Merced-area wrestlers shine on busy weekend
Geralene Pomele’s expectations weren’t particularly high.
The Pacheco High School senior was already nervous. Throw in the discomfort of a nasty head cold and a broken little toe, and Pomele had understandable concerns heading into the prestigious Napa Valley Girls Classic.
All that became background noise once she stepped onto the mat, however. Pomele went 5-0 over the two-day tournament, recording four pins to win the 150-pound division. Her second-round pin of Franklin-Elk Grove’s Kylaia Efhan secured the title.
“I was pretty nervous, especially wrestling up a weight class,” Pomele said. “There were some girls I kept an eye out for, but I did a good job of focusing on just one match at a time. The first day was pretty easy because I had a first-round bye. I won my first match and wasn’t feeling great, but I knew I just need to win one more and I was in the quarterfinals.
“The second day was intense. My quarterfinal match was really good. She defended my shots really well and really made me work. My semifinal was against the top seed, so I was pretty nervous, but Madisen (Bozovich) ended up getting injured early on and had to withdraw.
“The girls I wrestled in the final I had already wrestled like three times, so we knew each other’s strengths well. We didn’t do much more than hand-fight as we battled for position. I was frustrated, but I knew I needed to wrestle smart and be patient. She went for a shot in the second round, and I countered with a Granby. I was able to roll her on her back and get the pin.”
It was part of an excellent all-around showing from the Pacheco girls, who placed 10th out of 120 schools. Tagi Vaifale was the Panthers’ other medalist, placing fourth at 235.
There were a handful of other local medalists, led by Buhach Colony’s Serena Rayon (fourth at 150) and Atwater’s Courtney Juarez (fifth at 170). Marcella Valenzuela (seventh at 150) led a strong showing from Los Banos, which tied for 14th overall. Atwater tied for 34th overall, and Buhach Colony finished 70th.
in Livermore – The Golden Valley boys wrestling team continued a strong tournament season with a convincing victory in the 16th annual Mat Classic.
The Cougars went 6-0 in championship matches as Caydin Wickard (113), Mateo Samuelson (138), Immanuel Wright (145), Brady Mello (152), Omar Ramos (160) and Cortlan Morse (220) won titles.
Adreyana Wickard (106) and Giovanni Bautista (195) finished third as Golden Valley compiled 263 points, over 100 more than second-place Granada. Caydin Wickard was named one of the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestlers.
Doc Buchanan Tournament in Clovis – Delhi’s Jesse Flores showed the injuries that dogged the senior at the end of football season are behind him as the heavyweight took second at the prestigious Doc Buchanan Tournament.
Flores, who finished seventh at state a year ago, fell in the second round to two-time state champ Seth Nevills of Clovis. Flores reached the final with a hard-fought 10-8 win over Lemoore’s Noah Wright in the semifinals.
Lloyd Engel Tournament in Escalon – Livingston senior Raj Chahal went 6-0 in the 121-pound class. He recorded five falls, including a pin of Escalon’s Alex Jimenez in the championship match.
This story was originally published January 8, 2017 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Merced-area wrestlers shine on busy weekend."