The Cerritos College wrestling team opened the 2012 season by winning three of the four matches in which they competed at the Mt. San Antonio Duals on Saturday. The Falcons (3-1) dropped their first match of the day, a 22-14 decision to Bakersfield College, but followed that with wins over Mt. San Antonio (21-14), West Hills-Leemore College (30-12) and Rio Hondo College (35-3). The team will now enter the West Hills Tournament, which will take place on Saturday.

Four of the 10 matches against Bakersfield were very close, with the Falcons winning one of them, which eventually decided the winner. At 125 pounds, freshman Gabriel Ballesteros (Mesa, AZ HS) escaped with a 6-5 win on a late two-point reversal, while sophomore Joshua Ewing (Mesa, AZ HS) came out on the short end of an 11-10 decision at 149 pounds. Leading 6-2 after the first period, he was tied at 7-7 heading into the final period, and surrendered a point for stalling, which was the difference in the match. Sophomore Dylan Garriott (North Torrance HS) went to overtime at 157 pounds, but dropped a 4-2 score, while sophomore Tyree Cox (Lancaster HS) was defeated, 6-5 at 184 pounds. Picking up wins for Cerritos were sophomore Rudy Delgado (North Torrance HS), a 20-3 victor at 133 pounds, while sophomore George Knight (Corona HS) pinned his opponent after being sent to overtime.

In the win over Mt. San Antonio, Delgado (11-5) and Garriott (6-3) both posted wins, as did sophomore 174-pound Kyle Pivovaroff (West Torrrance HS), who pulled away from a close lead to register an 11-3 win, while 197-pound freshman Tyler Smith (Marina HS) won handily, 21-3. At 285 pounds, sophomore Weston Hawkins (Edison HS/North Iowa Area CC) shut out his opponent, 7-0. 

A pair of wins by pinfall and another by technical fall highlighted the win over West Hills, as freshman Michael Behnke (Arlington HS) registered a first period win at 141 pounds. Freshman Dylan Clarke (Burnt Hills, NY HS) matched that with a pin in the first three minutes at 165 pounds, while Delgado remained undefeated with 17-3 win at 133 pounds. Ewing pulled away in his 13-2 win at 149 pounds, but the most exciting match was at 285 pounds when freshman Miguel Rivera (Westminster HS) went into a second overtime period to pull out a 3-2 victory in a match that consisted solely of escape points. Cox (6-5) and Smith (9-6) also won at 184 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively.

The day ended with a convincing win over Rio Hondo, as freshman Jose Sandoval (Paramount HS) won by pin at 165 pounds, as did Knight at 197 pounds. Pivovaroff received a win by forfeit at 174 pounds, with Ballesteros winning, 12-2 at 125 pounds, Behnke posting a 13-8 win at 141 pounds, while Cox won 8-0 at 184 pounds and Hawkins posted a 2-1 win at 285 pounds. Picking up their first wins of the season were sophomore Michael Perez (Firebaugh HS), a 6-5 winner at 133 pounds and freshman freshman Christian Pham (Westminster HS), who picked up a 3-1 win at 149 pounds.