Golden Valley wins battle of unbeaten CCC wrestling teams, clinches share of title
After winning his 200-pound match, Golden Valley senior Josh Hickman was pumped. Hickman delivered a much-needed pin for the Cougars and then turned to his teammates and flexed.
Hickman overpowered El Capitan’s Jose Barnabe and his victory provided a spark for the Cougars, who recorded three consecutive pins on their way to a 37-28 win over the Gauchos on Saturday afternoon in a matchup of the final two undefeated boys wrestling teams in the Central California Conference.
The win clinched at least a share of the CCC championship for the Cougars (6-0 CCC). Golden Valley can clinch the title outright on Wednesday at the CCC Tournament at Atwater High.
“It’s great because we didn’t even know if we’d have a season,” said Golden Valley coach Chopper Mello. “This is really good for the kids. It was a fun duel. It went back and forth a bit.”
Golden Valley held a narrow 7-4 lead over the Gauchos (5-1 CCC) when Hickman came through with his second-round pin. Wayne Colvin followed with a pin in the 225-pound match and Ezekiel Trevino pinned his opponent in the 290-pound match and suddenly the Cougars had a 25-4 lead.
“Going into the match, I knew (Barnabe) was one of their top guys,” Hickman said. “I know he’s wrestled at heavyweight so I was probably in better shape than him. I was hoping to tire him out. To get the pin was amazing. It felt great because I knew my guys following me were going to take care of business.”
Mello said Hickman’s win was a big spark for the Cougars.
“We needed it and I think it carried over all the way through to our lightweights,” Mello said. “We came up with some big wins from our lightweights with (Elijah) Solis winning in (overtime) and Devin Fagan getting a tough win. I mean Solis was on his back for a long time and he was able to come back and win in overtime.”
David Lopez (165 pounds) and Travon Moore (187) also picked up victories for Golden Valley.
Ian Thor (137) came up with a big pin in his match to clinch the victory for Golden Valley, which set off a celebration in the Cougars’ corner.
It’s Golden Valley fifth CCC championship and second consecutive title.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for us,” Hickman said. “We didn’t win it here. We won it in all our practices, working hard for five days a week. It feels great because it wasn’t easy.”
“Even when we didn’t know if we were going to have a season these kids stayed focused,” Mello said. “They did the training they were allowed to do. When we were able to run, they ran. When they could do more, they did more. They stuck with it, especially the seniors. I mean, they graduated on Thursday. It’ s weird to be wrestling in June, but I’m happy for them.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
