There was never a time when Mike Duran didn’t believe he would
be the Central Coast Section 114-pound champion.
There was never a time when Mike Duran didn’t believe he would be the Central Coast Section 114-pound champion.
And yet, wrestling is a sport where upsets abound. Make one wrong move and you get pinned by a lesser opponent. Move the wrong way and you’re five points down to an underdog who then goes into defensive mode.
The Sobrato senior never allowed any of it to happen. Because of that, he is on his way to Bakersfield and the 2007 CIF State Championships, following the trail Genaro Redmond blazed last year. Injuries did Redmond in, but the Bulldog senior was impressed with Duran’s performance.
“I’m real proud of him,” said Redmond, the CCS 287-pound champion last year. “I’m glad one of us did it.”
Duran did it in dominant fashion, pinning Andy Chin of Homestead in 2:12, and then tech falling Diego Santos of Greenfield (15-0), Zack Riera of Bellarmine Prep (16-0), Joshua Go of Overfelt (20-4) and Rey Mendoza of Watsonville (15-0).
“I’m real proud of the way he performed,” Sobrato wrestling coach Phil Luna said. “He followed the plan we set and dominated his five opponents. I think he has a good chance to place at states.”
Duran was more dominant than any wrestler other than Gilroy 173-pounder Hunter Collins and Oak Grove 217-pounder Devonte Carr, each of whom posted five straight pins.
This is Duran’s first appearance at the state meet. He competed for three years at Paradise High School in the Northern Section before reuniting with Luna, his coach during his middle school years in Morgan Hill.
Of course, Duran will not dominate at Rabobank Arena like he did last weekend at Independence and Overfelt for he will be facing the top 114-pounders in the state. His first opponent is Steven Espindola of Bishop Amat. The good news is that Nikko Triggas, the defending state champion as a junior at 114, has moved up to 121.
“I’m pumped up, ready for state, ready to rock ‘n’ roll,” Duran said. “I’m looking for a state medal. If I can get a top-8 finish (medal), then I will think about Nationals.”
And if he makes it as far as Nationals, Duran says that will be it as far as wrestling is concerned.
“Seven years is good for me,” Duran said. “My body is beat up.”
After all, a senior maintaining a weight around 114 is difficult enough. For now, though, it’s part of what defines Duran. And for the next two days, his mind will be on nothing but wrestling.
He’s just hoping his best will be good enough to earn a medal on the biggest stage for any California high school wrestler.
