SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Vanguard men's wrestling gave Western Colorado a good tussle on Saturday morning, but the Mountaineers narrowly won 23-21 in the opening dual of the season for Vanguard. 
 
What Happened?  Jovanni Evangelista faced Roberto Estrada at 125 pounds and Estrada had a takedown in the first to lead 3-0.  Evangelista notched one in the second to tie things up, but Estrada had an escape to regain the lead.  The third period opened with another Estrada escape, but Evangelista wrapped him up for a takedown and turned that into a pin to secure the win.  Fresh off a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Wrestler of the Week award, Zachary Klarcyk only gave up two escapes to Devin Gomez en route to an 18-2 major decision victory at 133 pounds.
 
Cash Port tried his best at 141 pounds, but Issac Chavarria let him off the mat only three times, as Chavarria won 18-3.  However, the Lions were ahead 11-5 dual, and Bryant Avila added to that at 149 pounds, as he tore through Eyan Chavez 11-1.  Yet Western Colorado negated those team points at 157 pounds, as Vincent Cabral beat Vince Partington by a similar 11-1 score, putting the dual score at 15-9 in favor of VU.
 
Sunni Motas faced Jacob Blandford at 165 pounds and Motas had two takedowns in the first period to lead 6-2.  However, Blandford opened the second with an escape and a takedown and then completed a pin to get all six points for WCU.   Mason Hernandez got the Lions back on the board, though the contest went the distance.  He and fellow 174-pound  man Jackson Tribbett managed six points apiece during regulation, with a late takedown by Hernandez forcing extra time.  Luckily for the Blue and Gold, Hernandez struck quickly in sudden victory for a takedown, and his win gave Vanguard an 18-15 lead in the dual.
 
Marquize Brown and Hunter Richardson had an entertaining bout at 184 pounds, though Richardson led 6-1 after the first.  Brown made an escape in the second and then a takedown to get back into the match, but Richardson responded with six points, and he went on to win 12-7.  Isaiah Johnson and Sage Harrison were up next at 197 pounds, but Johnson got only one escape as Harrison won 16-1. 
 
That proved to be the difference, as Western Colorado led 23-18 with only the heavyweight class to go.  David Baxter made a reversal and two takedowns to get the win 8-4, but the decision victory gave the Lions only three team points, as the Mountaineers got the dual win.
 
What was Said?  "We had a tough battle with WCU," said Head Coach Caleb Flores.  "That's a good program and we went toe-to-toe with them.  Our guys are competing hard and we just need to keep working and get better."
 
What's Next?  The Lions split the squad on November 22, with some going to the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunner Open and some going to the tournament at Nebraska-Kearney.