Wrestlers set for Yosemite Divisionals
It’s known as the “Meat Grinder.”
Outside of the State Championships, this weekend’s Yosemite Divisionals in wrestling in Lemoore will arguably be the toughest meet of the season for local wrestlers. The meet will be held Friday and Saturday and it’s a two-day 32-man bracket that’s basically the survival of the fittest and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
A simple look at the math shows that wrestlers who make it through the divisionals have an excellent chance of advancing to the state meet. The top seven out of 32 wrestlers in each weight class advance to the Grand Masters Valley Championships. The top eight out of 1 wrestlers at valley then advance to state to be held the first weekend of March.
“Our section’s always known for being tough because we have a lot of depth,” Porterville coach Tim Vanni said. “Obviously the divisionals is what people refer to as our meat grinder.”
Porterville has six wrestlers seed this weekend, so it figures that all six of those wrestlers have a chance of advancing to state. Mason Pengilly leads the way for PHS as he’s seeded No. 1 at 115 pounds. Pengilly is considered a contender for the state title.
Monache has three wrestlers seeded this weekend with an excellent chance to make it through state and Granite also has a couple of wrestlers who could make it to state as well.
PHS will have wrestlers in all 14 weight classes this weekend, while Monache will have 11 and Granite will have eight competing. When asked about his goal for the number of wrestlers he’d like to see make it to state, Vanni said, “I’d like to get a whole bunch of people.”
Also seeded for PHS is Javier Jimenez (108), Abel Contreras (122), Martin Sandoval (132), Joe Duran (140) and Greg Pagela (145). Sandoval and Duran qualified for state last year and Duran could have the toughest path through this weekend in a tough weight class.
Vanni said as many as 15 or 16 wrestlers could have been seeded at 140. “It’s probably one of the most difficult weight classes,” Vanni said. “There’s a lot of good kids.”
For Monache, Matt Gamble (108) is a leading candidate to make it to state as he’s seeded No. 3. Two other wrestlers who look to eventually advance to state are Seth Hood, seeded No. 5 at 115, and Ryan Poe, seeded No. 7 at 122. Poe is coming off an impressive win over Contreras at the East Yosemite League Championships.
Other Monache wrestlers who could make through to Valley include Joey Ryan (140), Brian Leypon (145) and Richie Gallindo, the EYL champion at 171. “It’s a tough tournament,” Monache coach Arthur Demerath said. “It’s really tough to get to Valley.”
When asked about how many of his wrestlers he would like to make it to Valley, Demerath said, “I’m hoping three at least get through,” adding it’s possible as many as five of his wrestlers move on. “It’s a good opportunity for us to make a statement,” Demerath said.
While Granite doesn’t have any seeded wrestlers, it has at least two wrestlers with an excellent chance to advance to Valley in Martin Ayala (145) and Danny Jacuinde, who both have 30 wins this season. Both also have wins over seeded wrestlers going into the tournament.
Granite Hills coach Marty Kouyoumtjian said Ayala and Jacuinde are more than capable of pulling off upsets that would enable them qualify for Valley. “When you go there, you’ve got to beat somebody regardless,” Kouyoumtjian said. “We’ll see what happens.”
PASCOE ON SOUND FX
The NFL Films produced “Sound FX” show on the NFL Network featuring sounds from pro football games has a special edition on the Super Bowl.
In one segment, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is shown talking to his defensive players, telling them, “Make them go to Pascoe, make them go to Manningham.”
Pascoe, of course, is 2004 Granite Hills graduate Bear Pascoe, who was the New York Giants’ only healthy tight end at the time.
Belichick went on to tell his defense to not be beaten by Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.
In the category of be careful of what you wish for, Mario Manning ham went on to make one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history, helping to set up the game-winning touchdown in the Giants 21-17 win.
Meanwhile, Granite Hills isworking on details for honoring Pascoe at the school. Pascoe posted on his Twitter page: “I’ve got to call Mrs. Shannon back,” commenting on Granite Hills counselor-technician Sherry Shannon about working out the details.
And to show how popular Pascoe is, someone tweeted to him, “I’m naming my first kid after you,” assuming the name would be “Bear.”
