The Big Valley Classic was kick-started in 2008 as a potential jewel of Northern California wrestling.
Fifty-four teams, 17 from the Stanislaus District, took part in the inaugural event that harbored great expectations from the start. It promised top-level competition, a favorable January date and a splashy venue in the Stockton Arena.
The Classic delivered on all the above until this year's renewal — scheduled for Friday and Saturday — was canceled.
Dean Duivenvoorden
• WEIGHT: 182
• SCHOOL: Gregori, junior
Dean Duivenvoorden’s maturation as a wrestler has accelerated this season. The Gregori High junior (14-1) affirmed his improvement by winning two tournament titles, the first at the Riddle in Oakdale and the second last weekend at Turlock High’s Bulldog Classic.
His only loss came against Firebaugh’s Mike Tenorio, a state-ranked wrestler, in the finals of the Western at Modesto Junior College.
Duivenvoorden broke through as a sophomore last year, but he was overwhelmed and went 0-2 at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters.
This year, his year-round jiu jitsu classes are paying off.
“Last year, he was shellshocked at Masters, but he’s much better now,” Gregori coach Mike Cantwell said. “The jiu jitsu has helped his balance and body position, and he wants to learn.”
Only 41 schools had sent in their payment, down from 75 in 2011. Tournament director Paul Bristow, facing a potential loss of $8,000 due to the steep arena costs, had few options.
"It was a financial decision, not a wrestling decision," said Bristow, the former Atwater High coach who coordinated the meet since its inception. "I should have pulled the plug a few years ago but my wrestling heart wanted to keep it going. It was crushing to face the financial facts."
The event was Bristow's vision — to give prep wrestlers a chance to perform in a special venue. He kept open the possibility of restarting the meet.
"We'll revisit it," he said. "It needs some changes and modifications with the arena, or maybe moving somewhere else."
The Classic's loss, conversely, appears to have boosted the Engel, Escalon's annual wrestling fest to be held Saturday. Cougars coach Derek Scott welcomed eight new teams, all dropouts from the Big Valley, last week.
That brings the Engel field up to the maximum 32 teams and more than 400 wrestlers. Action will start at 9 a.m. with the finals at about 4 p.m. The tournament usually caters to small schools, but larger entries such as Elk Grove and Folsom have registered. Coaches, fretting about the loss of potentially five matches at Big Valley, are scrambling to collect the maximum 40 matches for their athletes before the league tournaments.
"The word came out (about the Big Valley) last week. I've turned away some teams," Scott said. "A lot of coaches are bringing their full teams."
The Engel splits its brackets into A and B classes after the opening rounds.
• OAKDALE — Oakdale anticipated a dropoff after it graduated much of its talent from the 2011 Section Masters championship team that qualified nine to State. Only three state qualifiers — Juan Garza (103), Ronnie Stevens (119) and Dustin Harris (152) — are back.
The season did not start favorably when Stevens, a junior, injured his wrist during summer wrestling and was lost for the season. Senior Garrett Fortado (112), the Turlock transfer and a two-time Masters champion, is ineligible.
Sounds like trouble for the Mustangs, right? Not quite.
Oakdale probably won't repeat its Masters glory but it's hardly struggling. The Mustangs already have scored impressive dual-meet victories over Elk Grove and Gilroy, the latter an exciting 27-26 decision at home two days before Christmas. Gilroy was ranked fourth in the state and Oakdale 25th.
Tyler Noon (138), the brother of 2011 fifth-place state finisher Trent Noon, scored a noteworthy upset that night over 11th-ranked Aaron Gonzalez. They won despite the injury absence of Harris, ranked No. 4 in the state at the 160-pound weight class.
The Mustangs have filled the graduation voids with holdover depth and young prospects such as freshmen Nico Colunga (106) and Max Stevens (120). Hondo Arpoika, Abel Caliz, Kyle Cupit and others have enjoyed their moments on a team that starts only two seniors.
Garza finished fourth as Oakdale placed 16th among 97 teams at the Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno. It will send some of its best to Temecula Valley this weekend, and Harris should return to action. He's been sidelined since Dec. 17, when he suffered a knee injury while he led Keaton Subjeck of Oak Ridge 5-1. Subjeck is the state's third-ranked 152-pounder.
"We'll be really tough when we juggle our guys and get them into the right weight classes," coach Brian Stevens said. "We have some good young guys."
• NOTES — Three district wrestlers are ranked in the top 10 in the state, according to The California Wrestler: Modesto sophomore Emilio Saavedra (113), a transfer from Pitman, second; Central Catholic's unbeaten freshman Angel Velasquez (106), fifth; and Harris. ... Turlock senior Alexia Moreno (118), one of three district wrestlers to win state girls titles last year, suffered a dislocated shoulder. She hopes to be ready for divisionals.
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