Prep wrestling: Blazing his way to Bakersfield

STOCKTON -- Blaze Fidler was shocked himself.

The Golden Valley senior couldn't blame anyone if they didn't know who he was when he was introduced before the 112-pound final at Saturday's Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament at Stockton Arena.

"I think most people were thinking, 'Who's that guy?' " Filder said. "I wasn't ranked coming into the tournament. I wasn't even supposed to place."

Fidler wrestled the tournament of his life.

Yes, he fell short of winning the title, losing to Oakdale's Garrett Fortado 4-2 in the finals. However, he still finished second in the tournament and was one of just four area wrestlers to earn a berth at next week's CIF State Championship in Bakersfield.

"I can't believe it," Fidler said. "We got one more week. You hear stories of somebody's dream coming true or see a movie like 'Mirace on Ice,' but you never think it's going to happen to you. When it does happen you're just dumbfounded."

Filder will be joined by GV teammate Julian Terry, who also turned heads with his fourth-place finish in the 125-pound division.

Terry took advantage of a nice draw and worked his way to the semifinals on Friday. Casa Roble's Auston Wulfert defeated Terry 5-2 early Saturday in the semifinals, but Terry bounced back to finish fourth.

"To be really honest, I'm very surprised I made it," Terry said. "It means everything to me. Blaze and I have been working for this since we were freshmen. It means we still have to cut weight. I thought I'd be able to eat anything I want after this weekend. Hey, it's worth it.

"I also knew my brother (Jay Jay) never placed at sections, so I did this for both of us."

Also earning their way to Bakersfield were Mariposa 160-pounder Alex Harrington, who finished sixth, and Los Banos senior Jorge Munoz, who finished seventh at 140 pounds.

Buhach Colony senior Luiz Bojorquez fell one point short of his bid for a return trip to state when he lost 3-2 to Vacaville's Chris Lai in the 215-pound seventh-place match. Lai scored a takedown with 15 seconds left to get the win.

Munoz also found himself in the dreaded win-or-go-home, seventh-place match.

Munoz finished one win shy of qualifying for state his freshman and junior years.

"It seems like every year I finish one match away," Munoz said. "I knew it was do or die."

Los Banos coach Josh Adams watched nervously from the corner, his legs constantly twitching during the match.

"Those seventh-place matches are heartbreakers," Adams said. "It's stressful because it's a culmination of four years of high school for these kids."

Munoz scored three nearfall points late in the second round when he caught Elk Grove's Max Francesconi to take a 3-0 lead. The match stayed that way until Francesconi turned Munoz on his back late in the third round, but only scored two points.

"When I heard the ref counting I told myself to give up two (seconds) don't give up five," Munoz said. "When I heard the ref say one, two and nothing else, I knew it was my match."

Munoz held on for the win.

Fidler's performance showed just how much he's matured since his freshman year. As a ninth grader, Fidler was ineligible to wrestle for academic reasons.

That led to a heart-to-heart talk with Golden Valley wrestling coach Chopper Mello.

"I remember him telling me he wanted me to wrestle after my freshman year," Fidler said. "He told me I had to get my stuff together and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I had a 1.5 GPA and now I'm pushing 3.6. ... Wrestling had a lot to do with that. It motivated me to do well in the classroom. I used to be a punk who sat in the back of class goofing around all the time."

An injury and another kid missing weight erased two of the top 112-pound wrestlers out of Fidler's half of the bracket, clearing an easier path to the finals. He cruised to a 10-4 victory over Ceres' Gabriel Balderas in the semfinals Saturday morning to earn himself a few moments in the spotlight during the finals.

"He had a good draw and he took advantage of it," Mello said. "He's going to state. He earned every bit of it. He's come a long way. When he was a freshman, his grades weren't that good. He wasn't necessarily in trouble, but wrestling gave him focus in life."