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Beyond the Mat: Westmont's Tom Miller, working for a win in the championship match at the Ray Andree Memorial Tournament held earlier this year, finished second at the Overfelt Classic and fourth at the Bianchini Memorial for the Warriors.
Gorman, Miller place for Warriors
DM's Basso, Galant star at Bianchini
By Dick Sparrer
Ron Scadina had every reason to expect big things from Garreth Gorman this season.
After all, the talented senior wrestler had finished second in the Blossom Valley Athletic League and won a couple of tournament championships on his way to a 39-8 record a year ago.
So the Westmont coach had good reason to predict a big season for Gorman in 2002.
But Tom Miller?
Miller wrapped up a 20-22 record with a sixth-place at the BVALs as a junior, and he placed in only one other tournament last year... a junior varsity event.
Still, heading into the 2001-02 season, Scadina predicted that Miller would not only be among the top four in the BVAL in his weight class, but also among the best of the Central Coast Section.
Turns out, Scadina is a good judge of wrestling talent.
Because both Gorman and Miller turned in outstanding performances in back-to-back tournaments over the past two Saturdays, alternating team leadership honors in the two events.
Gorman finished second at 171 pounds at the rugged Gary Bianchini Memorial at Cupertino back on Jan. 12, and it was Miller nailing a second-place finish at 189 pounds at the Overfelt Classic last Saturday in East San Jose.
Miller was second and Gorman added a third at 171 to lead Westmont to a 15th-place finish in the team standings at Overfelt last weekend.
Miller won three straight matches in the Overfelt tourney before losing to Pioneer's Matt Mallon in the finals. The two could meet again Feb. 9 when the BVAL finals are held at James Lick.
Gorman also faced a BVAL foe in his last match at Overfelt, roughing up an Andrew Hill wrestler 17-5 to finish third.
A week earlier, Gorman was second at 171 pounds and Miller was fourth at 189 to lead Westmont to a team 16th at the Bianchini Memorial. Gorman lost to Richard Escobar of Los Gatos in the finals, and Miller lost his last match to Ben Reynolds of Cupertino.
Jerry Galant and Mark Basso also placed at the tourney to lead Del Mar to a team 17th at the Bianchini, just two and a half points behind Westmont.
Galant finished fourth at 215 pounds for the Dons with Basso fifth at 125.
After the Bianchini, the Dons lost a lopsided 66-21 dual match decision to Leland in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL.
The match was actually closer than the score would indicate, considering the fact that the Dons gave up 30 team points on forfeits and injury defaults. Del Mar won four of the nine matches contested.
Basso pinned in the first round at 125 pounds and Henry Cotter pinned with three seconds left in the first at 119 to lead the Del Mar effort. David Marrufo blanked his foe 7-0 at 140 pounds, and Scott Woodward pinned in the third round at 160.
The Dons, who dropped to 0-4 in league competition with the loss, will host the Del Mar frosh-soph tournament on Jan. 25. Wrestling begins at 2 p.m.
Westmont will send a team to the Friday tournament. Earlier in the week the Warriors will return to Mt. Hamilton Division dual match competition when they visit Willow Glen on Jan. 22, 6:30 p.m.
In West Valley Division competition last week, Prospect slipped to 2-2 after a 57-20 loss to Branham.
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Campbell, California
