Led by a second-place finish from 119-pound Junior Davila, the San Benito wrestling team took fifth place out of 66 teams at The Bash tournament in Clovis East on Tuesday, edging out Red Bluff by three and a half points for the top-five standing.
"We had a really good showing," San Benito head coach Brian DeCarli said of the team's fifth-place finish. "That's what we were shooting for, a top-five finish.
"We beat a lot of solid teams from the Southern Section, from the Northern Section and from the Central Section."
Northview High took the tournament championship with 231 points, beating second-place finisher Clovis East (221) by 10 points. Oakdale took third place (172) and James Logan (144) finished in fourth, one spot ahead of the Haybalers.
"I just want to get the kids battle tested for the end of the year when the matches really mean something," DeCarli said.
Davila fared the best for the 'Balers, finishing runner-up at 119 pounds after falling to the third-ranked wrestler in the state, DeCarli said.
"But he took him down a couple of times," DeCarli added.
At 171 pounds, Enrique Lucatero was forced to battle back through the consolation bracket after losing a match on the first day, but he eventually found himself in the third- and fourth-place match on Tuesday against the top-seeded wrestler in the weight class.
DeCarli said Lucatero was down 2-1 in the third round with approximately 15 seconds remaining, but scored a two-point reversal in the waning moments to steal a 3-2 win as well as third place individually.
"He probably had the best tournament out of all our kids," DeCarli said. "He was the most impressive."
After falling by a 9-4 decision to the sixth-ranked wrestler, DeCarli said, Josh Ramirez battled back through the consolation bracket as well to take fifth place.
"He had the deepest weight class," DeCarli added.
At 140 pounds, Steven Borba earned a seventh-place finish.
"He was a pleasant surprise," DeCarli said.
Borba was unranked going into the tournament, but bested both the eight- and three-seeded wrestlers to medal.
Both Geo Coelho at 135 pounds and Josh Fontaine at 140 pounds wrestled on day two, but both fell in their first consolation matches of the second day.
The 'Balers sat in seventh place after the first day of The Bash.
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