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Brawley Union High's Vincent Elizalde (right) wrestles against an opponent at the CIF State Championships on Friday in Bakersfield. (RYAN LEON PHOTO / March 3, 2013) |
For the past two years, Brawley Union High 108-pound wrestler Vincent Elizalde has been a match away from placing at the illustrious CIF State tournament and this year he will be going home with a medal.
His third-place finish in his division is now the highest state placer in Brawley school history, but for Elizalde it still wasn’t good enough.
“I’m disappointed.” the 18-year-old junior Elizalde said. “I feel like I should have been in the finals on that stage … not sitting down to watch it.”
Elizalde placed third in the tournament, beating Otay Ranch’s Alfredo Espinosa, 5-3, in the consolation championship match here at Rabobank Arena on Saturday.
“Taking third was the positive I’m taking away,” Elizalde said. “Being able to finally medal is like a weight lifted off my chest.”
For the Brawley 108-pound wrestler, by the numbers, this was his best season of yet as he finishes the season with a 47-1 record.
“This year I wasn’t scared to wrestle. I never really was but I had a lot of confidence in myself” he said. “Next year has to be the same if not more. … I will have a chip on my shoulder.”
Elizalde didn’t stand alone on the podium as Central Union High senior 122-pound wrestler Micah Perez capped off his high school career earning his third state medal, unfortunately it wasn’t the one he wanted, going home with a seventh-place medal.
“A lot of emotions are running through me right now. Sad, bad, happy … I don’t know,” the 18-year-old senior Perez said. “I battled every single match, I’m coming down with some sickness, losing my conditioning every loss was a close match by a point, a point, two. I guess I just didn’t have it in me to really push … I did what I could.”
Perez had finished third his freshman and junior seasons.
“This tournament is only going to push me to get better and make a statement at Nationals in a month.” Perez said. “Wrestling in college is what’s next for me but I’m going to be working in this offseason to get nationally recognized.”
It was a tough and emotional end to Perez’s high school career but he knows how tough the sport of wrestling can be.
“If you want to be great it’s what they all tell you. You need to put the hard work in, don’t let anything stop you and always want to win.” Perez said. “Sometimes you lose and you have to take that and work harder and harder to be the one standing in the end.”
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