Ceres High’s varsity girls wrestling program suffered a narrow 42-34 loss while battling visiting Pacheco on Jan. 8 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

“I’m actually really happy with what they did,” Bulldogs’ head coach Curtis Hulstine said. “Pacheco is a tough team and we kept it close.”

“Pacheco is pretty good,” Ceres High 137-pound grappler A.C. Lugo stated. “We’ve gone against them before. We knew what to expect. We all tried our hardest. They just have more girls than us.”

Ceres High improved to 2-2 in the Western Athletic Conference dual-meet standings.

A.C Lugo, Karen Vang, Angie Huerta, Mariana Ramirez, Rosely Ayala and Jazzmin Suarez all won their respective matches for Ceres High, which dropped to 2-2 in the Western Athletic Conference dual-meet standings. 

Lugo pinned Alexis Arellano in the first round at 137 pounds.

“I just wanted to rack up some points for my team,” Lugo said. “From the position I had her in, I knew I just had to be tough and keep her down.”

Vang pinned Aaliyah Lucas in the second round at 160 pounds.

Huerta earned a major-decision victory (9-0) against Marisela Avila at 121 pounds.

Mariana Ramirez earned an injury-default victory against Daisy Gutierrez at 150 pounds.

Ayala prevailed by forfeit at 189 pounds.

Suarez prevailed by forfeit at 143 pounds.

Ceres High’s Elizabeth Mercado lost by third-round pin to Makayla Martinez at 101 pounds.

Andrea Contreras lost by second-round pin to Mira Marinelarena at 111 pounds.

Katie Garcia lost by first-round pin to Leonor Del Rio at 131 pounds.

The Bulldogs forfeited matches at 235, 170, 126 and 116 pounds to the Panthers.

Ceres High’s Mercedez Wood (189s, chest) and Gabriela Soto (126s, back) did not compete against Pacheco.

“From the beginning to now, they’re completely different,” Hulstine said while talking about his team’s improvement during the course of the season. “They’ve sharpened their skills. They’re more focused. They’re 100 percent coachable. It’s about breaking bad habits right now.”