DAVIS, Calif. – The 19th-ranked San Francisco State wrestling team recorded five individual victories, including two pins, but it wasn't enough as UC Davis rallied for a 24-22 triumph in a non-conference dual meet Friday night at The Pavilion in Davis, Calif. With the loss, the Gators drop to 4-9 on the season, while the Division I Aggies move to 3-9 overall.
SF State trailed after the first two bouts, 11-0, suffering a pin and a technical fall at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. However, the Gators stormed back with four straight wins, as Gene Choi (Torrance, Calif., North Torrance HS, Cerritos College) ignited the rally with a victory by fall at 174 over Alex Darkhovsky with 43 seconds left in the third period for his second pin of the season.
Zach Jimenez (Chualar, Calif., Palma HS) kept things rolling at 184 with his third pin of the year, dispatching Rory McBryde at the 3:32 mark to give SF State its first lead of the night, 12-11. Then at 197, Vince Bordi (Manteca, Calif., Manteca HS) posted an 11-3 major decision over Shawn Hoehne, which extended the Gator advantage to 16-11. Bordi, who earned a No. 8 ranking in the latest Division II individual poll, built a 5-0 lead through two periods on a pair of takedowns and an escape, cruising the rest of the way for his 18th win of the season.
The SF State streak was halted in the heavyweight class, as UC Davis' 15th-ranked Ricky Alcala came away with a 12-4 major decision over No. 8 Steve Franklin (Middletown, Calif., Middletown HS, Santa Rosa JC), which ended the Gator senior's victory string at 12 matches.
Leading by just one at 16-15, SF State increased the margin to four at 19-15 on Ricky Bernal's (West Covina, Calif., Rosemead HS, Rio Hondo College) 12-7 decision over Chris Armendariz at 125 pounds. Bernal took charge in the second period with a three-point near fall, an escape and a takedown to build an insurmountable 10-3 advantage en route to his seventh win of the year.
The 133-pound bout featured another battle of nationally ranked wrestlers as the Aggies' No. 15 Brandon Low snapped third-ranked Naveed Bagheri's (Los Gatos, Calif., Los Gatos HS, West Valley College) 19-match winning streak with an 8-6 decision, which trimmed the visitors' lead once again to one at 19-18. Trailing 6-4, Bagheri registered two escapes to tie the match; however, Low posted a takedown with 11 seconds to go in the third period to eke out the win.
The Gators gave themselves a little more breathing room after fourth-ranked Ben Lockett (San Francisco, Calif., George Washington HS) emerged triumphant with a 7-3 decision over Bryan Osuna at 141. Lockett broke a 2-2 tie in the third period with two takedowns and an escape, stretching his team's lead back to four at 22-18.
UC Davis needed a technical fall or pin in the final match of the evening at 149 to pull off the comeback win, and the Aggies' No. 15 Barrett Abel delivered with a victory by fall at the 1:42 mark of the third period, saddling SF State with a hard-luck loss.
The Gators will close out their 2009-10 dual-meet schedule on Thursday, Feb. 11 with another road clash at Menlo College in Atherton, Calif. Starting time is set for 7 p.m.
UC Davis 24, SF State 22
At Davis, Calif.
157 – Trevor Machado-Ching (UCD) pinned Kyle Cooper (SF State), 4:15
165 – Joey Wilson (UCD) tech. fall Ian Wrenn (SF State), 20-5
174 – Gene Choi (SF State) pinned Alex Darkhovsky (UCD), 6:17
184 – Zach Jimenez (SF State) pinned Rory McBryde (UCD), 3:32
197 – #8 Vince Bordi (SF State) maj. dec. Shawn Hoehne (UCD), 11-3
285 – #15 Ricky Alcala (UCD) maj. dec. #8 Steve Franklin (SF State), 12-4
125 – Ricky Bernal (SF State) dec. Chris Armendariz (UCD), 12-7
133 – #15 Brandon Low (UCD) dec. #3 Naveed Bagheri (SF State), 8-6
141 – #4 Ben Lockett (SF State) dec. Bryan Osuna (UCD), 7-3
149 – #15 Barrett Abel (UCD) pinned Josh Nolan (SF State), 6:18
