After settling for second place two years in a row, Live Oak’s
Steven Fernandez wins BVAL championship
MORGAN HILL — From his first match to his last one Saturday in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Finals, Steven Fernandez wrestled with unchained determination.
The Live Oak senior pinned Payam Amiri of Hill one minute, 50 seconds into their first-round bout at 154 pounds, then used a cradle to elegantly put away Leland’s Maurice Alexander. That sent Fernandez back to the championship round of the 24-team tournament, where he settled for second place the past two years.
Some would call it a curse; others a culmination. On the same mat where he helped lead his team to its first league championship in 29 years three days earlier, Fernandez vindicated himself before a standing-room-only crowd in his home gym. He scored three takedowns in a mistake-free final match to beat Tyler Hernandez of Silver Creek, 6-0.
“It feels like nothing else,” said Fernandez, who improved to 25-3 this season. “After losing in the finals two years in a row and winning here; what could be better?”
Fernandez laid on the mat for a couple seconds before he shook his opponent’s hand. He then sprinted away to celebrate with his father and coach, Robert Fernandez.
“My heart was beating out of my chest the whole time,” Robert Fernandez said. “He’s been here before and lost, but this is Steven’s year. Winning this was step one for him.”
It was no cake walk. Despite his top seed, Fernandez looked overmatched against No. 2 Hernandez (25-16), the 11th-ranked 154-pounder in the Central Coast Section. Fernandez, who is No. 5 at his former 147 pounds, sank quick shots and slipped around his towering opponent for two points.
“He was stronger than me, so I had to use my speed and be as aggressive as possible,” Fernandez said. “I wanted to leave it all out there.”
The BVAL title could go a long way toward Fernandez’s ultimate goal of qualifying for the March 5-6 state finals in Bakersfield. He will be an attractive candidate to earn a seed for Friday and Saturday’s CCS Championships in San Jose, where the top four placers in each weight class advance.
Fernandez was two wins from going to state a year ago.
“That’s been on my mind all season,” Steven Fernandez said. “I wanted to be a BVAL champion first.”
The home-town fans saw another Morgan Hill wrestler rise to new heights Saturday as Drew Johnson, who described himself as a “nobody” going into the tournament, surprised the 132-pound field — and himself — in taking silver.
The Sobrato senior lost by pin to No. 1 Anthonie Linares (42-4) — third in CCS — of Oak Grove in the final but was smiling with teammates, family and past and present coaches afterward.
“The fact that I went from being off the radar before the season to here, second place in league, is definitely a surprise,” he said. “When they announced the seeds, I’m sure a lot of the other guys were saying, ‘Who’s this guy, Johnson, seeded second?’ I think I showed them a little about myself.”
Johnson was successful on two fronts Saturday. He played the aggressor early on when he pinned Live Oak’s Cesar Gamboa and Mount Pleasant’s Joseph Guzman in the first and second rounds, respectively. Johnson relied on defense in the semifinals, scoring two escapes and a reversal to tactically defeat Sergey Semenov of Pioneer by 8-5 decision.
“That was one of the most intense matches I’ve ever been in,” Johnson said. “It was like a chess game.”
Johnson lost in the championship match but took his chances with desperation tucks and rolls that he calls “miracle moves.” Perhaps his second-place finish was worthy of a similar moniker.
“It really is special to see Drew come this far. You can tell he’s worked hard,” said Phil Luna, who coached the Bulldogs from 2004-09.
Sobrato first-year skipper Moses Guillardo believes Johnson could have more surprises in store this week, when he makes his first trip to sectionals.
“If he keeps wrestling the way he did today, he might make state,” Guillardo said.
Seedings and match times for the CCS finals will be posted at www.morganhilltimes.com later this week.
