Scofield rebounds from loss to finish third
BAKERSFIELD – The pain from Friday night's loss in the quarterfinals was still evident in Bobby Scofield's eyes.
All of the time and sweat that he had put into the season were supposed to pay off in the form of a state title.
But it didn't happen.
For the first time since last year's state tournament, the Dana Hills wrestler found himself in the consolation bracket following Friday night's loss to Sean Roman-Marin.
"I was in shock last night (Friday)," Scofield said. "Honestly, I just wanted to beat myself up. But you know what ... win like a man, lose like a man."
Scofield returned Saturday and went 4-0 to finish third in his 130-pound weight class, an improvement from a seventh-place finish at last year's tournament,
"He showed character and he came back and wrestled hard," Dana Hills coach Reza Abedi said. "He won one match at a time. It wasn't flashy, but he wrestled. What makes it special is that he came back and wrestled four matches in a row. Some kids can't cope with that, and it really showed that he has a big heart."
In the third-place match, Scofield defeated Kyle West of Oak Ridge High of El Dorado Hills, 6-4. Scofield will likely attend the Senior High School Nationals later this month.
"It would have been nice to have a state championship, and that was my goal," he said. "I can still hold my head up because I know that I am the best one here. I took the loss like a man, something I haven't done in a long time. We'll see what is next."
Vinny Pisani (El Modena) finished fifth at 135 pounds and Jose Navarro (Santa Ana) was fourth at 145 pounds. Nick Knowles (Calvary Chapel) and Evan Coles (Laguna Hills) finished fourth and sixth, respectively, at 160 pounds.
NOTE
Former Loara High coach John Dahlem, former Pacifica and El Dorado coach Frank Gonzales, former Fountain Valley High wrestler Dan Lewis and Dick Morris, president of the Orange County Wrestling Officials Association, were inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame.
