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Photograph by Tsutomu Fujita
Go to the Ball: Willow Glen freshman Ryan Villalpando (right) races for the ball in league play against Prospect last Friday. The Panthers topped the Rams 3-2.
Arballo wins title at Lynn Dyche tourney
Rocky start for WG girls basketball team
By Dick Sparrer
James Arballo hasn't pinned every one of his opponents this season... just most of them.
And as a result, the Willow Glen senior is off to a fast start in the 2001-02 high school wrestling campaign.
Arballo posted a 3-0 record in the Mitty Duals tournament last week, then came back with four more wins at the Lynn Dyche Invitational on Saturday at James Lick.
The four wins on Saturday earned Arballo the Lynn Dyche 130-pound title, and he barely missed qualifying for the tournament's outstanding wrestler award.
Arballo opened with a quick pin in 45 seconds against an opponent from Live Oak, and he came back a match later with a second-round pin against a Soledad foe.
The Willow Glen senior squared off with Del Mar sensation Mark Basso in the semifinals. Basso is normally a 125-pounder, and one of the best in the Central Coach Section, but failed to make weight and had to move up a division. That wasn't a problem for Arballo, who nailed a 13-5 win to advance to the finals.
In the title match, Arballo manhandled a Lick foe for a 6-0 win and the tourney title.
"He was tough," said WG coach Phil Luna of Arballo.
Arballo topped a list of Willow Glen placers that included Sam Olivas, Adrian Morales and Amir Faraj-Perry, who each finished fifth. Faraj-Perry had a pair of pins in the tourney, and Steve Lopez (152) and Frank Sarinana (135) earned valuable team points for the Rams.
The Rams ended up seventh in the team standings, finishing higher than any other school in the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
Arballo, now 12-0 this season with nine pins, won all three of his bouts by fall at the Mitty Duals, but the Rams dropped three straight decisions.
Arballo, Mike Jaramillo (140) and Morales (171) each pinned, but the Rams lost 35-33 to Mitty, despite winning seven of the 11 matches wrestled. Willow Glen had to forfeit at three weights.
The match against the Monarchs went down the final bout, but Ruben Rodriguez was injured and forced to retire for the night.
The loss of Rodriguez from the line-up meant the Rams would have to forfeit in four weight classes in their final two matches. They lost 49-32 to Atascadero and 42-24 to Live Oak, despite winning five of 10 bouts in each match.
Arballo pinned against Atascadero, then won by technical fall 19-4 against Live Oak.
Steve Lopez (152) and Mike Blanda (145) also nailed three wins apiece at the Mitty Duals. Jaramillo was 2-1 at 140, his only loss coming against the No. 1 rated wrestler in CCS.
Morales, after pinning against Mitty, lost two heartbreakers in the tourney. He lost 11-10 in overtime against Atascadero and then lost 7-6 in overtime against Live Oak. Morales lost 5-3 in overtime to the same Live Oak wrestler at the Dyche tourney.
Girls basketball
It's been a rough start for the girls basketball team at Willow Glen, but first-year head coach Amy Gannon has high hopes for her Rams this winter.
The Rams, 0-14 last year after winning a league championship a year earlier, are off to an 0-4 non-league start this year, but Gannon still expects her club to finish among the top three in the West Valley Division of the BVAL.
"We should be competitive, returning to the 'C' league this year," she said. "Two years ago we won this league."
Senior guard Andrea Rojas (5-foot-6) returns for her fourth varsity season for the Rams, and she's joined by varsity returners Beth Habte (a 5-foot-9 senior guard) and Edna Sison (a 5-foot-5 junior guard).
"We'll struggle with size, but our speed and quickness will compensate for our lack of height," added the coach.
The Rams slipped to 0-4 this year with a 57-29 loss to powerful Gunderson last week. Willow Glen had lost 45-26 to Santa Teresa, 46-33 to Silver Creek and 28-22 to Cupertino in previous games.
Sison tossed in 11 points and Habte hit a pair of three-pointers on her way to a 10-point loss in the battle with the Grizzlies. Crystal Salazar added four points, Kiley McKown two and Sequeena Holmes one.
Salazar had six points and Sison added five (including a three) in Willow Glen's 45-26 loss to Santa Teresa. Habte finished with four points and Rojas and Lisa Comstock added two apiece.
Salazar had the hot hand for the Rams in the loss to Silver Creek. She had a three among her eight field goals and added a free throw to finish with 18 points. Sison hit seven points, Holmes four and Rojas and Habte two each.
In the season opener against Cupertino, Comstock had seven points to lead the Rams. Sison hit eight in the game, Salazar four, Holmes three and Candace Gallegos two.
Boys soccer
A non-league win over Piedmont Hills was the best the Willow Glen boys soccer team could manage last week.
The Rams opened the week with a rousing 6-0 win over Piedmont, but then they fought Leland to a scoreless tie and lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to Prospect in Mt. Hamilton Division play.
The Rams, 4-3-3 for the year, were led by Osby Gonzales in the win over the Pirates; the senior had two goals and two assists to lead Willow Glen to the win.
Dustin Cohen and Enrique Arreola each had a goal and an assist in the win and Saul Villatoro added two assists. Gilbert Lozoya and Jairo Arreola also scored goals.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
