With the top two ranked teams facing each other for the CCCAA Dual Team Wrestling State Championship, the Cerritos College wrestling team came out on top, 23-16 over host Fresno City College. Ranked #1 in the state, the Falcons (18-1) were taking on the defending team dual state champion, #2-ranked Rams on Sunday in Fresno. It was the first team dual state championship for Cerritos since 1993 and third in school history.
"This is a very hard-working team and they have overcome some adversity this season," said head coach Donny Garriott, who led the Falcons to the state championship in 2014. "We didn't have our returning All-American (Anthony Vargas) at 133, but we have continued to work hard and we did what we needed to in order to beat a good Fresno team tonight."
125 Pounds - The Rams captured an early advantage in the match when Julian Gaytan defeated Norberto Buenrostro (Citrus Hill HS), 11-2. Gaytan, ranked #1 in the state, took a 6-1 lead after the first period and upped his lead to 8-1 after the second period.
Team Score - Cerritos 0, Fresno City 4
133 Pounds - Leading 10-1 in the second period, Fresno City's Aaron Mora earned six more points for the Rams when he pinned Jacob Valdes (Warren HS) in 4:27. Valdes was filling in for Vargas, who is out with an injury after coming in second place at the state championships last season.
Team Score - Cerritos 0, Fresno City 10
141 Pounds - Looking to turn things around, the Falcons had #1-ranked Richard Pocock (California HS) squaring off against Clinton McAlester, who is ranked #5 in the state. After a scoreless first two periods, McAlestar broke the tie with a reversal with 1:38 left in the match and then received a stalling point against Pocock. He recorded an escape point and tied the match at 3-3 on a takedown with :12 seconds remaining. After he quickly released him, Pocock ran out of time and also surrendered a riding time point for a 5-3 loss.
Team Score - Cerritos 0, Fresno City 13
149 Pounds - The Falcon comeback started when Wyatt Gerl (Downey Calvary Chapel HS) recorded a 2-0 overtime win over #1 ranked Dylan Martinez. The match was scoreless through the first seven minutes and with Gerl taking the down position to start the one-minute overtime, he recorded an reversal with :52 seconds left on the clock and a 2-0 win.
Team Score - Cerritos 3, Fresno City 13
157 Pounds - #3-ranked Kevin James (Redondo Union HS) got Cerritos a little closer with a 10-4 win over #4-seeded Dean Esquibel. Off to a quick 4-0 start in the first period, James saw Esquibel close the lead to 4-2 after the second period. However, James started the third with an escape point and added a reversal with 1:38 remaining for a 7-2 advantage. He went on to collect a reversal and escape point for his victory.
Team Score - Cerritos 6, Fresno City 13
165 Pounds - Making their biggest move of the night, Kennith Kirk (Elsinore HS) posted a pin over Josh Annis in 1:47 to close the Falcon deficit to 13-12. Ranked #4 in the state, Kirk opened the match with a takedown and two-point near fall for a 4-0 lead :33 seconds into the match. He added another takedown and four-point near fall before finishing off Annis for the night's only pin.
Team Score - Cerritos 12, Fresno City 13
174 Pounds - Cerritos took their first lead of the night in the team scoring when Blake Vasquez (Fountain Valley HS) defeated Jerrin Dean, 10-4. Just like the previous two weight classes, Vasquez gave the Falcons an early lead with a takedown and then a four-point near fall for a 6-0 lead after the first three minutes. He surrendered two second period points, but responded in the third for a quick reversal and was awarded a stalling point against Dean and a riding time point.
Team Score - Cerritos 15, Fresno City 13
184 Pounds - In the most controversial match of the night, Fresno City's Dom Freesha posted a 6-5 win over Bryant Vasquez (Fountain Valley HS) in the final second. Pulling ahead in the second period with an escape point for a 4-3 lead, Freesha gave up a reversal to Vasquez with :10 seconds remaining, but received a riding time point for a 5-5 tie. However, Vasquez was called for clasping hands in the final seconds, with Freesha awarded the game-winning point for a 6-5 decision.
Team Score - Cerritos 15, Fresno City 16
197 Pounds - Putting on a takedown clinic, top-ranked David Van Weems (Corona Centennial HS) earned five team points for the Falcons with his 27-11 win over Kalvin Stuckey. The match was tied 3-3 early in the first period, but Van Weems recorded a trio of takedowns before the end of the first three minutes for a 9-5 advantage. He continued to rack up the points and tossed Stuckey around the mat and finished the match with 12 takedowns, as well as a four-point near fall in the second period.
Team Score - Cerritos 20, Fresno City 16
285 Pounds - Needing a major decision or pin for a team victory, Fresno City sent out Angel Mariscal to take on #2-ranked David Zavala (Lakewood HS). After a scoreless first period, Zavala recorded the only point in the second with an escape point and went on to register a 2-1 victory. With the match tied at 1-1 in the third, Mariscal was penalized for stalling, which turned out to be the winning point for the match and for the Falcons as a team.
Team Score - Cerritos 23, Fresno City 16
125 Pounds - Julian Gaytan (FCC) def. Norberto Buenrostro (CERR), 11-2
133 Pounds - Aaron More pinned Jacob Valdes (CERR), 4:27
141 Pounds - Clinton McAlester (FCC) def. Richard Pocock (CERR), 5-3
149 Pounds - Wyatt Gerl (CERR) def. Dylan Martinez (FCC), 2-0 (ot)
157 Pounds - Kevin James (CERR) def. Dean Esquibel (FCC), 10-4
165 Pounds - Kennith Kirk (CERR) pinned Josh Annis (FCC), 1:47
174 Pounds - Blake Vasquez (CERR) def. Jerrin Dean (FCC), 10-4
184 Pounds - Dom Freesha (FCC) def. Bryant Vasquez (CERR), 6-5
197 Pounds - David Van Weems (CERR) def. Kalvin Stuckey (FCC), 27-11
285 Pounds - David Zavala (CERR) def. Angel Mariscal (FCC), 2-1