Moorpark College wins second straight California Community College Wrestling team title

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Eric Maddy (Golden West College)
12/03/2000


Moorpark College won its second consecutive California Community College Wrestling Championship here tonight, as strong contributions from all 10 members of the Raider contingent and a pair of individual state champions in Saul Lucatero (149) and Chris Gonzalez (184) pushed Moorpark ahead of runner-up Fresno, third-place Palomar, and fourth-place Sacramento City.    The Raiders finished with 110 points, putting them well clear of Fresno (94.5 points), Palomar (89.5), and Sacramento City (87.5).    "It was a real team effort," said Moorpark coach Paul Keysaw, who was named the state's Coach of the Year after winning his third state title in five years at the Moorpark helm. "We peaked at the right time, and we came out and wrestled our butts off."    Lucatero and Gonzalez offer contrasting stories as individual state champions. While Lucatero (34-0) dominated his weight class all year, Gonzalez wrestled fewer than 10 times after missing much of the season with a cracked sternum.    "We were without Chris all year long. His coming back was really a key," Keysaw said. "That was a big cog for us."    Lucatero actually clinched the title for the Raiders, as his 3-1 victory over Casey Olson in the 149-pound championship assured Moorpark of victory. Olson, the defending champion at 149 pounds, was the only one of five returning champions to fall in the finals tonight.    James Guizar of Palomar received the Outstanding Wrestler honor after winning the 141-pound weight class. Guizar improved his season mark to 25-2 with four consecutive victories on the way to his second state title after winning last year at 133.    Three other wrestlers won their second individual state title tonight. Joey Martinez of Skyline (157) was a state champion in 1998 and Brian Holt of Sierra (165) and Hossain Oshani of Cerritos (heavyweight) both won titles in 1999.    Other state titleists include Jack Anaya of Cypress, who recorded a third-period escape to win a 1-0 decision at 125 pounds; Robert Sepluveda of Fresno City at 133 pounds; Wes Tielens of Palomar, who battled from behind to defeat Sion King of Sacramento City 8-7 at 174 pounds; and Dan Martinez, the champion at 197 pounds.