(Norwalk, CA) After day one of the CCCAA State Wrestling Championships, three Mt. SAC grapplers remain in the hunt for individual titles, as they advanced to the semifinals at Cerritos College Friday (12/7).
As a team, Mt. SAC (51.5 pts.) is in fourth place, trailing leader Fresno City College (106), Sacramento CC, 2nd (63.5) and Palomar, 3rd (63).
Day two concludes with the consolation round, championship semifinals and championship matches on Saturday (12/8).
Three Mounties are in position to claim individual state titles, as they advanced to the semifinals.
Valdez (149 Lbs.), seeded No. 1 in the South, had a first-round bye and pinned his opponent in the third period (6:15), after building an insurmountable, 14-4 lead.
Valdez, who won the title in the So Cal's, will face the No. 2 seed from the North in the semis.
No. 2 South seed Gallardo (157 Lbs.), who advanced to the championship match at So Cal's, won a hard-fought, 15-10 match at Friday's quarterfinals.
The match, which featured a combined eight takedowns and eight escapes between the two wrestlers, saw Gallardo holding a slim, 11-10 lead with just 15 seconds left in the third period. However, Gallardo scored four consecutive points, highlighted by an escape and a takedown for the win.
The final weight class of the championship round featured Mt. SAC's Christian Ayala, who is the No. 1-ranked (CACC poll) wrestler in the state.
Ayala (So. No. 1), after a scoreless first period, ended the match with a pin at 4:29 of the second period for the win.
After the first day of competition, Mt. SAC has six of its original 11 wrestlers alive in the state competition.
The three remaining Mounties in the consolation bracket are:
125 Lbs. - Zachary Cunningham, (2 wins, 1 loss), So. No.6
141 Lbs. - Aaron Diaz, (2-1), So. No. 3
285 Lbs. - Christopher Alvizures, (1-1), So. No. 6.
The other five Mountie wrestlers who have been eliminated are:
- 133 Lbs. – Ethan Diaz, (1-2), So. No. 4
- 165 Lbs. – Ian Vasquez, (0-2), So. No. 4
- 174 Lbs. – Colby Huynh, (0-2), So. No. 6
- 184 Lbs. – Luis Melecio, (0-2), So. No. 4
- 197 Lbs. – Luis Garcia, (0-2), So. No.6
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.