Mats pin Fremont with big loss

Baza the 138-pound champion at rugged Mid Cal Classic

By Dick Sparrer

It was a big match ... likely, the biggest match of the season to date in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

The Fremont wrestlers knew what they had to do.

So did Monta Vista.

And the Matadors did it just a little better, pulling out a tight 33-27 victory over the Firebirds to all but drop Fremont out of the race for the dual match championship in the division. That distinction will go to either Monta Vista or Los Gatos.

The two squads will meet this week to fight it out for the title when the Wildcats and Matadors match 4-0 records in an important dual on Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m., at Gatos.

Two pins and three decision wins helped Monta Vista to the win over Fremont that pushed the Mats into the title match.

Jarrod Rothman and Tryg Koren each won by fall, and Billy Bybee, Paul Montez and David Sproule were decision winners in the key battle with the Firebirds.

Fremont jumped out to a quick 12-0 lead in the team score with wins in the first three matches. Fremont won by forfeit at 103 before Tony Osian pulled out a clutch 8-7 win over Lawrence Tsang in a tough match at 112. When Arturo Galano outpointed Arpit Uppal 7-2 at 119, the 'Birds were flying out in front 12-0.

Rothman tightened things up in a hurry with a quick pin at 125. When the talented senior won by fall at 1:19 of the first round, the Mats had trimmed Fremont's lead to 12-6.

But Kai Garcia blanked Nima Nejat 7-0 at 130, and Bobby Sanchez pulled out a 6-2 victory over Chris Ng at 135 to stretch Fremont's lead to 18-6.

Monta Vista figured to pick up a couple of forfeits for Daniel Puder at 215 and Kyle Kingsbury at heavyweight, so the match would be decided in the next six bouts.

And decided it was. Monta Vista won four of the remaining matches, including one by fall, to pull out the key win.

Bybee nailed a tight 3-2 win at 140 pounds and Montanez edged Chris Healy 5-3 at 145.

Fremont's Gilbert Sanchez managed a 7-4 victory over Norman Hsich at 152, but Monta Vista's Sproule got the points right back with a matching 7-4 win over Daniel McCune at 160.

Leo Saenz gave Fremont an edge when he won by fall at 1:22 of the first round at 171 pounds.

With the forfeits coming up in the final two weight classes, the score was a virtual 27-27 tie when Koren stepped on the mat at 189 pounds. He needed only a win to secure a team victory for the Matadors, but he did more than that. The senior pinned at 3:19 of the second round to give Monta Vista an important victory.

Fremont wins

A week earlier, Fremont rolled to a 48-28 league win over Wilcox, thanks to pins by Garcia, Anthony Baza, Healy and McCune.

Garcia pinned in a quick 36 seconds at 125 pounds for the Firebirds, and Baza pinned with just a minute left in the second round at 135.

Healy won by fall with 30 seconds remaining in the match at 145 pounds, and McCune was a pin winner at 3:25 of the second round at 160.

Fremont put the four pins together with four forfeit wins to claim the win over the Chargers.

Mid Cal champs

Fremont's Anthony Baza, Cupertino's Joey Conley and Monta Vista's Daniel Puder each came home with individual championships from the rugged Mid Cal Classic at Gilroy back on Jan. 22.

The tournament, annually one of the toughest in the state, features the top-ranked wrestlers and teams from throughout California.

Monta Vista managed a top-10 finish in the team standings behind the efforts of Puder and Jarrod Rothman.

Puder won the title at 218 pounds, beating an opponent from Oak Grove in the championship match. The win capped an outstanding day for Puder and was enough to help him clinch the outstanding wrestler award in the upper weights.

Rothman finished second at 128 to lead the Matadors to a team 10th with 88 points. It was Rothman's first loss of the season, and came against the state's No. 1 ranked wrestler at the weight. Rothman is ranked No. 2.

Baza was a champ at 138 pounds, beating a Madera wrestler in the finals, and Conley took a title at 163 pounds, also beating at Madera foe.

Supporting the efforts of Puder and Rothman for Monta Vista were Matt Krieger, sixth at 163, and Kyle Kingsbury, sixth at 278.

Wildcat Invitational

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Wrestling Results: Team standings and individual placers for the Wildcat Invitational.

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Mitch Conley, Andrew Reese and Scott Mueller each won individual titles to lead Cupertino to a team eighth a the Wildcat Invitational, the top frosh-soph wrestling tournament in the Central Coast Section.

Conley won a title at 100 pounds with Reese first at 154 and Mueller a champ at 162.

Fremont's Luke Tran won an individual crown at 162 pounds and David Sanchez was first at 137 for the Firebirds.

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