But when the Los Gatos senior returns to the State High School Wrestling Tournament this weekend, he'll be looking to improve on his performance of a year ago when he finished fifth at 145 pounds.

Pease will make the trip this year as a 152-pounder, and Los Gatos coach Scott Downs looks for him to be a medal contender again. In fact, Downs figures that both Pease and Ivan Batinich (189 pounds) could place if all goes well in Bakersfield on March 5­6.

"He's got to be top five," said Downs of Pease. "And he's got the potential to get to the finals. But a lot depends on the draw."

"It's a tough weight class, probably the toughest in the state this year," added Downs.

Pease will take some outstanding numbers with him to state, and he'll be trying to pin down the school record for most wins by fall in a season.

Pease is 42-5 with 30 pins this winter. He's tied with Guy Greene for most pins in a year, and needs just one more to claim the record outright. Greene, who set the mark for the Cats in 1969, is the head coach at Simi Valley High School.

The state trip marks the end of an outstanding high school career for Pease, who is a three-time league champion and two-time Central Coast Section champ.

Batinich will make the trip to state along with Pease. The Gatos senior takes a 36-10 record to Bakersfield after finishing second to Saratoga's Brent Walter at CCS.