And that's just what the Wildcats accomplished on Jan. 25 when one team finished fifth in the rugged California Invitational Tournament (CIT) in Morro Bay and another finished third in the Mustangs Duals in Danville.

The No. 1 Gatos varsity took part in the CIT and finished fifth in the 54-team field that features many of the top teams and wrestlers in the state.

"It was a good chance for our kids to see guys that we've seen ranked from other areas," said Los Gatos coach Scott Downs.

Bobby Pease led the Gatos effort with an individual championship at 145 pounds.

"It was a great day for him," said Downs of Pease, who boasts a 33-4 season record. "His progress has been remarkable. He's really starting to peak. He's hitting his stride at the right time."

Pease notched five wins to win his Mid Cal title. He finished the tournament with four pins, including one in the finals.

"You don't see a lot of pins in the finals of the CIT," said Downs.

Adam Morgenthaler posted a 4-1 record at the CIT to finish second at 130 pounds.

"He had a big tournament, too," said Downs.

Brian Miguel was fourth at 140 pounds for the Wildcats, and Jeff Oleson was fifth at 150. Both posted 4-2 records in the tourney.

Matt Nudelman notched a 3-2 mark at 135 pounds, but an overtime loss in his last match kept him from advancing to the medal round.

The same day, the Los Gatos junior varsity team finished third in the Mustang Duals, a varsity tournament in Danville.

"We've started to call this team our other varsity," said Downs. "This is the best JV team I've seen since I've been here."

Los Gatos knocked off varsity teams from Irvington, Clayton Valley and Acalanes high schools before losing 36-30 to Folsom in the semifinals. The Cats came back to crush Los Altos 57-23 in the third-place match.

"They really stepped up," said Downs.

Jordan France (3-0 at 121), Eric Chen (3-0 with two pins at 173) and Ivan Batinich (2-0 with two pins at 215) were unbeaten in the tournament for the Cats.

James Alva (4-1 with two pins at 114), Nolan Nguyen (4-1 with three pins at 127), Bashir Olangian (3-1 at 132), Collin Sanders (3-1 at 137), Mike Wysuph (2-1 with two pins at 147) and Jeff Wysuph (3-1 at 154) were other top finishers for the Wildcats.

Gatos came back from its tourney success to crush a solid Fremont squad 41-23 in a big match in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

Los Gatos improved to 3-1 in the division, while Fremont slipped to 2-2. Cupertino leads the pack at 4-0.

"We should go into the league finals with one loss," said Downs, whose squad will host Santa Clara on Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m., before visiting Palo Alto on Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m. "If we win at league finals and Cupertino is second, we'll tie for the league championship."

The league finals are set for Feb. 14 and 15 at Fremont. The junior varsity finals will be held that Friday, with the varsity tournament on Saturday.

The dual match with Fremont started with the 147-pound. Pease made short work of Josh Descherlia, winning 13-0.

Chen pinned at 173, despite suffering a slight concussion that wasn't discovered until after the conclusion of the match. Batinich rolled to a 15-0 win at 217.

Alva, wrestling at the varsity level with Bryan Ceglio sidelined with an illness, won 10-0 at 110, and Matt Miguel pinned at 1:27 in the first round at 121.

After a loss, Morgenthaler rolled to a 16-2 win at 132 pounds before Nudelman (137) and B. Miguel (142) each won by forfeit.