Terra Nova wrestlers defeated the Mustangs of Capuchino this week, continuing the varsity's winning streak. Capuchino, newly returned to the Bay division of PAL, fielded squads that were small in number but huge in talent, giving the Tigers a run for their money in many of the contested matches.
Terra Nova's JV won 2 of the 3 matches of the evening. Freshman Andre Conway – 106lbs, pinned Cap's Diaz in the final seconds of the first round, and Louis Roth- 147lbs, outmaneuvered and overpowered his opponent, winning by a Major Decision, 10-2. Teammate Jeremy Watts – 160lbs, lost a hard fought match in which he took advantage of his opponent's poor body position to reverse into a 2 point near fall. Unfortunately, time ran out, and the final score was 6-8. Final JV team score, counting all forfeits was 40-9.
Time was also a factor in the first varsity match of the night. Dante Campagna – 182lbs ended the grueling 6 minutes of regular competition in a tie with the Mustang's Enriquez. In wrestling, when there is a tie, the match goes into a one minute sudden death overtime round where the athlete who scores the first take down wins. But after an action packed 60 seconds of shooting, scrambling and frantic circling on the ground, neither exhausted wrestler scored a take down. Overtime went into its next phase: two 30 second rounds in which the wrestlers alternate starting on the bottom of referee's position. During the first of these rounds, Enriquez started on the bottom and scored a point by escaping from Campagna, who answered back with a commanding take down to take a one point lead. In the second round, Campagna started on the bottom of referee's position, and was able to escape his opponent to score another point. After what was arguably the longest 30 seconds either grappler has ever experienced, Campagna defeated Enriquez 9-7.
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Other Tiger wins include a second round pin by Danny Borrego – 106lbs. Senior, Justin Pesino – 113lbs, returned to the mat for his first competition since sustaining an injury earlier in January. Without missing a beat, Pesino dominated the match, taking his opponent down again and again, winning with a Major Decision score of 10-1. Terra Nova carried the team victory with a score of 61-15.
The Tiger varsity remains undefeated in league dual meets this season. This Thursday, they will face their also undefeated, long-time rivals the Half Moon Bay Cougars at 6PM at Terra Nova in their quest to repeat their PAL Dual Meet title from last year. This will be a great opportunity to watch some very exciting wrestling matches, and there is a special discount $1 admission for all kids with a free drawing featuring prizes from local sponsors: The Candy Oasis, Coastside Comics, Anime Imports, and more. Adult accompaniment is required.
