Lopez is 'most outstanding'

Willow Glen wrestlers pull out big win over the Leland Chargers

By Dick Sparrer

Daniel Lopez had a problem... he was a little overweight.

Not so much that anyone would notice. After all, a guy who weighs in at 114 pounds isn't exactly a candidate for Jenny Craig.

But when a guy wants to wrestle at 112 pounds but weighs in at 114, tournament officials will certainly notice. And that was the problem facing Lopez last Saturday morning at the Live Oak Tournament in Morgan Hill.

When he weighed in at 7 a.m., he was two pounds too heavy to compete in the 112-division at the tournament. So he had two choices: wrestle in the next weight class at 119 pounds, or try to burn off two pounds in two hours.

Lopez chose to lose the weight, and it turned out to be a very good choice indeed. The Willow Glen senior made weight, and went on to win four straight matches to not only claim the title in his weight class, but also to win the tournament's outstanding wrestler award in the lower weights.

"That was a major accomplishment for him," said WG coach Phil Luna of Lopez. "That sets him up for the rest of the season."

Lopez had a quick 26-second pin and two decision wins to earn a place in the finals against a wrestler from Half Moon Bay who was a state qualifier a year ago.

Lopez shook off the effects of a twisted ankle suffered in the semifinals to win the championship match 6-2 and claim the outstanding wrestler award.

"It's the first time in probably 25 or 30 years that a Willow Glen wrestler has won that kind of award," added Luna. "We're very impressed with him this year, and real happy for him, too."

Lopez, now 14-3 for the year, had finished third a week earlier at the Clyde Forest Tournament in Concord. And his first-place finish helped the Rams placed 11th in the 24-team tournament in Morgan Hill.

"We only took six wrestlers to the tournament," said Luna. "But everybody stepped up, and it was a huge success."

John Belveal nailed second at 130 pounds, with Fernando Betancourt third at 215 and Jesse Hendricks fifth at 189.

Belveal won three straight bouts to get into the finals in his weight class, but lost the title match to Mike Friedenberg of Live Oak, the top-ranked wrestler in the Central Coast Section.

"He's really improving his wrestling," said Luna of Belveal.

Betancourt had to settle for third despite not losing a match on the mat in the tournament. The senior won his first two matches, but suffered a nosebleed in the semifinals and could not continue. Willow Glen staff managed to stop the bleeding so that he could go on to clinch third.

WG JVs eighth

The Willow Glen junior varsity placed eighth at the Live Oak Tournament, with six wrestlers placing for the Rams.

Claiming thirds for Willow Glen were Copas at 145, Alvin Rideau at 130 and Joe Parisi at 140. Kevin Smith picked up a fourth at 119 pounds; adding fifths were S. Lopez at 145 and Adrian Morales at 140.

Rams top Leland

Earlier in the week, the Willow Glen wrestlers nailed an exciting 34-31 win over Leland in dual match action in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

The Rams had to forfeit at two weights, but won eight of the 12 matches contested to clinch the important victory.

Memo Rivera had one of the bigger wins of the night. Normally a 152 pounder, Rivera moved up to the 189-pound division for the match. With his team trailing the Chargers 31-21, Rivera rolled to a 16-7 major division victory.

"He did a great job," said Luna of Rivera.

Despite the win, the Rams were still trailing the Chargers 31-25. But Hendricks took care of that in a hurry. Hendricks moved up a weight class from 189 to 215, and pinned in 1:28 of the first round to tie the team score 31-31.

Betancourt, also moving up a division, broke the tie with a 6-1 win at heavyweight that helped the Rams wrap up their second league win in as many tries.

Willow Glen started the match down 12-0 after forfeiting at 103 and 112 pounds, but D. Lopez started the turnaround with a 2-1 victory at 119 pounds. He made a first-round takedown stand up for the victory.

"That was a real exciting match," said Luna, "and a big win."

Mike Jaramillo came through with a clutch pin with just 49 seconds left at 126 pounds, and Daniel Valadez pulled out a crucial 17-11 decision win at 135. Valadez was a last-minute replacement for Henry Chavez, a top Willow Glen wrestler sidelined with an illness.

S. Lopez stepped in at 145 and nailed a key 6-4 victory for the Rams, and Copas pinned at 3:55 of the second round at 160.

"That's one we needed," said Luna of the pin by Copas. "He came through real well."

That set the stage for the three wins in the final three matches that clinched the team win.

Rams in action

The Willow Glen wrestlers will be back in action this week when they visit James Lick on Jan. 13, 7 p.m., for a Santa Teresa Division dual match.

The Rams will continue tournament action on Jan. 15 when they compete in the Jim Root Classic at West Valley Community College.

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