At the Mt. San Antonio Duals on Saturday, the Cerritos College wrestling team won three of four matches. The Falcons (6-1), opened with wins over Santa Ana College (42-2), a group of extra wrestlers from different teams (33-10) and Rio Hondo (college (40-3), while they dropped a 22-17 decision against the host Mounties. The team will now enter the West Hills Tournament, which they won last season.
Cerritos vs. Santa Ana: After a loss in the first match of the day at 125 pounds, the Falcons won the next nine weights to secure the comfortable win. Along the way, the duo of 165-pound sophomore Blake Vasquez (Fountain Valley HS) and freshman 197-pound Christopher Whilden (West Torrance HS) each posted first period pins. Additionally, 184-pound freshman Angel Verduzco (El Dorado HS) and sophomore 285-pound Robert Ceregatti (South Torrance HS) both received wins by forfeit. Freshman 133-pound Joshua Brown (Esperanza HS) remained undefeated on the season with his 15-4 win, while 141-pound freshman Nick Camacho (Paramount HS) earned a 13-0 win. Sophomore 157-pound Aaron Negrete (Santa Ana Calvary Chapel HS), the 2015 state champion at that weight, competed for the first time this season and recorded a 19-4 major decision, with freshman 149-pound Alex Hernandez securing a 12-4 win.
Cerritos vs. Extra Team: Taking on a team made up of individuals from each of the other teams at the duals, the Falcons picked up three more wins by pin and two forfeits, which helped them with the victory. At 125 pounds, freshman Eric Gonzalez (California HS) posted a first period pin, while sophomore 157-pound Wyatt Gerl (Calvary Chapel HS) was leading 15-0 in the second period at the time of his pin. Sophomore 165 pound Kennith Kirk (Elsinore HS) held a 10-0 lead in the first period before posting his pin. In his first match of the season 133-pound freshman Messiah Owens (Gahr HS) earned a 10-4 win, with Verduzco and Whilden receiving forfeits.
Cerritos vs. Rio Hondo: The Falcons dominated another opponent, as they won the first nine weights, including a pair of pins and one forfeit. Brown (133 pounds) and freshman 174-pound Ryan Gutierrez (Brea Olinda HS) each pinned their opponents, while Negrete easily won, 23-4 at 157 pounds. Add in a 16-6 win by Hernandez at 149 pounds and a 9-1 victory coming from 184-pound Verduzco and Cerritos was on their way to a big win. Sophomore Kevin Pelligrini (Citrus Hill HS) won, 9-2 at 125 pounds after opening a 6-0 lead after two periods, with Vasquez (10-4) and Whilden (9-5) also chalking up wins.
Cerritos vs. Mt. San Antonio: In their final match of the day, the Falcons suffered their first loss, as the outcome came down to the final weight. Trailing, 19-17 after nine weights, the match came down to 141 pounds, with Camacho suffering an 8-6 loss. He trailed, 4-3 after the first period and 7-4 after the second and got to within 7-6, but an escape point by the Mounties finished off the match. Brown recorded his fourth pin of the season at 133 pounds, with Gerl (8-0), Kirk (13-4) and Gonzalez all recording wins in their respective weights.