The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Power Play: Willow Glen's Lupe Duran battles for a 7-4 victory at 119 pounds to help the Rams to a 54-20 league win over Prospect. The Rams are now 2-1.

Rams pin back-to-back wins

Watkins, Piech both star for Willow Glen

By Dick Sparrer

Kurt Watkins is just a sophomore. David Piech is only a freshman.

And both are newcomers in the varsity wrestling lineup at Willow Glen this winter.

But despite their relative varsity inexperience, Watkins and Piech performed like veterans last week to lead the Rams to a pair of dual-match victories in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

Piech and Watkins put together back-to-back pins to start a string of seven Willow Glen victories in a 54-20 triumph over Prospect. A night earlier, Piech won 6-0, and Watkins pinned to lead the Rams to a 48-33 win over Yerba Buena.

The Rams actually trailed Prospect 20-12 when Piech took to the mat at 145 pounds. The freshman standout pinned with just four seconds left in the second round to cut the Prospect lead to 20-18.

Watkins then put the Rams on top for good when he recorded a fall in the third round at 152 pounds.

Sophomore Rodney Turco pinned 19 seconds into the second round at 160 pounds, and freshman Steve Klein won by fall in the second round at 171 to all but wrap up the victory for Willow Glen.

The Rams claimed forfeits in the next three weight classes with senior Doug Murr winning at 189, soph Fernando Betancourt winning at 215 and soph Erik Lupercio winning at heavyweight.

Willow Glen had lost the first match of the night but came back with three straight wins against the Panthers.

Junior Zeus Lopez pulled out a tight 7-5 win at 112 pounds, junior Lupe Duran won 7-4 at 119 and freshman Alvin Ridau won by forfeit at 125.

The Rams lost the next three bouts to fall behind, but then finished off the Panthers with the seven wins in a row.

A night earlier Willow Glen won in nine of the 13 weight divisions to pull out the easy win over the Warriors.

Watkins pinned with 27 seconds left in the first round at 160 pounds, and Lopez pinned in the second round at 112.

Senior Mike Von Rueden pinned in the second round at 215 pounds for the Rams.

Piech pulled out a 6-0 victory at 140 pounds for Willow Glen, and Lupercio won 14-2 at heavyweight. Adding forfeit wins were Gerad Newton at 103, Chris Ferraro at 130 and Murr at 189.

Watkins capped an impressive week by finishing among the placers at the rugged Jim Root Classic at WVC last weekend. Watkins nailed a sixth-place finish at 152 pounds in the Saturday tourney.

The Rams hit the road to visit Leigh for a West Valley Division match on Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m.

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