Jacks boys overcome early deficit to win at home
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months AGO
The Jacks’ Johnny Blancas, top, prepares to resume his match against Ricardo Chavez, in white. Quincy defeated the Prosser Mustangs 40-29 Thursday at home.
MIKE MAYNARD/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Isaac Villaraoz, left, eyes his opponent in the opening match against the Prosser Mustangs Thursday.
Lucas Martinez, right, looks for a takedown opportunity against his opponent from Prosser.
Jacinto ‘Toro’ Camacho eyes his opponent during his match against Prosser Thursday.
QUINCY — The Quincy Jacks overcame a slow start against the Prosser Mustangs to earn a 40-29 league win at home. Head coach Breck Webley was happy that his wrestlers came out victorious against a tough opponent.
“We knew they were tough,” he said. “We were just kind of weathering the storm there at the beginning, and then knew we'd have a better chance once we hit the 130s (weight class) moving up, but had a little bit of a surprise at 126(lbs), we were expecting a bit of a tighter match, but sometimes something funky happens, and it catches you off guard.”
Though the matches were competitive throughout, the Mustangs jumped out to an 11-26 lead over the Jacks. After two decision victories by Jody Gardner and Diego Diaz and a couple of forfeits, Quincy took their first lead of the night 30-26. From there, they built on their lead to seal a 40-29 win over Prosser at home.
“That mental fortitude comes from trying to instill a lot of confidence with situational wrestling,” Webley said. “We work hard to teach kids that you don't have to panic in these situations, but just be consistent with the technique you've learned, and opportunities will arise, especially if you're in well enough shape to take advantage of them.”
Izyk Vasquez returned from a knee injury to secure a technical fall win over Prosser's Christian Mendoza and cut the Jacks team's deficit to 11-20 at the time. The match of the night for Webley was Diaz’s decision victory.
During his match, Diaz was trailing 7-8 with under a minute remaining. After shooting for a takedown that turned into a hip toss, he took the lead at 13-8 to seal the win in the final seconds.
“It's his first time being consistently in the varsity lineup, but he's been in the wrestling program for a while, and he was losing seven to eight in the final seconds, and he threw the guy to his back and kept the foot in bounds, so his opponent was out of bounds. He was able to lock up the takedown and some near falls just a few seconds before time expired and got a victory,” Webley said.
After his win, the rest of the lineup was energized to make the climb back up on the scoreboard. When a wrestler that is revered by his teammates secures a win like Diaz, it can provide a momentum shift for the rest of the team, Webley said.
From there, both teams continued to battle back and forth as the Jacks fought to keep the lead. In the concluding match between Alejandro Barajas (QNCY) versus Korbyn Hopwood (PRSR) at 215 lbs.
“We expected it to be the toughest match of the night, and it didn't disappoint,” Webley said. “Hopwood is a thrower, and he threw Alejandro to his back twice. Once almost got the pin on him, but Alejandro fought off his back and then was able to get some takedowns. He was ready for a couple of other throws this guy attempted, and he was able to get the takedown off those as well.”
After a 15-7 decision win for Barajas, the Jacks secured the team win at home as they continue their push for the postseason. They host their final home dual Feb. 5 against the Ephrata Tigers at 7 p.m.
The Jacks have a particularly large senior class this season, according to Webley. Eight of which are on the varsity roster. He is excited to see them conclude their wrestling journey at home against a rival.
“I think it might be an emotional night for a lot of them. Being able to have a senior night as well as a rivalry night for us with Ephrata, it just adds all the layers that make a dual night even more special,” Webley said.
RESULTS:
106: Julian Jaimez (PRSR) over Jacinto Camacho (QNCY), technical fall
113: Bryan Garcia Rosas (PRSR) over Kevin Morales (QNCY), pinfall
120: Johny Blancas (QNCY) over Ricardo Chavez (PRSR), pinfall
126: Alexis Hurtado (PRSR) over Lucas Martinez (QNCY), pinfall
132: Izyk Vasquez (QNCY) over Christian Mendoza (PRSR), technical fall
138: Karsten Merrick (PRSR) over Liam Fox (QNCY), pinfall
144: Jody Gardner (QNCY) over Aiden Blair (PRSR), decision 15-6
150: Pancho Magana (QNCY) over Prosser, forfeit
157: Diego Diaz (QNCY) over Jose Maldonado (PRSR), decision 13-8
165: Enrique Rebollo (QNCY) over Prosser, forfeit
175: Hayden Baggerly (PRSR) over Angel Farias (QNCY), decision 8-9
190: Anthony Averill (QNCY) over Prosser, forfeit
215: Alejandro Barajas (QNCY) over Korbyn Hopwood (PRSR), decision 15-7
285: Joaquin Ortiz (PRSR) over Isaac Villaraoz (QNCY), decision 2-3
Isaac Villaraoz, left, eyes his opponent in the opening match against the Prosser Mustangs Thursday.
Lucas Martinez, right, looks for a takedown opportunity against his opponent from Prosser.
Jacinto ‘Toro’ Camacho eyes his opponent during his match against Prosser Thursday.ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
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