The Sunnyvale Sun
Sports
Novachkov wins CCS, returns to state meet
By Mike Barnhart
It was no surprise that Fremont senior Boris Novachkov won the 127-pound title at the Central Coast Section Wrestling Championships last Saturday night at Overfelt High. After all, he has been ranked No. 1 in the state, let alone the CCS, all season.
What was surprising was the relative ease in which Novachkov controlled the match against rival Naveed Bagheri of Los Gatos. Novachkov was a calm technician on the mat, and seemed to have his way throughout the 8-1 victory against the fourth-ranked 127-pounder in the state.
"I attacked more this time," Novachkov said, explaining the difference between Saturday's CCS finale and his previous matches with Bagheri, a one-point decision that went down to the final whistle at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League finals and a 6-1 dual meet win.
"Bagheri got caught flat-footed a couple of times by Boris," Los Gatos co-head coach Ken Troquato-Perrotti commented after the bout.
The Los Gatos coach said he had told his wrestler to expect "a different Boris" at the CCS finals than in their previous two meetings. Prior to league finals, Novachkov beat the Los Gatos senior 6-1 in a dual meet. "We figured he would have something to prove with the big crowd and big stage," Perrotti said.
Novachkov's performance helped Fremont place 11th in the two-day event that featured 393 athletes from 74 schools. Gilroy, with six state qualifiers and four other medalists, claimed its fifth consecutive CCS team championship by racking up 237.5 points. Los Gatos placed second with 157.
Look for even more aggressiveness from Novachkov at the CIF State Wrestling Championships March 2-3 at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, suggested Fremont co-head coach Eric Duus.
"The other times, Boris was doing weight training and morning workouts," Duus said. "Now his body has recovered from that. I think he could have opened up more than he did against Bagheri, and I think he will be even stronger next week."
Novachkov pinned three of four opponents on the way to the CCS title bout, including senior Moses Guillardo of Sobrato in the semifinals. Guillardo, the No. 4 seed and the Blossom Valley Athletic League champion, avoided a fall for most of the match, but Novachkov pinned with four seconds left.
"Boris is bigger, stronger and more confident than last year," Duus observed. "He is peaking at the right time."
Novachkov, who joined older brother Filip and teammate Greg Crane in the winners' circle at the 2006 state meet, will not be going to Bakersfield alone this year. He will be joined by junior teammate La Quintin Cathey, one of the most improved wrestlers in the CCS.
Cathey, who wrestled for the first time in December of 2005, earned the section's fourth and final 132-pound berth. He finished 5-2, losing only to No. 1 seed Devin Matsuda by pin in the quarterfinals and Monta Vista's Alex Kadokura 13-3 in the third-place match.
"He was a big surprise," praised Fremont co-head coach Bobby Soto. "He went from third in JV league last year to fourth in CCS this year."
Los Gatos senior Alan Howard finished second, giving the SCVAL three of the section's four state berths at 132.
Cathey, who placed third at league finals, was seeded 11th entering the CCS meet. His victories included decisions over No. 5 seed Cooper Newby of Palo Alto, No. 7 Abe Matsui of Westmont and No. 3 Rudy Maldonado of Gilroy.
Senior Mark Scandalis just missed a berth to the state meet, placing fifth in the 137 bracket.
Coming off a second-place finish at the SCVAL finals, Scandalis entered the weekend ranked ninth in the CCS. After losing his first bout 5-0 to Westmont sophomore Chris Sutton, the No. 6 seed, he had a bye in the consolation bracket. Then he won three in a row, including a pin of Oak Grove's Nick Corey in 18 seconds.
On the second day, he avenged his earlier loss to Sutton, ousting him 6-5. He moved into the consolation semifinal, needing a win against Santa Teresa senior Anthony Agpaoa in order to qualify for state. Agpaoa, the No. 5 seed and a familiar sparring partner from the Wrestler Nation freestyle club, handed Scandalis a tough 7-5 loss.
Although down, Scandalis was far from out. He needed just eight seconds to pin San Benito's Luis Barocio and claim the fifth-place medal.
"We were pleased with how he wrestled, but disappointed that he didn't make it into the top four," Soto said.
Travis Johnson, a sophomore from The King's Academy, backed up his third-place finish at the SCVAL finals with an impressive sixth-place effort at the CCS meet. Johnson won four matches, three by pin and another by major decision. Two of his losses were to St. Francis junior Drew Toney, a former TKA wrestler, who placed fifth. The other was to third-place finisher Derek Austin of Gunn.
Two other sophomores won matches for the Knights. Matt Thalin went 2-2 at 147, while Josh Topete was 1-2 at 127.
Homestead seniors John Da Silva (147) and Matt Ott (154) claimed major decisions in their opening bouts, but lost two in a row to go out 1-2. Junior teammate Andy Chin (114) went 0-2.
Fremont senior Jimmy Staats finished 1-2 in the 287 class, while teammates Atchison Brittle (162) and Keith Bragas (191) went 0-2.
