ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) – Hosting Esparto, Biggs, East Nicholas, Paradise, Willows, Winters and Williams for a match night on Jan. 8, Pierce came away with 18 wins in 32 tries and in the process achieved some personal milestones.
And when it was all said and done, Bears’ head coach Devin Harris was more than pleased with his squad’s effort.
“Honestly it was one of our lowest win percentages this year,” Harris said. “But of the 14 that we dropped, 10 were very close with high scores that just didn’t fall our way. Still, I couldn’t be more proud of the team and some of the personal triumphs we witnessed. Failure isn’t the enemy of success it’s the foundation. I’m excited about the results, the weaknesses the losses uncovered and the fuel it provides our team to level up and work harder.”
One of those Harris singled out for their efforts was Fernanda Vega, saying, “Fernanda is a prime example of an athlete that shows up ready to work and learn, puts in the work outside the room, and is quickly closing the experience gap with hard work and grit.”
Vega had a big win at the meet with a third round pin of her opponent.
Others having breakthrough performances, according to Harris, were Dayami Villanueva, with an 11-4 decision in a match against her opponent from East Nicolaus, in addition to Angel Lomeli, who Harris said is “starting to blossom as a wrestler, moving better with more confidence and precision each week.”
Harris also reported that the Bears received a big boost from the return of Isaac Tirado, who won both of his matches by fall last week after coming back from an injury he suffered last month.
Pierce and Williams were both in Trowbridge on Jan. 15 for a match night hosted by East Nicolaus before the Bears make their way to the Armijo Invitational in Fairfield on Saturday.