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Early Season Success For Mustang Wrestlers
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Coming off their huge performance at the 40th James Riddle Tournament where six Mustang grapplers took first place honors, Oakdale made their presence felt at the Marty Manges Invite at Casa Robles High School. Nine wrestlers finished in the top 10. Three Oakdale wrestlers were named champions, a trio of grapplers took second place, the Mustangs had a pair of third place finishers and an eighth place 220-pounder. The Mustangs took first place as a team to claim their second tournament victory in as many tries in 2015.

Freshman Dustin Chavez made an impact in his first high school varsity tournament at the Riddle, where he took first place, and he followed up with another impressive run. The quick Chavez took first place for the second week in a row after going through four others at the 106-pound weight class. Junior Jake Abeyta took home a first place medal after he blitzed through the competition in the 120-pound weight class bracket. Abeyta also took first place in the Riddle. Completing the trio of first place champions, senior Trevor Williams continued his quest to be a state champion. Like he did last weekend, Williams completed the sweep of his competition in the tough 138-pound bracket.

Like Chavez, fellow Mustang freshman Ricky Torres (132) has been an early season surprise. Torres took first place in his first tournament at the varsity level last week, and followed up with a second place finish at the Marty Manges Invite. Trevor Williams (138) battled his way to a second place finish, falling just short in the championship round. Williams, a senior, is a three-time state qualifier. Oakdale’s Bronson Harmon (152) competed in what many took away as “Match of the Day” honors when he clashed with Central Catholic’s Christian Dominguez in a see-saw finals battle at the Riddle. Harmon finished second at the Riddle and followed up with a second place finish at the Marty Manges Invite.

Gabe Martinez (145) turned things around from last week, where he fell short by one point in the opening round of the Riddle, and made it to the semi-finals of the Marty Manges Invite, to claim third place. Making his season debut, Justin Jacobson (160) battled his way to the semi-finals. Jacobson earned third place honors. Like his Mustang teammate, Nico Sarale (220) also made his season debut. Sarale finished eighth on the day.

The team next heads out to Reno, Nevada for the two-day wrestle fest known as the Sierra Nevada Classic. The tournament starts on Tuesday, Dec. 29 and wraps up on Wednesday, Dec. 30. The annual classic begins at 9 a.m.