Photograph by George Sakkestad
Los Gatos 189-pounder Fred Luminoso battles for a key victory to help the Wildcats to a team win over Monta Vista. Gatos won the last five straight matches to pull out an exciting win over the Matadors.
By Dick Sparrer
Los Gatos needed a win.
The Wildcats had opened the league season with losses to Wilcox and Cupertino, two teams picked to contend for the title in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. So when the Cats met Monta Vista last week, they were hungry for a league victory.
And they satisfied that hunger by gobbling up the Matadors 44-32 to pull to 1-2 in the league season and 5-7 for the year.
Los Gatos won eight matches, six by fall, to cruise to the lopsided win over the Mats. The Cats clinched the victory with five straight wins to pull from a 32-16 deficit to the 44-32 victory.
Dan Barber came through with a third-round pin at 160 pounds to start the string of victories that finished off the Matadors.
Rohner Segnitz pinned in the second round at 171 pounds, and Fred Luminoso rolled to a 14-6 win at 189 pounds to tie the team score at 32-32.
Kyle Smith nailed a quick pin in 58 seconds at 215 pounds to break the tie, and Steven Belsheim capped the win with a second-round fall at 275 pounds.
Pins by Chris Pease and Dan Benedetti helped the Cats open the match with wins in two of the first three matches. Gatos lost at 103 pounds before Pease pinned with 17 seconds left in the first round at 112 pounds and Benedetti pinned in the third round at 119.
After a loss at 125, Jeff Ouellet recorded a convincing 14-4 win at 130 pounds.
Los Gatos lost the next four matches before finishing with the five straight wins that lifted the Cats to the team win.
Los Gatos will try to even its division record this week. The Wildcats will visit Fremont on Jan. 23, 5:30 p.m., before competing in the Roseville Tournament Jan. 24 and 25.
Wildcats are fifth
Los Gatos finished hot on the heels of division rival Cupertino in the annual Jim Root Classic wrestling tournament at West Valley Community College last weekend.
Oak Grove rolled up 24512 points to win the tournament championship with Newark Memorial a distant second at 15912. Palma was third at 14412, with Cupertino close behind in fourth at 144 and Los Gatos fifth at 13712.
Segnitz pinned in the finals at 171 pounds to win an individual title and lead the Cats to the solid finish at the tournament. Luminoso made it to the finals at 189 pounds, but lost a tough 15-6 decision to settle for second.
Barber was third at 160 for the Cats and Benedetti (119), Ouelett (130) and Smith (215) were each fourth.
Leigh's Kevin Krall came through with a fourth at 189 pounds, and Sean Seaberg was fifth at 215.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 22, 1997.
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