Pitman wrestler Velasquez conquers Masters’ first day

Adam Velasquez bounced in place like a boxer before the first round, sweat dripping down his cheek.

The Pitman High junior was working hard, only this was about 20 minutes after his third and final win Friday at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Wrestling Championship. He was state-bound, but more toil was needed this day.

Velasquez already pointed toward Saturday’s weigh-in. By reaching the semifinals, he already punched his ticket to Bakersfield. But missing weight at 120 – he wrestled at 126 most of the season – would ruin it all.

“Tomorrow will be crucial for seeding at state,” said Velasquez, ranked sixth in California at 120. “I feel good going to state at 120. Big things are going to happen for me.”

Velasquez (44-4) has qualified for state three consecutive years. He suffered a broken hand and did not compete as a freshman, then went 2-2 in 2015.

Agendas differ from wrestler to wrestler at Masters, the final step before state. For Velasquez, who eyes another bout with two-time state champion Justin Mejia of Clovis – Velasquez beat him last summer – his target is set high.

Meanwhile, others are overjoyed just to win three matches Friday and extend their season one more week. Oakdale sophomore Bronson Harmon slapped hands with a friend as he exited Stockton Arena not long after his quarterfinals win over Michael Williams of Armijo.

The top six in each weight class after Saturday’s finals will travel to Bakersfield. That was the short-term goal for everyone who locked arms on the arena floor’s eight mats.

Velasquez pounded through the first day with a first-round win, a grinding 4-2 decision over Ivan Gomez of Waterford and a take-charge 10-1 victory over Kaiona Caspillo of Kimball.

“If Adam wrestles to his potential, he’s as good as anyone in California,” Pitman coach Adam Vasconcellos said. “He finished that last match (Friday). When he wrestles six minutes, he’s hard to beat.”

A field of 224 began competition the first day, and Velasquez leads 15 state qualifiers from the Stanislaus District. Many also have lost twice to end their season, and many will keep slogging Saturday in the consolation rounds, semifinals and medal matches.

Oakdale will send four to state after its successful quarterfinal round: Freshman Dustin Chavez (106) and Ricky Torres (126), Harmon (152) and senior Trevor Williams (132).

Central Catholic’s Danny Abbate (138), Steven Abbate (126) and Cristian Dominguez (145) also will travel to Bakersfield along with Escalon’s Cameron Dubois (160) and Kyle Jimenez (120).

Livingston duo Rajanvir Chahal (106) and Jose Sanchez (120), strong all season, both advanced to the semifinals. So has Andres Orozco of Turlock (152), who parlayed a four-point move into a come-from-behind win in his second match.

Nate Gookin of Sonora (182) and Delhi heavyweight Jesus Flores (285) also will go to state. Flores beamed after his quarterfinal 3-0 win over Lau Ta’amu of Elk Grove, and why not? He became the first wrestler from Delhi to advance to state.

Saturday’s action will start with a consolation round at 9 a.m., followed by the semifinals and more consolation matches at 10:45, consolation semifinals at 1 p.m. and seventh place at 2:15. The first, third and fifth-place matches are scheduled for 3 p.m.

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Pitman wrestler Velasquez conquers Masters’ first day."