March 9, 2007 High School Blog
Poway upset again in California as Vacaville wins first crown
By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor
California doesn’t have a dual-team state tournament – and, as long as the state tournament continues to go like it did last weekend, there won’t be much support for one.
After all, Poway High would probably boatrace the state field every year.
But in an individual state arena, the heavily-favored Titans once again came up short as a first-time winner won in an upset for the second consecutive year.
This time it was Vacaville High, which rode senior heavyweight Clayton Jack’s state title and runnerup finishes by fellow seniors Zach Sesar (160) and Bo Lukehart (215) to a 124-116 victory over Poway in the team standings. Defending champion Clovis Buchanan High finished third at 113 and Clovis High, which matched Vacaville with five state placewinners, scored 97.5 points to finish fourth.
Even a state-record 14 state qualifiers and senior Joe Boone’s state title at 130 couldn’t help Poway, which again saw its exceptional team balance overtaken by a hot opponent.
Poway had just four placewinners, but 13 of its 14 entries won at least once and 11 won at least twice. Once again, it wasn’t enough.
In addition to winning the state title, Jack, seventh in state at 215 a year ago, was the unsung hero as he earned the maximum in bonus points. Jack pinned his way through the weight class, scoring five falls in 18 minutes, 49 seconds. The 10 bonus points Jack earned turned out to be the difference.
The upset bug but one of the state’s most heralded individuals, Ohio State recruit Nikko Triggas (119) of Moraga Campolindo High. In a stunner, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel High senior Jason Lara, who had never previously placed in the state tournament and had finished only third in the Southern Section meet the previous week, dominated the defending state champion on his feet in the final, taking Triggas down five times and allowing just five escapes in a dramatic 11-5 victory. And Triggas had pinned his way to the final.
At 103, unbeaten junior Gilberto Camacho of Fresno Washington Union High took advantage of a first-round upset of the state’s top-ranked wrestler, freshman Jesse Delgado of Gilroy High, to win the title. Pinned by Chad Thornack of San Jacinto High, Delgado showed his toughness by winning eight straight in the consolation bracket to finish third, avenging the loss to Thornack with a 6-2 victory along the way. Top-ranked seniors Mike Vassar (140) of Palo Cedro Foothill High and Kyle Bergstedt (189) of Paradise High were upset in the semifinals by the eventual champions, Vassar losing 5-3 to Maxx Harpel of Vacaville Will C. Wood High and Bergstedt dropping a 7-6 decision to junior Rudi Burtschi of Oakdale High.
The 171-pound weight class, one of the state’s deepest all season, ended with a flourish as expected. Senior Justin Danz of Shingle Springs Ponderosa High capped a strong second half of the season by prevailing 9-4 over junior Louis Bland of Modesto Central Catholic High, who saw his bid to become a four-time state champion ended. Bland had beaten Junior National finalist Hunter Collins of Gilroy High 7-5 in the semifinals. Junior Tito Pica of Concord DeLaSalle High, a Cadet National runnerup, added his name to the weight class watch list by finishing fifth after a pair of one-point losses, 3-2 to Danz in the quarterfinals and 5-4 to Collins in the consolation semifinals.
Most of the state’s other stars fared as expected. Nationally-ranked standouts Thomas Williams (112) of West Covina South Hills High, Boris Novachkov (125) of Fremont High, Jason Welch (160) of Las Lomas High and Ryan Flores (215) of Buchanan all won.
Hepburn, Meagher share New England OW
Nationally-ranked seniors T.J. Hepburn (140) of Ledyard (Conn.) High and D.J. Meagher (145) of Bow (N.H.) High shared Outstanding Wrestler honors as a record six wrestlers repeated in the New England Championships last weekend at New Haven, Conn.
Hepburn, the only Connecuticut wrestler to win a New England crown this year, blanked Chad Jaramillo of Bridgewater (Mass.) Raynham High 12-0 as he allowed just four points in the tournament. A three-time Connecticut State Open champion, Hepburn also had two technical falls and a decision.
Meagher was even more impressive, rolling to his crown with two first-period pins and two technical falls.
Massachusetts (seven) and New Hampshire (five) combined for 12 of the 14 individual champions.
Salem (N.H.) High’s twin lower weights, senior Aaron Kalil (119) and junior Trevor Dearden (125), also repeated. Salem edged Danbury (Conn.) High 52.5-51 for second place in the team standings. Lowell (Mass.) High was the easy winner, scoring 73 points and placing four, led by sophomore 112-pound champion Sean Boyle, a 6-4 winner over four-time Maine state champion Jeremiah Barkac of Dexter High.
Senior Vinnie Renaut (152) of Plymouth (Mass.) South High and junior Robert Hamlin (160) of Jericho (Vt.) Mount Mansfield High also repeated. Plaistow (N.H.) Timberlane High’s Joey O’Connor, who won at 103 a year ago, didn’t place at 119 this year. Timberlane, the two-time defending team champion, finished eighth.
By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor
California doesn’t have a dual-team state tournament – and, as long as the state tournament continues to go like it did last weekend, there won’t be much support for one.
After all, Poway High would probably boatrace the state field every year.
But in an individual state arena, the heavily-favored Titans once again came up short as a first-time winner won in an upset for the second consecutive year.
This time it was Vacaville High, which rode senior heavyweight Clayton Jack’s state title and runnerup finishes by fellow seniors Zach Sesar (160) and Bo Lukehart (215) to a 124-116 victory over Poway in the team standings. Defending champion Clovis Buchanan High finished third at 113 and Clovis High, which matched Vacaville with five state placewinners, scored 97.5 points to finish fourth.
Even a state-record 14 state qualifiers and senior Joe Boone’s state title at 130 couldn’t help Poway, which again saw its exceptional team balance overtaken by a hot opponent.
Poway had just four placewinners, but 13 of its 14 entries won at least once and 11 won at least twice. Once again, it wasn’t enough.
In addition to winning the state title, Jack, seventh in state at 215 a year ago, was the unsung hero as he earned the maximum in bonus points. Jack pinned his way through the weight class, scoring five falls in 18 minutes, 49 seconds. The 10 bonus points Jack earned turned out to be the difference.
The upset bug but one of the state’s most heralded individuals, Ohio State recruit Nikko Triggas (119) of Moraga Campolindo High. In a stunner, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel High senior Jason Lara, who had never previously placed in the state tournament and had finished only third in the Southern Section meet the previous week, dominated the defending state champion on his feet in the final, taking Triggas down five times and allowing just five escapes in a dramatic 11-5 victory. And Triggas had pinned his way to the final.
At 103, unbeaten junior Gilberto Camacho of Fresno Washington Union High took advantage of a first-round upset of the state’s top-ranked wrestler, freshman Jesse Delgado of Gilroy High, to win the title. Pinned by Chad Thornack of San Jacinto High, Delgado showed his toughness by winning eight straight in the consolation bracket to finish third, avenging the loss to Thornack with a 6-2 victory along the way. Top-ranked seniors Mike Vassar (140) of Palo Cedro Foothill High and Kyle Bergstedt (189) of Paradise High were upset in the semifinals by the eventual champions, Vassar losing 5-3 to Maxx Harpel of Vacaville Will C. Wood High and Bergstedt dropping a 7-6 decision to junior Rudi Burtschi of Oakdale High.
The 171-pound weight class, one of the state’s deepest all season, ended with a flourish as expected. Senior Justin Danz of Shingle Springs Ponderosa High capped a strong second half of the season by prevailing 9-4 over junior Louis Bland of Modesto Central Catholic High, who saw his bid to become a four-time state champion ended. Bland had beaten Junior National finalist Hunter Collins of Gilroy High 7-5 in the semifinals. Junior Tito Pica of Concord DeLaSalle High, a Cadet National runnerup, added his name to the weight class watch list by finishing fifth after a pair of one-point losses, 3-2 to Danz in the quarterfinals and 5-4 to Collins in the consolation semifinals.
Most of the state’s other stars fared as expected. Nationally-ranked standouts Thomas Williams (112) of West Covina South Hills High, Boris Novachkov (125) of Fremont High, Jason Welch (160) of Las Lomas High and Ryan Flores (215) of Buchanan all won.
Hepburn, Meagher share New England OW
Nationally-ranked seniors T.J. Hepburn (140) of Ledyard (Conn.) High and D.J. Meagher (145) of Bow (N.H.) High shared Outstanding Wrestler honors as a record six wrestlers repeated in the New England Championships last weekend at New Haven, Conn.
Hepburn, the only Connecuticut wrestler to win a New England crown this year, blanked Chad Jaramillo of Bridgewater (Mass.) Raynham High 12-0 as he allowed just four points in the tournament. A three-time Connecticut State Open champion, Hepburn also had two technical falls and a decision.
Meagher was even more impressive, rolling to his crown with two first-period pins and two technical falls.
Massachusetts (seven) and New Hampshire (five) combined for 12 of the 14 individual champions.
Salem (N.H.) High’s twin lower weights, senior Aaron Kalil (119) and junior Trevor Dearden (125), also repeated. Salem edged Danbury (Conn.) High 52.5-51 for second place in the team standings. Lowell (Mass.) High was the easy winner, scoring 73 points and placing four, led by sophomore 112-pound champion Sean Boyle, a 6-4 winner over four-time Maine state champion Jeremiah Barkac of Dexter High.
Senior Vinnie Renaut (152) of Plymouth (Mass.) South High and junior Robert Hamlin (160) of Jericho (Vt.) Mount Mansfield High also repeated. Plaistow (N.H.) Timberlane High’s Joey O’Connor, who won at 103 a year ago, didn’t place at 119 this year. Timberlane, the two-time defending team champion, finished eighth.