Beyer rules at MMC Wrestling Championship
Modesto High School sophomore Ronnie Ochoa recognized his opportunity at Friday’s Modesto Metro Conference Wrestling Championship.
His opponent was Enochs senior Ray Carroll, the 2015 Central Coast Section Masters champion who transferred from Santa Teresa High in San Jose. Ochoa knew that beating Carroll, even though the newest Eagle became eligible only a few weeks ago, would boost his credentials.
“A win could put me on the map,” Ochoa said. “I had something to prove.”
Ochoa proved to be a worthy MMC champ with a hard-earned 8-6 decision in the 126-pound class. The winner built a 6-1 lead, thanks to a near-fall, after two rounds and hung on through the tight final seconds.
“He (Carroll) had lost at state last year to Isaiah Perez (Pitman), a former teammate of mine in youth wrestling,” Ochoa said. “We were even strength-wise. I wanted to be the aggressor. He was waiting for a mistake.”
Ochoa’s win accented the day’s program at Johansen High. The top four finishers in each bracket will advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1-A meet next weekend at Elk Grove.
Beyer, the MMC champion, qualified 13 to the divisional, six of them champions. Mazin Abusaud (113), Quintin May (138), Josiah Coronado (195) and heavyweight Angel Vallejo all won by fall for Beyer, while teammates Michael Qarqat (152) and Jordan Lopez (160) took home decisions.
May, leading only 1-0 after two rounds over Elias Yerba of Enochs – a transfer from Beyer – used an arm-bar to turn his opponent onto his back for an eventual fall in 4:34. Qarqat’s takedown in the closing seconds was the difference in his 10-8 decision over Brandon Bichayada of Downey.
Gregori, the league runner-up, was anchored by the Villavicencio brothers. Mike (145), a junior, marched to his second straight MMC gold medal via an 11-2 major decision over Mateo Gordon of Johansen.
Ethan Villavicencio (132), also a junior, turned points for an escape and stalling into a 2-0 win over Lane Jenkins of Beyer. Aiden Villavicencio (138) placed third.
“This was the first time the brothers won together,” Mike Villavicencio said. “We get along very well but are very competitive. It drives us.”
Tim Eggers (182) picked up Gregori’s other victory via second-round pin.
A win could put me on the map. I had something to prove
Modesto’s Ronnie Ochoa
Dwayne Heller of Downey (170), who rallied from a 7-2 deficit, wasted no time with his takedown only seconds into overtime to defeat Clayton Sanders of Johansen. The host school later was given a reason to cheer when Caleb Goonawardena (220) pinned Beryan Oudishu of Gregori in 5:09.
Phillip Fuentes of Grace Davis (120) claimed his second straight MMC title with an impressive pin in 4:37 over Alonzo Gomez of Beyer.
Sophomore Elijah Velasco of Modesto (106) opened the medal round with a 7-1 decision over Beyer’s Christian Her.
Wrestler of the Week – Her, a freshman, needed a pin, and nothing less, in the final match of Beyer’s thrillling MMC dual last week against Gregori. He got the pin with only six seconds left to draw the Patriots even 36-36. But his win also was Beyer’s eighth of the night against Gregori’s six, which gave the Patriots the tiebreaker and the MMC title.
This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 7:40 PM with the headline "Beyer rules at MMC Wrestling Championship."