HUNTINGTON BEACH – It was an interesting move at the time, but it was one that paid huge dividends in the end for the Servite wrestling team.
With the score tied after the first four matches, Servite coach Alan Clinton gave up a forfeit at 106 and bumped up Liam Cronin to 113 pounds.
Cronin picked up a major-decision victory and began a string of seven victories for the Friars, helping them to a 38-22 triumph over Trinity League rival St. John Bosco in the finals of the CIF-SS Coastal Division Dual Meet championships on Saturday at Marina High.
The victory gives the Friars their first CIF dual meet title. They had been in the semifinals or finals in each of the previous six years.
“They sent Cade (Olivas) out at 106 and we bumped Liam (Cronin) and we really felt he could go out there and get us a big win,” Clinton said. “I would say it was a good strategic move.
“The kids knew what I was going to do. For them to be great wrestlers, they have to understand what we’re doing and plan and they have to be prepared and respond and they did.”
The dual started at 182.
Cronin defeated Robert Eredia, 15-7. However, Servite still trailed, 15-13.
“Coming into this dual, that was our plan before,” Cronin said of the move. “We had to get the tempo and we went looking for bonus points.
After that, Servite picked up victories from A.J. Silva (120), Noah Blakley (126), Wolfgang Bernal (132), Troy Madrigal (138), JJ Reed (145) and Angel Cordova (152) to take a 38-15 lead.
During that stretch, Cronin, Silva, Blakley, Madrigal and Cordova all picked up bonus points. Blakley, Madrigal and Cordova won their matches by technical fall.
Cordova’s victory clinched the title for the Friars.
This was the second dual of the season between the two teams. In January, the teams split the 14 matches, but the Braves won all of their matches by either fall or major decision.
This time seven of the Friars’ nine victories were by either technical fall or major decision.
The Friars benefitted from having Silva and Reed in the lineup for this match. They both missed the first match against the Braves.
“This one is really neat,” Clinton said. “I know we haven’t been around long, but this was something that was missing.
“They had the opportunity to be the guys to make it happen and they arose to the occasion. It was in their goals.”
The one-day dual-meet tournament can be a grind, but the Friars had relative ease on their road to the finals, defeating Godinez (74-3), Sonora (72-9) and Santa Ana (64-3).
Despite those one-sided scores, they never strayed from the goal of winning the program’s first ever CIF dual meet title.
“We worked hard all week, doing whatever it took to come into here to help us do what we needed to do,” Cronin said. “We treat everyone like a state champion team. We didn’t overlook anyone. We come in with the same game plan, whether it is a dual or tournament.”
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CIF-SS Dual Meet Championships
Coastal Division at Marina HS
FINALS
SERVITE 38, ST. JOHN BOSCO 22
182 – Vazquez (Servite) tech fall Silva, 20-5; 195 – Z.Valencia (SJB) pin Saltzman, 1:30; 220 – Salas (SJB) dec. Paterson, 6-3; Hwt – Leuta (Servite) maj. dec. Savelio, 9-1; 106 – Olivas (SJB) bye; 113 – Cronin (Servite) maj. dec. Eredia, 15-7; 120 – Silva (Servite) maj. dec. Angel, 10-0; 126 – Blakley (Servite) tech fall Santiago, 16-1; 132 – Bernal (Servite) dec. Solomon, 4-3; 138 – Madrigal (Servite) tech fall Rodriguez, 21-6; 145 – Reed (Servite) dec. Bueno, 10-9; 152 – Cordova (Servite) tech fall Ochoa, 23-8; 160 – Williams (SJB) dec. Vidal, 12-7; 170 – A.Valencia (SJB) maj. dec. Lovest, 21-8
SEMIFINALS
St. John Bosco 60, Irvine 18
Servite 64, Santa Ana 3
SECOND ROUND
St. John Bosco 58, Canyon 18
Irvine 41, Laguna Hills 27
Santa Ana 38, Trabuco Hills 28
Servite 72, Sonora 9
FIRST ROUND
St. John Bosco bye
Canyon 38, Western 37
Irvine 50, Buena Park 9
Laguna Hills 72, Capistrano Valley 0
Santa Ana 68, Newport Harbor 9
Trabuco Hills 46, Aliso Niguel 34
Sonora 49, San Clemente 25
Servite 74, Godinez 3
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
