Bruins and Rodriquez take it to the wire

Pondo Duals today

SHINGLE SPRINGS — As December rain pelts the ground, wrestling has returned and Wednesday night the squad from Ponderosa took to the mat for an early season dual.

“We are looking toward having a great season as our team has several individuals who want to do well and wrestle at the state meet at the end of the season. As for reaching that goal we definitely saw some good things tonight however there are areas and room for improvement,” Bruin coach Tyson Escobar said after the Bruins earned a 37-30 victory over a tough Rodriquez squad.

Ponderosa owned a short-lived 3-0 advantage on the strength of a 6-0 win at 106 pounds by Thomas Halloway but the lead was quickly errased as Rodriquez won the next two matches by pins over Austin Hester (113) and Pre Deitchman (120).

The Bruins gained another victory as Jacob Gonzales (126) used three takedowns and a couple of escapes to gain an 8-2 win. At 132s, Ponderosa was in good shape when Keegan Bell raced out to 10-0 lead with a couple of double leg takedowns and tilts before getting caught in a second period pin which gave Rodriquez a 18-6 advantage.

To the Bruins’ credit the wrestlers showed resiliency and battled back. David Timm (138) used an arm bar to pin his opponent in the second period followed by Christian Canepa (145) who used two head and arm throws in his match at 145 pounds on the way to an 11-6 win.

“We had some guys step up tonight and get wins where we needed to. This is the start of the season and our wrestling will get better and improve as a team as the year progresses”

Once Canepa made the team score 18-15, the Bruins took the lead as Tyler Shamblin (152) used three takedowns and two near falls to earn a 10-2 major decision and give Ponderosa a 19-18 advantage. At 160s, Joshua Ferry continued the momentum with an exciting 7-6 victory by gaining a takedown late in the third period.

Trae Providence (170) then dominated his match and eventually won with a third period pin. Nick Troquato (182) then used a cross face to a cross arm pin for a first round pin to put the Bruins up 34-18.

Ponderosa appeared to have enough but Rodriquez rallied to pin Kyle Jennings (195 pounds) and Joe Devalle (220) to pull within 34-30 and set the stage for Henry Sharoyan (285) in the final match of the evening — an intense contest as Sharoyan used an escape in the third period to earn a 1-0 victory.

The Bruins return to the mat today to host the Ponderosa Duals. Teams slated to participate are Merced, Pershing County, Damonte Ranch, Del Campo, Granite Bay, Pleasant Grove, Hiram Johnson, Fernley and the Bruin JV.