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Brawley Union High's Isaac Moreno (top) looks up at the referee to make the call while battling to pin Central Union High's Jacob Sanchez during an Imperial Valley League duel Wednesday in Brawley. (FERNANDO ACOSTA JR. PHOTO / January 16, 2013) |
BRAWLEY — It was another night of supremacy for the Brawley Union High wrestling team as they hosted and defeated Central Union, 44-27, in an Imperial Valley League dual meet here Wednesday night.
“We wrested a tough team,” said Central head coach Rafael Perez. “We figured we had to bring our ‘A’ game, but we just came up short and the score (reflected) that. There were some good things, some bad things. We just have to work harder.”
The Spartans won their first matchup of the evening but would be overtaken by the Wildcats, who took the next five, two of them by way of forfeit. A shift in momentum came suddenly, when Spartan C.J. Lopez (285 lbs.) pinned his opponent after a heroic struggle by both grapplers. Richard Aguilera (108) furthered the Central cause by defeating Daniel Valdez, which cut Brawley’s lead down, 20-15.
Unfortunately for the visitors, theirs was a short-lived revival. They were not completely or one-sidedly outmatched—in fact, the remainder of the matches were touch-and-go—but the Wildcats stayed comfortably out of reach by winning five of the last seven.
“I think I did pretty well, personally,” stated Brawley senior Joseph Guler, 18, who pinned Esteban Morales in the second period. “I came out, wanted to win, like I always do, but as a team, we didn’t wrestle as strong as we could have. Central’s a good team, but we have a lot more potential than we displayed.”
Brawley’s (3-0 IVL) next test will come at the prestigious Five Counties Tournament, hosted by Fountain Valley High of Huntington Beach, on Friday and Saturday. Last year, they placed sixteenth out of over sixty schools. Central hosts Southwest High next Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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