Fernandez or Brewer? The 154-pound title might come down to
Morgan Hill’s two best wrestlers Saturday at Live Oak High
MORGAN HILL — The meeting was brief, not a second longer than it had to be.
Live Oak’s Steven Fernandez and Sobrato’s Ryan Brewer shook hands in the winter sunlight outside of Live Oak Gym and made their way into the center ring of the Acorns’ wrestling room for a still-photo shoot Wednesday.
The rest of the Live Oak wrestlers watched quietly as the shutter clicked, capturing the first time the two seniors have stepped into a ring together. Their next meeting could be for a Blossom Valley Athletic League championship.
That is a highly plausible scenario for Saturday’s BVAL Finals tournament, which begins at 9 a.m. at Live Oak High. Wrestlers from 24 teams will battle for invites to next week’s Central Coast Section Championships with only the top five finishers at each weight advancing.
Starting at opposite sides of the 154-pound bracket, Fernandez, the lightning-quick Acorn, and Brewer, the menacingly strong Bulldog, appear headed for each other.
“You guys going to have a warmup now?” Someone asked.
No response; the warmups are over.
“It doesn’t get any better than this for Morgan Hill wrestling,” Steven’s father, Robert, coach of Live Oak, said Tuesday. “We’ve got some of the best wrestlers in the section coming to town. Both schools want to do their best.”
For Brewer and Steven Fernandez, anything less than first place — anything less than victory — is a disappointment. Both expect to win every match. The fact that they could square off before a home crowd Saturday night only amplifies the intensity.
“You’ve got two of the best right here in Morgan Hill,” Brewer said. “We know each other. There’s nothing awkward between us, but there might be after this weekend.”
Fernandez didn’t rise at the thought of facing Brewer. Fernandez has enough motivation for BVALs. In the past two years at this tournament, he lost in the title match to two different foes at 137 pounds and 142. Fernandez narrowly missed out on qualifying for state last winter at section finals.
At 154, he doesn’t know what to expect this postseason.
“I haven’t competed much this year,” Fernandez said, alluding to a hip injury he overcame recently. “I kind of paid attention to the other guys I’ve seen at my weight. I’m not really thinking about Ryan right now. There’s a lot of guys ahead.”
That includes three others who are ranked in the top 10 in CCS at 154 pounds. Brewer is currently No. 13, having placed second in the Lynn Dyche and Apple Cider Invite tournaments and in the top seven in three other events. The BVAL runner-up from a year ago is 32-4 this winter.
“Ryan’s matured so much since I met him as a freshman. He’s a hard-working leader,” Sobrato coach Moses Guillardo said. “He’s got some tough competition, but I expect him to win it.”
Fernandez, ranked fifth in the section at 147 pounds, placed first at Lynn Dyche and second and third in the Golden Gate and Peninsula Invitational tournaments, respectively. He is coming off an 11-9 overtime win against Ray Jacob Jimenez — No. 8 at 142 — in Live Oak’s league-championship winning 42-27 dual victory versus Lick.
“Some of his opponents have come on strong this year,” Robert Fernandez said. “(No. 9 Tyler Hernandez of Silver Creek) is one of them, and you can’t forget about Ryan Brewer. There’s always a suprise kid in there, too, at this tournament. Anything can happen.”
Editor’s note: Tournament seeding will be announced at 5:30 p.m. today. For information on that and the other Morgan Hill wrestlers competing visit www.morganhilltimes.com today.
