COSTA MESA, Calif. – After a 39-year hiatus, the Matmen returned to The Pit they affectionately named from 1973-1975. The raucous crowd battled the standing room only and high temperatures inside the gym as the Lions played host to the San Francisco State Gators. The Blue and Gold battled hard but lost by a 32-11 count.
"Overall, our kids fought hard. I asked some of my guys to bump up in weight class and they did; They accepted the challenge. The ones that wrestled in their weight class won," remarked Head Coach Caleb Flores. "I think we're doing the right things overall. But no excuses. If you're out there, you've got to compete.The environment tonight was phenomenal having over 500 people pack The Pit!"
Vanguard started the match already trailing 12-0 as the 125-weight class and 184 pounders forfeited due to injury. Sunny Luna (FR/Victorville, CA) earned the first home win as he took a 11-2 bout score over Angelo Reyes and brought the match score to 6-4 favoring the Gators. Steven Kroesen (FR/Laguna Hills, CA) was knocked off 15-6 in the bout and SF State took a lead which they would not relinquish. Andrew Gomez (SR/Yorba Linda, CA), wrestling in the 149 class, lost to Mason Boutain by an 11-3 and VU was behind 14-4 in the match score.
As the match moved to the 157 class, Juan Lopez III faced an upperclassman from the Gators who earned a match termination and gave SFSU a 19-4 advantage. Brian Isaias (FR/Villa Park, CA) lost a close bout 7-4 as San Francisco State pushed their lead to 22-8. Armon Fayyazi (JR/Irvine, CA), battling in the 174 class, got the crowd to its feat with multiple take downs and earned a 10-3 bout win. This brought the Lions to a 22-8 match score.
After the second forfeit was credited to the scoreboard, the Pride trailed 28-8 and Andrew Shin (FR/Glendora, CA) walked to the mat. Fighting his heart out the entire seven minutes, senior John Chetwynd took the bout 13-2. The final match was the heavyweight round which saw Joshua Sapien face off against Justin Ramos. It took double overtime, but Sapien came out on top by a 5-3 count.
A wrestling match is seven minutes long consisting of three periods starting with an opening 3-minute period followed by a pair of 2-minute periods. Points are awarded by takedowns (2 points) escapes (1 point) and near-fall points. A near fall is awarded at the referee's discretion varying from a count of 1-4 (2/3 count= 2 points, 4 count=4 point). A riding time point is also awarded at the conclusion of the match after the athlete has ridden out their opponent for a minute or more (riding time= 1 point). Team points are awarded by the results of each individual match. A regular victory (3 team points) a major decision awarded by a gap of 8 points up to 14 points (4 team points). A technical fall is awarded when an athlete defeats their opponent by a score of 15 points (5 team points). A fall or pin is an instant end to the match, when the athlete holds their opponent on their back with their shoulders flat on the mat (6 team points).
Next Dual: November 15th against Campbellsville University and Sierra College at the Mile-High Duals in Arizona
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