The Roadrunners picked up big wins from unexpected sources to run their record to 3–4 on the season and 2–2 in the Pac–10. UC Davis, which entered the contest ranked third in the conference, dropped to 3–6 overall and 1–2 in conference.
The dual went back and forth, with each team winning five matches. The turning point, however, came just after the midway point as sophomore Brandon Ceremello (Clovis HS) picked a good time for his first pin and second win of the season. Ceremello, who had wrestled tough against a number of the conference's top wrestlers in the last week, finally broke through with a win.
With the Roadrunners trailing 12–8 entering the 184–pound match, Ceremello managed to quickly turn Tyler Bernacchi onto his back and record the much–needed pin in just 1:41. The victory gave Bakersfield a 14–12 edge and seemed to turn to the momentum of the match.
After Davis opened with a technical fall at 141 pounds, the Roadrunners regained the lead with a pair of major decision victories. Brandon Doyle (Ramona HS) had little trouble with Shawn Haratani at 149 pounds, recording a 14–5 major decision. He was followed by Daniel Atondo (Sunnyvale/Fremont HS), who scored a major decision at 157 pounds, downing Jon Clark by a 17–7 count.
The Aggies responded with a pair of wins to jump right back into the lead. At 165 pounds, Brian Busby (San Diego/Scripps Ranch HS) faced off against Frank Richmond in a battle of ranked wrestlers in the Pac–10. Richmond, however, got the better of Busby on the day, recording the 13–7 decision. That was followed by Ken Cook scoring a 13–5 major decision over Garth Wara (Madera HS) at 174 pounds, giving Davis a 12–8 lead.
After Ceremello's victory, 197 pounder Colton Nichols (Poway HS) was unable to record back–to–back wins despite wrestling a strong match, eventually falling to Eliot Kelly by a 12–6 count and giving Davis a slight 15–14 edge. Heavyweight Eric Parker (Ramona HS) then took the three points back, continuing his hot streak with a 9–3 win over Broc Maffia.
Freshman Brandon Zoetewey (San Ramon/De la Salle) then followed with what has been the best showing of his young collegiate career, scoring a decision over Marcos Orozco at 125 pounds, just missing out on a major decision with an 11–4 victory. The victory gave the Roadrunners a 20–15 edge heading into the 133 pound match.
That match pitted UC Davis' Omar Gaitan, one of the best wrestlers at 133 pounds in the Pac–10, and Bakersfield freshman Thomas Kimbrell (Dawsonville, Georgia/Dawson County HS), who has been doing a good job replacing Tommy Vargas (Highland/Northwestern) while the senior has been out sick. Though Kimbrell struggled with the much more experienced Gaitan, he battled hard to avoid the tech fall or the pin, eventually falling by major decision, but preserving the Roadrunners victory with a strong showing.
Bakersfield takes a bit of a break before traveling north to face Oregon and Oregon State on Friday (Jan. 27).
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