Pioneer had to send only one wrestler to the mat on Jan. 13 to claim a 45-18 victory over the Chargers, and it was Nick Kelsey claiming a tight 8-7 victory over Brian Herz in a hard-fought battle.

Not wanting to subject his younger team to older competitors, Leland head wrestling coach Dan Lloyd decided it was better to forfeit the matches rather than to allow his freshmen and sophomores to face the juniors and seniors of Pioneer.

Lloyd's top varsity wrestler, however, did get into a match.

Herz found himself head-to-head with fellow 145-pounder, sophomore Nick Kelsey. Kelsey was indeed the underdog entering the match, but was able to come out on top with the one-point decision.

Kelsey dominated the first round, spending most of the time on top of Herz after scoring the first two points with a takedown. Herz picked up his game a bit in the second period, only to have Kelsey score two more points on a reversal.

Kelsey took a 4-0 lead into the final round, but Herz was not about to go quietly. He scored a quick five points with a takedown and a near fall to take the lead. Then he stretched his lead again with a two-point near fall before Kelsey fought back.

Trailing 7-4, Kelsey reversed Herz to gain two points and close the gap. Kelsey then put Herz on his back for a two-point near fall and the lead just before the clock ran out, giving Kelsey the 8-7 win.

Winning by forfeit for the Mustangs were Chris Barcelona (103 pounds), Steve Giorgianni (112), Brian Watts (119), Greg Peterson (125), Tuan Nguyen (130), Nate Nauratil (135) and Eric Kawninski (152).

Leland's forfeit winners were Ryan Hong (160), Melis Barota (189) and Scott Etter (275).

Nguyen, Watts and Kelsey had each finished second for the Mustangs in the Briggs Memorial Tournament in Tracy the previous weekend.

"We're a young team," said head Pioneer coach Mike Medlock. "We're young, but hopefully competitive."

Pioneer is 2-1 in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League after its win over Leland.

Over in the Santa Teresa Division, Branham rolled to a 66-18 win over Lincoln on Jan. 12 to stretch its league record to 3-0.

The Bruins opened the match with Mike Durham (103 pounds) and Yu He (112) claiming forfeit wins.

Willie Harper (119) added another six team points with a pin late in the second round. Harper was leading just 2-0 on an early takedown when he pinned Andrew Hartman with 24.7 seconds remaining in the second round.

Lincoln fought back with a vengeance, winning the next two matches in a row by fall, but Branham would not allow the Lions too much leeway.

Danny Scholl (135) wasted no time and pinned Vince Nguyen of Lincoln in only 41 seconds.

The Lions added another six points with a pin by Jacob De Leon at 140 pounds with 28.7 seconds left in the first round, but then the Bruins took control.

Parmjit Bhangdhe (145) won by fall at 1:09 of the first round against Jesus Delreal, only scoring two points for a takedown before the pin.

Doug Shehed picked up another six team points when Lincoln had to forfeit their 152-pound spot.

Jace Guibor (160) added another pin to the Branham string. With only 52.9 seconds left in the first round, Guibor held Justin Kirksey's shoulders to the mat for another win for the Bruins without even scoring a point.

Tom Swale (171) had quite a battle with Patrick Yanez before finally pinning Yanez midway through the third round. Swale led 2-0 after a first-round takedown, but Yanez tied it in the second with a near fall. The wrestlers exchanged reversals and were tied 4-4 tie entering the final round. Swale scored a quick five points on a takedown and a near fall in the third round before Yanez' shoulders met the mat and stayed there.

Kenny Shearer (189) also had quite a match, defeating Gabriel Penafiel in the last few seconds of the third round by fall. Just like Swale, Shearer led 2-0 after the first round and was tied 4-4 after the second. But with 28.7 seconds left in the third round, Shearer defeated Penafiel by way of pin, adding another six points to Branham's team score.

Branham's Daniel Shehan pinned Ed Bernal in the 215-pound weight class with 1:11 left in the third round. Shehan actually trailed 7-1 after the first round and was saved by the clock. Shehan was on his back and suffered a near fall right before the end of round one. But in round two, Shehan scored two points on a reversal and then another two on a near fall before the end of the round, closing the gap to 7-5. Shehan shot immediately in the third round and was able to take control and put down Bernal for another six points for the Bruins.

Jordan Afshapour was the last of the Branham wrestlers. He pinned Carlos Ruiz with only 6.1 seconds left in the second round. The two heavyweights began their match dancing around each other before Ruiz went ahead by four points, one point for a penalty on Afshapour, another on an escape and two more on a takedown. Afshapour's only points came with a two-point reversal in the second round before he was able to pin Ruiz to win the match.

Pins by Scholl, Swale and Afshapour had sparked the Bruins to a 38-28 win over Evergreen Valley a week earlier.