IN SPORTS: TIGERS’ COOPER ADVANCES TO STATE
Tokay’s Bozovich, Liberty Ranch’s Ritchie earn medals but fall short of state berth
STOCKTON — Mathew Cooper got the job done on Saturday.
Now the Tokay High wrestler is looking to advance to the next level.
The 195-pound senior took sixth place at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters at Stockton Arena. Cooper finished the tournament with a 6-2 record, going 3-1 on Saturday and Friday. The section gives medals to the top eight wrestlers in each weight class.
Cooper and the top six in each weight class moves to the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships, which will be at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield. This tournament takes place this Friday and Saturday.
Competing in the fifth place match, Cooper faced Elk Grove’s John Gblah. The match started with each wrestler attacking the other’s arms, locking up the other during the first period. But in the next period, Gblah picked up and locked the upper body of Cooper. Gblah twisted him around and recorded a pin 15 seconds in the period.
“Not the way you want to go out (of Masters),” said Tokay coach Ed Carlos. “At the end of the day, it’s a long tournament. The pressure is off our backs. It’s good to know that he (Gblah) can throw. If we run into him again at Bakersfield, we know what he can do and we’ll be prepared.”
Now the focus for Cooper turns toward the CIF state meet. The last time a Tokay wrestler won a medal at the state meet was in 1999, when Richard Mendonca took fifth place at 215.
“We’re focused on state,” Carlos said.
Tokay’s Carter Bozovich (170), a senior, took seventh place, one spot shy of earning a state berth. In his final match against Sierra of Manteca’s Miguel Cervantes, Bozovich posted a 12-2 major decision.
Before his match, Bozovich was pinned by Foresthill’s Malik Lewis in the second period. Bozovich, who will be wrestling at Menlo College in
Atherton after he graduates from Tokay this spring, pinned Jesuit of Carmichael’s Aidan Elko in the first period.
“Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way,” Carlos said. “(The tournament) takes nothing away from who Carter is, and what kind of wrestler he is. He’s been great to the program, great for the team. Everything you want in a wrestler.”
The Tigers’ Nick Nguyen (106), who went 2-1 on the first day, did not make weight on Saturday; the section weighs all wrestlers who advance to the second day of the Masters. Nguyen lost his first match on Friday, but won the next three matches.
As a team, Tokay took 18th place with 51 points. Vacaville won the Masters’ tournament with 215 points, followed by Oakdale at 199 and Del Oro of Loomis third at 176.5.
Liberty Ranch’s Blake Ritchie took eighth place in 195. Returning Saturday with one loss, Ritchie, also a senior, forfeited his final match to Calaveras’ Seth Puisis. Prior to the scheduled match, Ritchie pinned Casa Robles of Orangevayle’s Bradley Rankin 18 seconds into the second round. Ironically, Ritchie lost to Gblah by a 4-1 decision before the Hawk pinned Rankin.
The Hawks finished tied for 53rd place with Dixon at 13 points. Galt, which had all five of its wrestlers eliminated on the first day, also finished tied, at 11 points with Buhach Colony of Atwater.
Lodi
For the first time in many years, the Flames had no one advance to the second day of the tournament. Lodi finished in a five-way tie for 44th place with Davis of Davis, River Valley of
Yuba City, Vintage of Napa and Woodcreek of Roseville with 16 points.
Caleb Byrd (160), a sophomore, and Sean Carpenter (220), a freshman, are two wrestlers who Lodi coach Keith Mettler feels could pave the way toward competing in the Masters’ tournament in upcoming years. Byrd and Carpenter, along with Ben Bishop (285) and Nick Jasperson (152), competed at the Masters but were eliminated with two losses each on Friday.
“Caleb has done a nice job for us for the past two seasons,” Mettler said. “He is very committed and understands the sport. He is coachable and with a good off-season plan, he could be a real force next year. We will be looking to him to carry on with leadership in the room over the next two years.”
Carpenter snuck into the Masters’ tournament. Due to an injury to a teammate before the start of the Tri-City Athletic League tournament at The Jungle earlier this month, Carpenter finished in the top four in his weight class. At the section’s DI-AA tournament at Folsom High a week later, Carpenter took sixth place to earn a berth at the Masters.
“He stepped up his game in a short amount of time,” said Mettler of Carpenter. “It’s a huge experience to compete at Masters as a freshman. We hope for good things from him as he learns and grows in this sport.”
Flames senior Livio Mamola (195), who suffered a concussion the week of the league tournament, could’ve made some noise at the Masters, Mettler said. Mamola wasn’t given medical clearance to compete in post-season.
“Had he not suffered his injury, he could very well have placed at Masters and possibly qualify for state,” said Mettler of Mamola. “We will never know since this is his senior year.”