Friday, Dec. 16, 2011

Livingston wrestlers pounce on Pachecho High

Panthers see positives in WAC-opening dual loss

LIVINGSTON -- Pacheco High's wrestling squad opened the Western Athletic Conference dual season with a 51-24 loss to Livingston Wednesday night, but a few holes in the Panthers' roster meant the match was closer than the score suggested.

"We put some really good matches in there," first-year Pacheco coach Mike Singh said. "We've got a couple of guys out -- grades are hurting us a little bit right now, but other than that, I think we did really well. We're coming along."

Minus three Pacheco forfeits in the 132-, 138- and 145-pound divisions, the score would have been 33-24.

"We still don't have anybody at 32s and 38s," Singh said. "We're trying to work that and see what we can do, but it doesn't look like we'll have anybody this year for that weight. Looks like that's what we've got."

Lightweight Leon Palao III got Pacheco started with a 6-5 win over Jatin Anand, with a third-round escape as the difference. The Panthers didn't score another individual victory until Livingston had taken a 39-3 lead -- after pins by Mario Maldonado (113 pounds) and David Navarete (152), a technical fall by Clyndel Camposo (120), a major decision by Raymond Tello (126) and the three forfeited weights.

"It feels good to start off with a win, but I know we have a couple of good teams ahead of us," Livingston coach Jeff Dickey said. "I just hope my kids don't get too overconfident. Pacheco, they have a good squad, but they're still young, and I just want to make sure I can still get my kids to work as hard as they can."

Robert Burkart (160) got Pacheco going again with a first-period pin, and Pacheco owned the heavier weights with a 4-2 victory from Adrian Eusebio (195) and pins by Christian Alcala (220) and Brandon Beebe (heavyweight).

"They're not stopping. They're attacking, and that's what we told them this year -- we want to attack," Singh said. "We want to make sure we're moving forward at all times, no matter what the outcome -- we're going to work it. We're doing a good job of it right now."

The two teams -- parts of them anyway -- will meet again tomorrow at the Morning Star Invitational, hosted by Los Banos High. Dickey said his squad is split between LB and the Zinkin Classic in Clovis.

"The girls won the Morning Star last year, the girls' standings, and I think we can do it again," Dickey said. "We added a couple of girls to the team, and we have all the girls back from last year."

Enterprise reporter David Witte can be reached by phone at 388-6565 or by e-mail at sports@losbanosenterprise.com