Saratoga News
Sports
Falcons pin dual match win over Santa Clara
By Dick Sparrer
If momentum counts for anything, the Saratoga wrestling team should have plenty of it heading into the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League tournament coming up Feb. 10 at Santa Clara High School.
The Falcons have gone undefeated in league dual matches since returning the mat after winter break, and they could wind up 5-1 in the El Camino Division with a win this week at Homestead. Saratoga visits the Mustangs on Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m., to close out the El Camino Division dual match season.
Since opening the league campaign with a loss to Milpitas before Christmas, the Falcons have been perfect in the dual season. They've strung together wins over Harker, Lynbrook, Los Altos and most recently Santa Clara as they gun for a fifth straight this week at Homestead.
The Falcons, winners of a tight 37-30 win over Los Altos a couple of weeks back, won another close one last week, edging Santa Clara 39-34 at Saratoga.
The match marked the final home appearance for senior co-captains Doug Macklin and Danny Gold along with senior Derrick Green. Unfortunately, none of the three seniors saw action in the match. Macklin at 137 and Gold at 154 each claimed forfeit wins, and Green was not in the line-up for the match.
Seven Saratoga wrestlers did step onto the mat to wrestle, though, and four of them walked off with victories.
Sophomore Richard Macklin nailed a quick pin at 1:40 of the first round at 121 pounds, and soph Nate Nguyen pinned in just 1:50 at 105 pounds for the Falcons.
Sophomore Jasper Loren pinned with 10 seconds left in the second round at 147 pounds and junior Ryan Stoffers blanked his opponent 7-0 for a decision win at 142.
Freshman Trevor Teerlink at 127 pounds also won by forfeit last week.
Samir Mathur lost by major decision at 162 and Nikhil Balakrishnan at 114 and Justin Seo at 132 each lost by fall.
The Falcons forfeited to Santa Clara at 173, 191 and 217 pounds, and there was a double forfeit at 287.
Saratoga will try to make it five straight in league when the Falcons visit Homestead on Thursday, then they head to the SCVAL finals this weekend where the top finishers qualify for the Central Coast Section tournament coming up Feb. 23 at Independence High School and Feb. 24 at Overfelt.
Macklin and Nguyen appear to be top candidates to advance to the CCS tourney.
Saratoga sent four wrestlers, all seniors, to the section finals last winter--Jeffrey Nguyen at 103, Derek Macklin at 140, Scott Surrette at 145 and Spencer Sevilla at 152. Sevilla was the lone placer for the Falcons, finishing fifth.
BVAL wrestling
Tony Silver and Zac Elliott each nailed a couple of wins last week to lead the Prospect wrestling team to a pair of dual match victories. The wins helped the Panthers improve to 4-2 in the Santa Teresa Division.
Silver pinned twice for the Panthers, at 1:58 of the first round at 142 pounds in a 49-32 triumph over Piedmont Hills and at 2:59 of the second round in a 40-30 victory over Leigh.
Elliott nailed a 19-6 major decision at 154 pounds against the Pirates, and he was 12-7 winner against the Longhorns.
Prospect was to visit Evergreen Valley on Feb. 6 to close out the dual match season before entering the Blossom Valley Athletic League tournament on Feb. 10 at Oak Grove.
Westmont lost a tight 37-35 decision to Independence in Mt. Hamilton Division dual match action. Senior Josh Militante pinned at 3:05 of the second round at 162 pounds, and junior Chris Sutton won by fall 3:20 of the second at 137.
Abe Matsui, a junior who finished third in the league tournament last season, posted a 15-6 win at 132 pounds. Senior Cameron Gustafson won 9-1 at 142 and senior Roberto Lopez won 8-5 at 127.
Gustafson was fifth at the league finals last year and Sutton and Militante each placed sixth.
The Warriors will host Silver Creek on Feb. 8, then take part in the league tournament Saturday at Oak Grove.
