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Rams, Falcons match up in league title bout
By Dick Sparrer
Matches don't get much bigger than this one. The Willow Glen and Andrew Hill wrestling teams will collide in a match that no doubt will determine championship in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League this week.
The Falcons will visit the Rams at 6:30 p.m., Jan. 19, and the winner will walk off the mat with, if not the title, at least the inside track on the division dual match crown.
"This is going to be tough competition for us," said Willow Glen Phil Luna, whose squad pinned Lick with a 40-32 defeat last week to improve to 3-0 in the division. "They're young and they're tough."
But, then, so are the Rams.
Willow Glen features a solid corps of seniors: Daniel Lopez, Fernando Betancourt, John Belveal, Kurt Watkins, Jessie Hendricks and Erik Lupercio. But when the Rams send a complete team to the mat for a dual match, that line-up is peppered with talented underclassmen that include juniors Henry Chavez and Alvin Rideau and freshman Steven Lopez.
And Wednesday, the Rams will send a complete team to the mat.
"There won't be any forfeits," said Luna, indicating that each squad will field a full lineup on Wednesday night.
Willow Glen pulled off a closer-than-expected 40-32 win over James Lick last week to remain unbeaten in the Santa Teresa Division.
Pins by Belveal and Watkins helped the Rams secure the important victory.
Belveal came through with a clutch pin with just five seconds left to wrestle in the first round at 135 pounds.
"He beat their best guy by pin," said Luna of Belveal. "He did a real good job there, and that was a big win for us."
Watkins followed a couple of matches later with a quick pin in just 47 seconds of the first round at 160 pounds.
Freshman Joel Dresher lost a heartbreaker at 171 pounds. He was winning 6-2 when he suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw.
That left the Rams leading just 30-26 with three matches remaining. But Hendricks came through with a 16-2 major decision win at 189 pounds and Betancourt won by forfeit at 215 to clinch the team win.
Rideau had battled for a 10-5 win at 130 pounds to start the Rams on the road to victory in the match. Chavez came through with a tough 2-1 decision at 140.
The Willow Glen frosh-soph rolled past Lick 48-24 behind pins by freshmen Kevin Smith and Jason Grossman.
Grossman pinned in just 24 seconds at 125 pounds and Smith pinned at 2:04 of the second round at 119.
The Rams battled in the rugged Jim Root Classic at West Valley Community College last weekend, finishing 13th in the 32-team field. D. Lopez and Belveal each finished fifth in the tourney.
"What a tough one," Luna said of the tournament. "That was CCS caliber."
D. Lopez lost a pair of matches on questionable calls by the referee, according to Luna, and was trailing 4-1 in the fifth-place match at 112 when he battled back for an 11-9 victory.
"I was very happy with the way he wrestled that last match," said Luna, praising Lopez for his ability to fight back in the face of adversity.
The coach was also pleased with Belveal's performance. The senior had lost in overtime to fall into the fifth-place bracket, then won to clinch fifth overall at 130 pounds.
"His confidence is getting better and better as the matches go on," said Luna of Belveal. "He's making the package get better every week."
Hendricks posted a 2-2 record at 189 pounds at the Root and Rideau, though just a 130-pounder, went 2-2 at 140.
"He helped us get some key team points there," said Luna of Rideau.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
