The Cerritos College wrestling team, ranked #2 in the state, opened Southwest Conference action with a 37-10 win over visiting Palomar College on Wednesday. The Falcons (10-1, 1-0) will host their second straight conference match next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. against Santa Ana College.

After surrendering six team points due to a pin at 125 pounds, the Falcons won the next eight weights, with two coming due to forfeits, two were by techical fall and another was a pin. Both 133-pound Messiah Owens (Gahr HS) and 165-pound Wyatt Gerl (Calvary Chapel HS) each received forfeit wins at the respective weight classes. Cerritos earned six more team points when freshman 197-pound Ethan Bakker (Los Alamitos HS) pinned Layce Barmaki in just 2:46. Bakker trailed 3-2 with less than a minute left in the first period, but recorded a takedown and then the pin with just :14 seconds left in the period.

Sophomore 157-pound Aaron Negrete (Calvary Chapel HS) had a successful second period to finish off David Moreno, 17-1. Leading just 4-1 after the first three minutes, Negrete, who's ranked #1, posted a pair of four-point near falls, with the second ending the match. At 174 pounds, freshman Ryan Gutierrez (Brea Olinda HS) opened up a 14-3 lead after the first period, which included a four-point near fall in the first minute of the period, as well as one in the last minute. He finished off Gabe Buccat with less than a minute remaining in the match with his third near fall and finished with a 22-5 victory.

Also winning for the Falcons was freshman 141-pounder Nick Camacho (Paramount HS), who turned a 3-1 deficit in the second period to a 5-3 lead with a near fall and then added a late reversal to post an 8-4 win. As for freshman 149-pound Devin Daugherty (Cypress HS), he rode a 6-1 second period lead after a scoreless first three minutes and polished off Nathan Nadiva, 8-5. Sophomore Blake Moser (Gig Harbor, WA HS) recorded a hard fought 8-3 win at 184 pounds after allowing a quick takedown in the first period. An escape point and takedown with :01 second left in the first period became a 6-2 lead with an escape and then last-minute takedown that he maintained the rest of the match.

125 Pounds - Isaac Guerrero (PAL) pinned Cameron Calhoun (CERR), 3:16
133 Pounds - Messiah Owens (CERR) win by forfeit
141 Pounds - Nick Camacho (CERR) def. Zach Moistner (PAL), 8-4
149 Pounds - Devin Daugherty (CERR) def. Nathan Navida (PAL), 8-5
157 Pounds - Aaron Negrete (CERR) tech fall David Moreno (PAL), 17-1
165 Pounds - Wyatt Gerl (CERR) win by forfeit
174 Pounds - Ryan Gutierrez (CERR) tech fall Gabe Buccat (PAL), 22-5
184 Pounds - Blake Moser (CERR) def. Merceles Velasquez (PAL), 8-3
197 Pounds - Ethan Bakker (CERR) pinned Layce Barmaki (PAL), 2:46
285 Pounds - Chance Eskam (PAL) def. Jose Ramirez-Araujo (CERR), 14-3

Photos by Daryl Peterson