Gilroy Wrestling

Adin Duenas (Gilroy, Calif./Cal State Fullerton) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for Feb. 23-March 1.

The fourth-seeded Duenas was named Outstanding Wrestler after winning the Pac-10 Conference Championships at 141 pounds on Feb. 28 in Davis, Calif.

Duenas knocked off No. 1 seed Levi Jones of Boise State 3-1 in overtime in the semifinals before he downed No. 2 seed Filip Navachkov of Cal Poly 9-3 in the finals.

Duenas, a junior, qualified for the 2009 NCAAs after placing third in the Pac-10 tournament.

http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=21589

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/sports/263017-wrestling-mustangs-are-tcal-champs

Feb 6, 2010
By Josh Weaver

GILROY – Seven Mustangs wrapped up individual titles as the GHS wrestling team toppled the competition at Saturday’s Tri-County Athletic League championship tournament, winning the team crown with 257 overall points.

Already capturing the league title, going undefeated in dual meets for the eighth straight season, the Mustangs left no doubt at the top of the leader board at this year’s tournament, using 39 points to separate themselves from second place San Benito – a much different outcome in comparison to last year’s fiasco at the top in which the top-three finishers (Palma, Gilroy and San Benito) were spaced by a mere 4.5 points.

The Chieftains eked out the victory by .5 points over the Mustangs. Palma finished fourth Saturday with 146.5 points.

Nine wrestlers appeared in the finals Saturday, two more than second place San Benito’s seven grapplers.

Leif Dominguez (105), Jesse Delgado (125), Willie Fox (132), Blake Kastl (137), Vincente Aboytes (154), Dominic Kastl (162) and Luis Barragan (287) took home first-place medals in their respective weight classes.

Rodney Balajadia (119) and Adam Rosso (147) finished in second place, and Mike Lucero (140) and Andrew Toste (189) achieved third place, punching their tickets to the Central Coast Section championships.

“CCS is coming up and they are getting stronger,” head coach Greg Varela said.

The top-six wrestlers from the TCAL in each weight class advance to CCS. Jasmine Yanez, who won the girls state championship last weekend, will also participate.

“I can’t wait to get back in the room and grind it out,” Varela said with a huge grin on his face. “I know for sure what we need to work on.”

The CCS championships take place in two weeks at Independence High School in San Jose. The Mustangs are seven-time defending champs.

In the past, only one week separated the league tournament and the CCS championships, this year, however, the Mustangs have two weeks to prepare and recuperate.

“I think it will affect us in a good way,” Barragan said. “It gives us time to get in even better shape. It gives us a lot more time to focus on technique. Going into CCS a lot of us are already focused on one person.”

Dominguez, a freshman, had his opponent, Johnny Alonzo of Alisal searching for escapes from the get go in the 103-pound finals. Dominguez posted points in a fury of take downs and near-falls, working his way to a 16-0 technical fall victory.

“I try to listen to my coaches,” Dominguez said. “I’m not a guy who likes to show off, so I just take one match at a time.

Defending state champion and three-time state placer, Delgado, demonstrated another methodical dismantling of a challenger in the 125-pound finals, racking up 22 points in a technical fall triumph over Arturo Morado of Alisal.

Fox, Aboytes, the Kastl brothers and Barragan all came away with pins, with Barragan getting the nod in just 46 seconds.

“It boosted my confidence,” Barragan said. “I hadn’t been able to win a single tournament this year and I’m not used to that.”

Arguably the most intense showdown of the afternoon came in the 119-pound finals, where the Mustangs’ Balajadia took on San Benito’s best wrestler, Junior Davila.

In a rematch of last Wednesday’s pairing in the league-dual meet finale, the two went back and forth, each taking single-leg shots at one another in search of the match-changing attack.

Davila jumped in front with a take down in the first period, but Balajadia responded in the second, taking a more aggressive approach and recording two take downs.

Davila went up 5-4 heading into the third period and capitalized on a Balajadia missed takedown, picking up the senior and slamming him to the mat for two points, to secure a 7-5 win.

“I shouldn’t have given that take down,” said Balajadia, who will most likely get another crack at Davila at CCS. “I just have to get stronger over the next two weeks.”

The Mustangs are currently ranked fourth in the state and first in CCS, according to The California Wrestler.

2010 TCAL Championships

TEAMS

1, Gilroy, 257; 2, San Benito, 218; 3, Alisal, 170; 4, Palma, 146.5; 5, North Salinas 105; 6, Salinas, 99; 7, Everett Alvarez, 24.5.

INDIVIDUAL

103 – 1, L. Dominguez, Gilroy; 2, J. Alonzo, Alisal; 3, A. Espinoza, Everett Alvarez; 4, N. Busby, Palma; 5, A. Gatto, San Benito; 6, A. Fragoso, North Salinas.

112 – 1, E. Lopez, Alisal; 2, N. Renteria, Salinas; 3, J. Gonzalez, Palma; 4, R. Rodriguez, San Benito; 5, G. Martinez, North Salinas; 6, J. Yanez, Gilroy.

119 – 1, J. Davila, San Benito; 2, R. Balajadia, Gilroy; 3, C. Moreno, Alisal; 4, S. Eastman, Palma; 5, L. Combs, North Salinas; 6, A. Farias, Salinas.

125 – 1, J. Delgado, Gilroy; 2, A. Morado, Alisal; 3, J. Garcia, San Benito; 4, C. Palacios, Palma; 5, A. Galapon Olivas, Salinas.

130 – 1, W. Fox, Gilroy; 2, Z. Rodriguez, San Benito; 3, A. Nunez, North Salinas; 4, O. Mendez, Alisal; 5, N. Short, Palma; 6, C. Perales, Salinas.

135 – 1, B. Kastl, Gilroy; 2, E. Meza, Alisal; 3, E. Henry, San Benito; 4, D. Proa, Salinas; 5, A. Reyes, Palma.

140 – 1, E. Tapia, Alisal; 2, M. Soto, San Benito; 3, M. Lucero, Gilroy; 4, A. Noza, North Salinas; 5, E. Farfan, Palma.

145 – 1, T. Christenson, San Benito; 2, A. Rosso, Gilroy; 3, R. Sarmiento, Palma; 4, E. Antonio, North Salinas; 5, C. Ivey, Salinas; 6, A, Gonzalez, Alisal.

152 – 1, V. Aboytes, Gilroy; 2, S. McVannel, Salinas; 3, N. Abulencia, Palma; 4, J. Antonio, North Salinas; 5, E. Ortega, San Benito; 6, J. Ochoa, Alisal.

160 – 1, D. Kastl, Gilroy; 2, M. Sarmiento, Palma; 3, D. Guzman, Salinas; 4, J. Raine, San Benito; 5, H. Bueno, Alisal; 6, J. Rodriguez, North Salinas.

171 – 1, A. Berber, Alisal; 2, L. Diller, San Benito; 3, A. Martinez, Palma; 4, B. Torricer, Gilroy.

189 – 1, M. Martin del Campo, San Benito; 2, N. Castillo, Salinas; 3, A. Toste, Gilroy; 4, R. Galvan, Everett Alvarez; 5, S. Nakamura, North Salinas; 6, J. Pulealii, Palma.

215 – 1, A. Davis, San Benito; 2, G. Omictin, North Salinas; 3, J. Talauban, Palma.

285 – 1, L. Barragan, Gilroy; 2, B. Pulealii, Palma; 3, T. Avila, Alisal; 4, C. Flores, North Salinas; 5, M. Avila, Salinas; 6, N. Angelo, San Benito.

GILROY – Abalone diving, rodeo and wrestling – three activities that aren’t usually grouped together, and three activities that most might not include on a bucket list.

But for Gilroy High wrestlers Dominic and Blake Kastl, those interests, among others, are what separates them from the rest – not to mention the countless trophies, medals and championships the two brothers have racked up over the years wreaking havoc out on the mat.

“There is a season for it,” Blake said with a shy, yet in some ways proud, grin about the obscure hobby of hunting for abalone, a type of edible sea snail. “My dad has been doing it since before we were born. We go take two-hour dives. We bring them home and eat them. They are good.

“We used to be cowboys, too,” he adds with a laugh. “I broke a collar bone my eighth-grade year riding a steer.”

Those unique hobbies and myriad of accomplishments only scratch the surface of an intriguing bond built through wrestling but carried out beyond the humid, sweat-filled practice room.

Dominic, a senior, and Blake, a sophomore, transferred to GHS this year after their family relocated from Half Moon Bay. Already accomplished prep wrestlers – Dominic has three Central Coast Section championships and Blake a National High School Coaches Association National Championship – the impact the two have had on the perennially formidable Mustangs’ wrestling program is immeasurable. Oh, and they have a younger brother, Mario, a sixth-grader who attends and wrestles for South Valley.

“He’s probably going to be the best one out of the three of us,” Blake said. “He was exposed to better coaching and technique at a younger age.”

When the expenses of private school at St. Francis High in Mountain View began to pile up, Dominic said his parents made the decision to move to Gilroy, a choice that took him by surprise, but his familiarity with the community’s passion for wrestling kept him at ease and made the transfer to a new school all much easier to digest.

“It was sprung on us,” Dominic said. “I wasn’t sad or anything. It had to be done. I had been to tournaments with Jesse (Delgado) and Vince (Aboytes) and I knew they were good kids.”

There is of course a brotherly rivalry, both confess to wanting to be better or outdo each other. That sibling rivalry in the end, though, adds to the relationship rather than divides it. In victory or defeat each is there for reassurance or a figurative slap in the face as motivation to continue to improve.

“When I would go to tournaments and watch (Dominic), I would wear my singlet and want to wrestle,” the younger Blake said. “I always wanted to strive to be like him and be as good as him. Dom never wants to lose to his little brother or have me accomplish something he hasn’t. It’s better when we both win.”

Even still, even with the desire to be better, it is hard to imagine what motivates an individual to continually take the punishment the sport is eager to dish out day in and day out.

“It’s just wanting to get my hand raised, wanting to be the best and go to college,” Blake said.

The list of injuries an athlete could suffer even before the collegiate ranks are staggering and even painful to read; bruises, cuts, dislocations, surgeries and cauliflower ear, to name a few. Both have had knee surgeries in the past year and a half, with Blake’s keeping him out of action for the first month-plus this season and Dominic’s threatening his chances of a three-peat at the CCS championships last season.

“Last year at Cupertino, I went to shoot in and my knee locked up,” Dominic said, moving his body to add a visual as he recalled his injury. “The guy got me on my butt. I tried to get up but the knee just gave out. I had to have surgery on it. Funny enough I was wrestling a Gilroy guy.”

Despite the setback, Dominic went on to capture his third straight CCS title.

“My family is a never-quit kind of family,” Dominic said. “During the season you have practice and you have to cut weight. It starts to grind on you. But when you come out at a tournament and you have your friends and family there and you win, that’s what it’s all about.”

The sacrifices made to the sport aren’t always understandable to everyone. But one no-no that most can relate to is fast food. With all the restrictions on diet to ensure that they can keep at their wrestling weights, there is no fast food allowed.

“You get used to it, it’s not a big deal,” Blake said, consenting that after the season he will probably indulge in a large cookies-and-cream milkshake.

With the Central Coast Section championships fast approaching, the Kastl’s are beginning to find their groove. Both have back-to-back tournament victories in the last two weeks at the Mid-Cal Invitational and the Overfelt Classic.

“Everything we do is to prepare us for the state meet,” Dominic said.

Each has aspirations of not just qualifying or placing, but to finish first at the state tournament held the first weekend in March in Bakersfield.

Dominic has already signed on to wrestle at CSU San Luis Obispo, joining fellow senior Jesse Delgado. Blake, who hasn’t given a lot of thought to college yet, will be a senior when Mario steps onto the mat as a Mustang.

For now, the state meet is the No. 1 priority.

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/sports/262852-yanez-crowned-state-champ

HANFORD – Rolling to a perfect 5-0 record, including three pins and two major decisions, GHS junior Jasmine Yanez wrestled her way to a state championship at the California Girls Invitational held in Hanford over the weekend.

Yanez, the No. 1-seed, worked through a field of 36 wrestlers in the 98-pound bracket, leaving little doubt as to who was champion after a 10-1 win in the finals over Marina Sanchez of La Sierra High School.

The tournament serves as the state championship for girls wrestling because the sport is not yet sanctioned by the CIF.

The state championship is just one of a handful of tournament accomplishments for Yanez this season.

She placed second at the Lady Lancer in Manteca, third at the Queen of the Mat in Antioch and dazzled at the CIF NorCal Regional, taking first, which qualified her for last weekend’s state meet.

Yanez also finished in the top-12 at this year’s Mid-Cals, wrestling in the 103-pound division.

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/sports/262934-wrestling-mustangs-wrap-up-regular-season-with-victory-over-balers

GILROY – The Mustangs honored nine seniors in front of a large crowd gathered inside Bob Hagen Gym prior to Wednesday’s Tri-Country Athletic League dual meet against rival San Benito.

After the ceremony, it was business as usual for the home team in a 47-25 triumph to close out the regular season.

Seniors Rodney Balajadia, Jesse Delgado, Vincente Aboytes, Mike Lucero, Adam Rosso and Luis Barragan are on track for their fourth straight Central Coast Section team title and the eighth in a row for the Mustangs’ program. Senior transfer Dominic Kastl, a three-time CCS individual champ, is in search of his first team-title after finishing runner-up a year ago with St. Francis.

“It’s their last home meet in front of their home crowd against Hollister,” head coach Greg Varela said. “They wanted to put on a good show and do their part. It’s just great that we can count on the seniors like that. They are definitely sharpening their claws getting ready for state.”

Wednesday’s win gives the Mustangs their eighth straight undefeated league dual meet season.

Both teams showcased why they are considered the top-two squads in the TCAL and are predicted to finish first and second at Saturday’s league championship tournament in Gilroy.

The Balers built an early 13-5 lead after capturing three of the first four bouts. However, once the meat of the Mustangs’ lineup began to take the mat, the momentum swung toward the fourth-ranked team in the state.

“I knew it was going to be rough because we bumped a few guys up in weight class,” Varela said. “They are tough. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about Hollister. They have been our rival for so long because they are so good. They are well coached and the kids are tough. For them to come out and battle us was no surprise.”

After Leif Dominquez earned a 17-2 technical fall in the opening match of the night, the Balers stormed back, getting three key victories, including a pin by Robb Rodriguez and a 6-3 decision from Junior Davila.

“I think we did pretty good,” Davila said. “We gave it all we got. We just have to keep working hard. We are working toward CCS and state, so this is just practice.”

The tide began to turn as Delgado, Willie Fox and Blake Kastl picked up three wins in a row. Kastl didn’t waste any time, pinning his man in 40 seconds.

The Balers responded with two straight decision victories, pulling to within four team points, 23-19.

But three consecutive pins by Aboytes, Dominic Kastl and Ben Torricer blew the gap open as the Mustangs took a commanding 41-19 lead.

The quickest pin of the night went to Dominic Kastl, when he disposed of his opponent in 22 seconds.

“This is probably one of the more memorable moments,” said Aboytes, who missed the last few weeks resting an injury. “My condition is still there. I didn’t miss a run, I didn’t miss a lift and I didn’t miss one practice. Getting that three-week rest really helped my body.”

Gilroy High will be the site of Saturday’s TCAL championship tournament. Competition will begin between 9 and 10 a.m.

The CCS championship are two weeks away, followed by the state meet during the first weekend of March.

Jasmine took 3rd at nationals this past weekend earning her the title of “All American”

Additionally… on Sunday Jasmine wrestled for the California all star team against the Texas All Star team. The girl that took 1st at her weight class 109 lbs was on the Texas team. Jasmine dominated the match winning 5-0

Thank you to Andres for doing a amazing job coaching Jasmine to a national title.

Congrats Jasmine!

Congratulations to Hunter, Martin and Jesse all three did amazingly at Nationals!!!

171-Hunter Collins-Gilroy (CC): 2nd Place (State Champion, 3rd, 2nd, 8th)
119-Martin Gonzalez-Gilroy (CC): 2nd Place
112-Jesse Delgado-Gilroy (CC): National Champion

It goes without saying… this season has ended with a BANG!

Second in the State!
2 State Champions
6th Straight CCS Title
and the list goes on…

Congratulations to the entire team, coaches, parents, volunteers and community that make Gilroy Wrestling one of the best programs in the State!

Below is a copy of the Gilroy Dispatch article…

Hunter Collins raises his arms in victory after defeating Jake Meredith of of Temecula Valley to win the state title. Photo by: Nick Lovejoy, Staff Photographer

Martin Gonzalez was one of two Gilroy wrestlers to take home a state title Saturday night with a win over Brandon Rocha of Lemoore. Photo by: Nick Lovejoy, Staff Photographer

Gilroy takes second to cap off best season in school history
Mar 3, 2008
By Josh Koehn – GHS Wrestling

The greatest season in Gilroy High wrestling history was matched by two individuals, and set by by a team Saturday.

Martin Gonzalez (121 pounds) and Hunter Collins (173) both won CIF state titles in their respective divisions at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, Calif., twenty-one years after a 138-pound Kordell Baker became the first and only Gilroy wrestler to win a state title.

For the nine individuals that competed at state for GHS this weekend, win or lose, each could away knowing they contributed to something special: The greatest performance at state ever put on by an already prolific Gilroy High program.

The Mustangs finished in second place with a score of 113, just 5.5 points behind first-place Clovis and four points ahead of third-place Central Catholic Modesto.

“This is the best team in Gilroy history,” coach Armando Gonzalez said without hesitation about the team’s legacy. “As you asked last week, now it’s here.”

Had Martin Gonzalez and Collins not won their final matches, however, the Mustangs would have finished in third. The highest placing a team from Gilroy had accomplished previously was fourth in 2006.

Martin Gonzalez, a junior, won a grind-it-out 3-1 decision over Brandon Rocha of Lemoore, scoring a takedown with just 23 seconds left to break a 1-1 tie. Rocha was a familiar opponent Martin has “wrestled all his life,” said coach Gonzalez, only made harder by the fact that Martin had been suffering from the flu all week as well as a torn ligament in his toe.

“I got through a very tough day,” Martin said. “My toe’s killing me but when you’re wrestling you don’t feel nothing because of the adrenaline.”

Collins’ match was even more tense, as the senior entered overtime deadlocked 0-0 with Jake Meredith of Temecula Valley. Collins capped off his career in style by using a “Ukrainian Series,” a move that requires lifting the left arm while grabbing the right leg and driving through. Meredith fell flat on his back as Collins sealed the match with a pin, giving him victories in all of his matches by fall.

The technique used to win was taught to Collins the summer before his sophomore year when he and coach Gonzalez’ other son, Armando Jr., traveled to the Ukraine to train. He hadn’t used the maneuver in a match since.

Asked about how much it meant to him to have his son Martin and Hunter, treated like a son by the Gonzalez family, win titles, the eyes of Gilroy’s coach welled up.

“I’m just so shocked right now, it’s hard to put into words,” coach Gonzalez said. “I’m so happy I can’t believe it.”

Jesse Delgado, the third of “The Big Three,” bounced back from a semifinal defeat by winning the consolation championship. The victory was good for third place and came through a pin of Northview’s Steven Salinas.

Leading 3-0 at the time, Delgado used a variation of an “Iranian,” a move that allows someone to be pinned while the person on top has their back to the opponent.

“I shot and he kind of tilted and rolled on his back,” Delgado said. Delgado pulled Salinas’ arm while pressing his back against the chest, allowing the Gilroy sophomore to lock up third place for the second year in a row.

While no one else placed for Gilroy, everyone made contributions in some shape or form.

Tim Ibanez (127 pounds) lost his first match but was able to score points for Gilroy by beating Daniel Horcasitas of M.L. King in his first consolation match 5-4. Vincent Aboytes (142) lost his first-round match as well, but rebounded to score a couple wins in the consolation bracket. Travis Sakamoto (147) lost both of his matches, the second by a very small margin, while Ethan Ogle (162) won a consolation match after losing to eventual state champion Jason Welch of Las Lomas in the first round.

Jesse Rogers (217) was crucial to the team’s success with a 3-2 record but missed placing by one match, being eliminated by St. Francis’ Drew Meulman.

Luis Barragan (287) was also an integral part to Gilroy’s second-place finish as he went 2-2.

Gilroy Sports Editor Josh Koehn followed the Gilroy High School wrestling team to the state championships Saturday and documented the wrestlers’ hunt for – and in two cases, capture of – the first state titles in 21 years.

11:05 p.m.

Kordell Baker just got some company when it comes to having the best season in Gilroy High wrestling history.

Martin Gonzalez (121 pounds) and Hunter Collins (173) both won CIF state titles in their respective divisions Saturday at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, Calif. Twenty-one years had passed since Baker became the first and only Gilroy wrestler to win a state title.

For the nine individuals that competed at state for Gilroy this weekend, win or lose, each could walk away knowing they contributed to accomplishing something special. The Mustangs finished in second place with a score of 113, just 5.5 points behind first-place Clovis and four points ahead of third-place Central Catholic Modesto.

“This is the best team in Gilroy history,” coach Armando Gonzalez said without hesitation. “As you asked last week, now it’s here.”

Had Martin Gonzalez and Collins not won their final matches, however, the Mustangs would have finished in third. The highest placing a team from Gilroy had accomplished previously was fourth in 2006.

Martin Gonzalez, a junior, won a grind-it-out 3-1 decision over Brandon Rocha of Lemoore, scoring a takedown with just 23 seconds left to break a 1-1 tie. Collins’ match was even more tense, as the senior entered overtime deadlocked 0-0 with Jake Meredith of Temecula Valley. Collins capped off his career in style by using a “Ukranian Series,” a move that requires lifting the left arm while grabbing the right leg and driving through. Meredith fell flat on his back as Collins sealed the match with a pin.

Collins won all of his seven matches by fall.