSAC), 1:27
174 Pounds - Blake Vasquez (CERR) def. Reed South (MSAC), 5-4
184 Pounds - Bryant Vasquez (CERR) def. Kevin Hope (MSAC), 7-4
197 Pounds - David Van Weems (CERR) major over Barnabas Yi (MSAC), 13-3
285 Pounds - David Vargas pinned Joshua Sapien (MSAC), :48

Photos by Daryl Peterson