MIDDLETOWN — Three matches were pivotal and Middletown High School won all three against St. Helena on Wednesday to beat the Saints 36-33 in Coastal Mountain Conference wrestling action at Middletown.
Lower Lake also participated in the conference tri-meet, losing 51-16 to Middletown and 54-25 to St. Helena.
St. Helena took a 33-30 lead into the final match of the night — at 215 pounds — against Middletown. Ezequiel Valdivia already owned one win over Middletown”s Shyenne Spaletta this season, but Spaletta pinned him near the end of the first round to give the Mustangs the victory.
“That was huge,” Middletown coach Troy Brierly said. “It was a total upset. It made a total difference.”
Spaletta”s stunner against Valdivia wouldn”t have mattered had the Mustangs not won two other matches earlier in the day. The first came at 125 pounds where Nolan Tkachenko of Middletown and Gustavo Rodriguez of St. Helena battled to a near standstill, Tkachenko finally winning 2-1 on the strength of a two-point, second-period reversal that was followed seconds later by a one-point escape by Rodriguez.
Later at 140 pounds, Terry Brierly of Middletown pinned Ben Valenzuela in the first round.
“I was happily surprised,” Brierly said of his son”s victory. “That match was a toss-up.”
Jason Hill at 171 pounds and Taylor Hoefer at 145 pounds also provided Middletown with pins against St. Helena.
Lower Lake”s young squad also had a handful of highlights, beginning with freshman Justin Painchaud”s 11-9 decision of Cosme Quiroz of St. Helena at 112 pounds.
“That was a great match,” Brierly said. “Those two really went after it.”
“It really was exciting,” Lower Lake coach Ed Fuchs said of Painchaud”s victory. “He keeps getting better and better.”
Other Lower Lake winners against St. Helena were Will Stiles by pin at 135 pounds; Tyler Johnson by pin at 140 pounds; Travis Powell by pin at 145 pounds; and Justin Harrison by 13-2 major decision at 215 pounds.
“Of the six matches we wrestled against St. Helena, we lost only one,” Fuchs said of weight divisions in which both teams entered wrestlers.
Against Middletown, Lower Lake”s Johnson won a 16-3 decision at 140 pounds and Dylan Terra won by pin at 189 pounds.
“Middletown is pretty tough, their kids work hard,” Fuchs said.
Briely said the Middletown and Lower Lake squads are in nearly identical situations with predominantly young wrestlers.
“And we”re both missing wrestlers because of injuries,” Brierly said.
But that”s now and the future is bright for both teams, according to Brierly.
“In a couple of years he”s going to be all right, just like us,” Brierly said of Fuchs” squad. “He”s done a great job with that program. By the time Painchaud and his other young wrestlers are juniors, they”re going to make some noise.”
