Sobrato senior is one of three Bulldogs who advanced to second
day of comptition in 67-team tournament
GILROY —So, this is what Day 2 feels like.
Prior to last weekend’s Mid-Cal Classic at Gilroy, Ryan Brewer had never experienced the second day of competition in a wrestling tournament.
That should come as a surprise, considering he entered the 67-team tournament — one of the largest in California — ranked No. 13 in the Central Coast Section and seeded No. 6 at 154 pounds. As he made the trip back to Gilroy High’s bustling, overcrowded gym Saturday, Brewer was in the hunt for first place after pinning three opponents the day before.
Sobrato’s unshakably driven senior ended up taking seventh — and learning more about himself.
“It really put what I can do into the picture,” Brewer said in a telephone interview Sunday. “I’m actually a little disappointed I didn’t place higher.”
He was two agonizing losses from doing so. Brewer lost by pin to Silver Creek’s Tyler Hernandez in the championship semifinals Saturday, falling victim to a rare finishing move, and later dropped a 12-11 decision to Craig Sherman of Oakland Tech with a consolation semifinal berth at stake.
Brewer would have faced eventual-third place finisher Ian Massaros of Cupertino, who, like fifth-place winner Hernandez, could meet Brewer in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Finals and CCS Championships.
“That’s definitely motivating me,” said Brewer, who used the strength and speed in his 6-foot-2 frame to take down Buhach Colony’s Aaron Osmer, 12-9, in the seventh-place match. “I know what my potential is. I want to take it to those guys and show what I can do.”
Sobrato coach Moses Guillardo caught a glimpse of that.
“I was really happy he placed. I definitely knew Ryan could,” Guillardo said Sunday. “He couldn’t ask for much more at a tournament like that.”
Two of Brewer’s younger teammates also rose to the competition. Junior Rafael Anaya (191 pounds) and sophomore Brian Gomes (105) bounced back from early losses to advance through Friday. Both wrestlers dropped down a weight class for the 30th annual Mid-Cals.
“Their conditioning has been really good,” Guillardo said. “I run our guys four to five miles each day, and they tell me they feel great in matches.
“Making the second day was really impressive for Raffy and Brian.”
Anaya rebounded from a second-round loss to Josh Castillo of Watsonville to pin Oakland Tech’s Ira Goosby and Santa Teresa’s Ricardo Lanas in the consolation bracket. Anaya’s endurance held up again Saturday versus Sohal Sukhraj of Los Gatos, albeit in an 8-5 elimination loss.
Gomes, who tallied first-period pins against George Washington’s Bailey Yee and Palma’s Hunter Rehbein on Friday, ended his run with a 9-2 loss Saturday to Jasmine Yanez of tournament host Gilroy.
“Brian wrestled with heart,” said Guillardo, whose Bulldogs (1-2) resume Santa Teresa Division duals at 7 p.m. today at Willow Glen. “That last match just came down to experience. He’s young. He’s going to do even better in the coming years.”
Brewer, Anaya and Gomes highlighted a sound weekend for Sobrato’s six-man group, which placed 40th with 47 points. Vacaville convincingly won the team title with 336.5, followed by Gilroy (249) and Madera South (188.5).
Drew Johnson provided three wins for the Bulldogs at 132 pounds — arguably the toughest weight class in the tournament. Johnson, a crafty senior, earned a forfeit through the first round then pinned James Lick’s Dario Gamino in three minutes, 30 seconds. Against Jack Sakai of Palo Alto, Johnson led 2-1 after the first period but was stacked in the closing seconds of the third.
“The competition was just ridiculous; you never know who you’re going to face at Mid-Cals,” Johnson said. “I think I wrestled well. This was like a wake-up tournament for a lot of guys. It really let you know what you need to work on.”
Johnson’s bid to make the cut for Saturday ended with a 7-6 loss to Gunn’s Yoni Alon.
“I was really hoping to see Drew make the second day, but he was as close as you can get,” Guillardo said.
Also for Sobrato, Brandon Maack (173) finished 2-2 with a pin against Richard McFarland of Oakland Tech, and Steven Simmons received two forfeits at 137.
