Serra falls short against Bells

So while visiting Bellarmine and host Serra both finished their West Catholic Athletic League dual meet showdown by winning seven matches each, it was how the Bells won theirs that resulted in Bellarmine’s 41-37 victory.

“All week long it was, ‘How are we going to win?’” said Serra head coach Mike Klobuchar.

He wasn’t referring to simply winning, but with different points awarded for different ways of victory — a win by decision is worth three points, while a pin is worth six — he was concerned about how his team would win.

In the end, Bellarmine won five of its matches by pin, compared to four for the Padres.

“It was a great match. Everybody wrestled tough,” Klobuchar said. “Overall, I’m really happy.”

The final team score was decided by the final match of the night at 220. Bellarmine led 35-31, but were going to give up six points with a forfeit at heavyweight, essentially meaning the Padres held a 37-35 advantage.

With both teams needing a win at 220, it was Serra’s Evan Reeve who brought the Serra bench and their fans to their feet with a two-point takedown less than 30 seconds into the match.

But Reeve let down his guard for a split second and Bellarmine’s Andrew Wilson took advantage. He rolled into a two-point reversal and instantly notched a near-fall before finishing with a pin with less than 30 seconds left in the first period to give the Bells the victory.

“Any hesitation (against Bellarmine) and you’ll lose,” Klobuchar said.

While the final scored was decided on the final match, it’s hard to say that was the turning point. Any other result in any of the previous dozen matches could have changed the importance of the 220-pound match.

In fact, it was a surprise Bellarmine win in the second match of the evening at 113 that changed the complexion of the team score. Serra’s JR Tassano got an early first-period takedown and near-fall to take a quick 5-0 lead and led 5-1 after the first period.

Tassano earned an escape to start the second period for a 6-1 lead and seemed to be in control of the match. But a mistake gave Bellarmine’s Justin Estonina the upper hand. He quickly got a reverse and set to work on the pin — which he got with 34 seconds left in the second period.

Bellarmine, a West Catholic Athletic League and Central Coast Section power, won the first three matches, getting a pair of pins and technical fall, to build a 17-0 lead.

Serra responded with back-to-back wins from Charles Matthews, who 18-5 at 126, and a third-round pin from Nico Cappabianca to close to 17-10.

The Bells won by pin at 138 and 145 for a 29-10 advantage before Serra’s big guns came to the plate. Mike Pechina, a senior who is ranked No. 11 in CCS at 152 and who has committed to wrestle at Menlo College, had to work to get past Bellarmine’s Patrick Hamilton, who led 2-0 after one period.

Hamilton pushed his lead to 4-1 early in the second before Pechina finally got untracked. A reverse and a takedown gave Pechina a 5-4 lead and after Hamilton tied it with an escape with 40 seconds left in the second period, Pechina gained control with a 2-point takedown just as buzzer sounded to end the second period to give him a 7-5 advantage.

Pechina maintained control in the third to post an 11-7 victory.

Alan Kaufman pulled out a surprise win at 160, earning a third-period pin despite trailing 6-0 after Bellarmine’s Jan Dukic recorded a pair of 3-point near-falls in the second.

Jack Woods followed for Serra at 170 and put on show as he dominated his opponent. Woods, ranked No. 6 in CCS, tossed Bellarmine’s Cameron Orenalas like a rag doll, coming up with four throws as he eventually posted a pin 12 seconds into the third period and suddenly the Padres trailed 29-25 in the team score with their third straight win.

Bellarmine got some breathing room with a quick, first-round pin at 182, but the Padres returned the favor with an Arman Poplip in in the first round at 195, setting up the winner-take-all 220-pound match.

“Bellarmine had a couple of their top guys out … It was ours to lose,” Klobuchar said. “It’s tough to know that (and come up short).”