Photograph by Kathy De La Torre

Los Gatos 145-pounder David Serwitz works for a pin in league action last week against Los Altos. The Wildcats crushed the Eagles 48-18.

Big match coming up for Cats

Eight Wildcats pin in the lopsided win over Los Altos

By Dick Sparrer

There's a dual match coming up Thursday that appears to be very important to the Los Gatos wrestling team in its quest to win the championship in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

And it's not necessarily the Wildcats' Thursday night battle with a tough Cupertino squad.

Sure, it will be an important match when the Los Gatos and Cupertino square off at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 27.

But there will be a match on the other side of the valley that will certainly command the attention of the Wildcats.

Los Gatos, Monta Vista and Fremont look to be the title favorites in the division this season. And the Matadors and Firebirds will meet Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in a crucial league battle.

Monta Vista and Los Gatos are each 3-0 in division competition, and Fremont is close behind at 3-1.

Should the Firebirds knock off the Matadors, the Wildcats would claim sole ownership of first place in the division with just two matches remaining.

Should the Mats ground the 'Birds, Monta Vista and Los Gatos would match unbeaten records when they meet on Feb. 3.

Of course, all that's only the case if the Cats can handle the Pioneers this week. And that's certainly no easy task.

Cupertino is a perennial powerhouse in the division under the direction of talented head coach Jay Lawson. The Pioneers are 1-1-1 in the division after crushing Milpitas 46-32 last week.

But the Wildcats are looking dominant right now. Gatos pounded a strong Los Altos team 48-18 last week to move to 3-0 in the division. And the Cats did it by winning 10 of 13 matches--eight of them by fall.

Dae-Jin Joseph, Andrew Pease, David Serwitz, James Pease, Richard Escobar, Matt Kanzler and Ian Carpenter each pinned to lead Los Gatos to the lopsided win over the Eagles.

Gatos fell behind early in the match when Holden Groves lost a close 5-1 decision at 103 pounds. But the Wildcats battled back to win the next three bouts.

Adam Morganthaler tied the team score at 3-3 with a 5-2 decision win at 112, and Joseph pinned at 119 pounds to give Gatos a lead the Cats would never relinquish.

Brian Miguel pulled out a tight 5-3 win at 125 pounds for Los Gatos before Steven Baker lost a tough 5-1 nod at 130.

A. Pease answered that decision loss with a win by fall at 135 pounds to up the Los Gatos team lead to 18-6.

Tim Odell dropped a 9-8 heartbreaker at 140 pounds, but Gatos wrestlers pinned in five of the next seven matches to easily roll to the victory over Los Altos.

Serwitz won by fall at 145 pounds, and J. Pease pinned at 152. Jerry Yuhara lost 6-4 in overtime at 160, but Escobar pinned at 171 and Kanzler won by fall at 189.

Los Gatos forfeited at 215 pounds, and Carpenter wrapped things up with a pin win at 275 pounds.

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