Fremont's Filip Novachkov and Greg Crane know the feeling. Now Firebirds Boris Novachkov, Kurtis Ogasawara and Tommy Staats join a handful of local wrestlers who came close last winter and are hoping to share in that experience this weekend when the CCS tourney returns. Wrestling begins on Feb. 24 at Independence High School and continues on Feb. 25 at Overfelt.

F. Novachkov and Crane will not only be out to defend their CCS championships, they'll each be gunning for a third straight section crown. Novachkov was a champ at 103 pounds in 2004 and took the title at 112 last season. Crane took the 140-pound crown in '04 and won at 152 last year.

Novachkov moved up to finish first at 119 pounds at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League finals this year and Crane won another title at 152, and both enter the CCS tourney as favorites in their weight classes.

Others who came close last year have qualified for CCS this year, looking for a little better results than they had in 2005.

Fremont's B. Novachkov (103 pounds), Ogasawara (140) and Staats (189) join Jeff Wysuph (160) and James Alva (130) of Los Gatos, Aris Haratunyunyan (140) of Cupertino and Craig Vanbuskirk (171) of Westmont as local wrestlers who placed at CCS a year ago and have earned a return trip this winter.

B. Novachkov and Staats each finished second at the section tourney a year ago and Ogasawara was third. Wysuph was third, Alva and Haratunyunyan were each fifth and Vanbuskirk was sixth.

Willow Glen, meanwhile, had three wrestlers finish high enough at the Blossom Valley Athletic League tournament to win spots at CCS.

Matt Montenez (160), Jose Gutierez (215) and Bobby Lopez (140) will each compete at the section tourney this weekend.

The top four placers at the CCS tournament will advance to the state meet in Bakersfield on the first weekend of March.