Oakdale, Pitman earn blue banners at wrestling section team duals
The most highly anticipated matchup at Saturday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Wrestling Team Duals did not disappoint.
Oakdale and Vacaville, the two best teams in the section, entered the event at Lincoln High School in Stockton ranked No. 10 and No. 19 in the state, according to The California Wrestler.
It was only right that they started on opposite sides of the Division I bracket.
After breezing through the first two rounds, the two state powerhouses matched up in the section championship for the third straight year.
Oakdale avenged last year’s title dual loss, winning the Division I championship 40-25.
“This is the one you circle on the calendar,” Mustangs coach Steve Strange said. “It’s this and the postseason that’s coming up, but this is a big one. It’s a team, 14-on-14. It’s huge. Especially (beating) a team like Vacaville.”
Oakdale trounced St. Mary’s, 68-12, and easily handled Del Oro, 52-20, in the two opening rounds, while Vacaville opened the day beating Sheldon, 73-3, and Turlock, 56-13.
The Mustangs came into the championship with a different energy as the reigning runner-up in the budding rivalry. The dual was the loudest of the day, with athletes and wrestlers yelling out orders and cheering in excitement.
After going down 3-0, they rattled off 18 straight points, giving them momentum and a lead that the Bulldogs couldn’t fully recover from.
“Their kids know, our kids know, the fans know. It’s loud and it’s just fun,” Strange said. “It’s just a fun environment and a great experience.”
Both teams are expected to send multiple wrestlers to the Sac-Joaquin Section masters tournament and the state tournament, Oakdale’s wrestlers know they haven’t seen the last of Vacaville.
“It’s gonna be a long day.” Strange said.
Pitman wins D2 title with help from a top-ranked girl
Pitman went into the team duals as the favorite to win the Division II title and didn’t disappoint. The Pride, wrestling with freshmen in eight of the 14 weight classes, fell to Turlock in the Central California Athletic League title but bounced back Saturday. Pitman beat Stagg in the opening round, 71-12, and advanced to the final after defeating Linden, 56-9. In the championship against Tracy, the Pride jumped out to a 39-0 lead before the Bulldogs scored their first points and rounded out a dominant day with a 66-12 win. Pitman has won two of the past three Division II duals titles.
“In the beginning of the year, you set goals,” said Pride coach Adam Vasconcellos. “We had goals for academic section championships and a dual section championship and so the first goal is done … and now we’re trying to get as many kids in the state tournament as possible.”
One of the local standouts from Saturday is Baya Austin, a freshman girl who went a perfect 2-0 at 126 pounds. According to The California Wrestler’s Jan. 13 unofficial girls state rankings, Austin is the No. 2 126-pound wrestler in the state. She won by fall in the Division II championship.
“She works every day with every boy on our team,” Vasconcellos said. “She’s dirt tough and she’s a dominant wrestler, it doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or girl. She’s special.”
Davis competed after 4th straight WAC team title
Davis High won its fourth straight Western Athletic Conference wrestling team championship last week and was looking to perform well at the team dual. Head coach Lim Prim has led the Spartans for nearly a decade, and this year’s team is the youngest he’s had in five years.
“These young guys stepped in; they did their part,” Prim said. “It was one dual at a time and, and they did a great job and then they pulled through.”
Unfortunately for Prim and the Spartans, they could not overcome a slow start, falling to Golden Valley in the opening round, 55-18. Despite the loss, the coach was happy with the effort the team displayed.
“Today, they really surprised me,” Prim said. “We’ve had some tough teams that came here and didn’t perform. With this team, they performed even though they lost the dual. I’m grateful that they came in and wrestled … even though we lost, I’m still happy.”
TVL teams battled for spot in D5 Championship
Two Trans-Valley League opponents matched up in the Division V semifinals Saturday. Escalon and Hughson finished first and second, respectively, in the TVL standings as Escalon went a perfect 4-0 at team duals and Hughson finished 3-1.
The Huskies beat Waterford 62-18 in the first round Saturday to advance to the semifinals, while Escalon advanced after a first-round bye.
Hughson took a 15-10 lead early in the semifinals but the Cougars stormed to a 44-33 win to advance to their fourth Division V Team Duals championship in five seasons. After winning in 2022, they were unable to repeat, falling to Sutter.
Next postseason wrestling events
League duals continue this week, and the next Sac-Joaquin Section postseason events are Feb. 11’s divisionals. Each division will wrestle at a different school around the section:
Division I: Tokay High School
Leagues: Delta, SFL, TCAL
Division II: Laguna Creek High School
Leagues: CCAL, CVC, MEL, Metro
Division III: West Park High School
Leagues: CAL, CCC, FVL, VOL
Division IV: Casa Roble High School
Leagues: GEL, GSL, SJAA, WAC
Division V: Hughson High School
Leagues: MLL, PVL, SAL, CVCL/SDL, SVC, TVL
The top eight place winners from Divisions 1-3 qualify for the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament along with the top four from Division 4 and the MLL, PVL, SVC and TVL. The SAL and CVSL/SDL qualify three. The Masters Tournament will be held Feb. 17-18 at Stockton Arena.
This story was originally published January 30, 2023 at 3:37 PM.
