Pending a major upset tonight, the Bulldogs likely will finish
second for the third straight season
MORGAN HILL — Moments after his team hammered out its third consecutive lopsided victory, a 55-19 thumping over Leigh on senior night, an emotionless Sobrato wrestling coach Phil Luna snatched his cell phone from his pocket, flipped it open and read aloud the news he was dreading.
Andrew Hill was about to beat Piedmont Hills — and capture the Blossom Valley Athletic League division championship that slipped through the Bulldogs’ hands the past two seasons.
“Andrew Hill’s winning 36-28 with three matches left. Piedmont Hills’ best guys are low. It’s pretty much over,” Luna said before taking a moment to let the reality sink in. “Three years in the BVAL; three years in second place.”
With one Santa Teresa Division dual remaining after Tuesday, nothing was decided yet. But Sobrato (4-1 BVAL) appeared headed for another finish with no banner — the tell-tale sign of a great season.
“It’s a let-down, but we still had a good year,” said Maycen Gillespie, one of four Sobrato seniors who were honored Tuesday. “Second is not bad. I’m satisfied for the most part.”
With its win over Piedmont Hills, undefeated Andrew Hill survived the most challenging portion of its schedule. The Falcons handed the Bulldogs their only loss in league competition Jan. 14.
“All of it comes down to — there’s always one match we’re not ready to wrestle,” said Luna, now in his fourth season at Sobrato. “That’s killed us each year; not having guys in the lineup because of injury or ineligibility. It’s just killed us.”
The Bulldogs’ last dual is today at Piedmont Hills.
“For the final dual, I’m going to tell them to go out and have fun — make sure we get second place,” Luna added before pointing to the rafters in Sobrato Gym. “It’s disappointing because you want a banner, but, looking at my years here, it’s been a fun class. Our seniors have all been wrestling here for four years. Everyone of those guys started as freshmen. They were fun to work with.”
Sobrato still put on a show against the Longhorns (2-3). Three of the four graduating Bulldogs recorded six-point victories, including pins by Joseph Redmond (125 pounds) and Jacob Maack (171). Redmond put Leigh’s Ben Unruh to his back roughly 30 seconds into the second round, and Maack used a cradle to beat Vlade Lekhtsikau with 1:18 remaining in the first.
Gillespie drew a forfeit at 152 pounds.
“I’m just getting ready for League Finals right now,” Gillespie said, turning attention to next weekend’s section-qualifying tournament at Pioneer High School. “Tonight, I saw some of our guys make big moves even I didn’t expect. Some guys stepped up.”
Redmond did just that once again, wrestling up two weight classes from his desired 112 pounds. Redmond, though, has struggled making weight this year.
“I haven’t been watching my weight as good as I did last year. So it’s been harder than it should have been,” Redmond said. “I’m going to be (112) for finals.”
Sobrato also got pins from Kyle Shelton (112), Daniel Canoy (160) and Rafael Anaya (189), plus a 17-4 major decision by Nik Crawley (135). Against Jacob Sandoval, Crawley was leading 14-0 after the first two rounds.
“Crawley and Canoy really impressed me,” Gillespie said.
Ryan Brewer drew a forfeit at 152 pounds, and Bryon Gomes (103) rounded out Sobrato’s winners with an 8-2 decision.
In one of the most competitive matches of the night, Leigh’s Trevor Borello — ranked No. 3 in the section at 135 pounds — pinned senior Pierce Lobban 30 seconds into the second round of the 140-pound bout. Lobban led 5-2 before Borello countered.
“Pierce was the only senior to lose, but we knew that was going to be the big match,” Luna said. “They matched up that way to give us the better guy. All in all, it was a good match.”
Also winning for the Longhorns were Gerald Dooley (119) and Kevin Howard (130).
