Argel Arroyo’s third-round pin of Bryan Garcia lifted Ceres High’s varsity boys wrestling team to a thrilling 42-37 win over visiting Johansen in Western Athletic Conference dual-meet action on Dec. 20 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

“I like being in those high-pressure situations,” said Arroyo, a standout 220-pound grappler. “It’s all up to you. I’m pretty confident.”

The Bulldogs improved to 5-2 overall and  2-1 in the WAC.

The Vikings dropped to 1-2 in the WAC.

Ceres High lost its previous dual, 50-27, to Beyer.

“We knew we couldn’t dwell on that loss,” Arroyo said. “We had to focus on our next match. Our team had the right mindset. We were confident. Our coaches made sure we were prepared. We’re only going to get better.”

Arroyo pinned Garcia with 39 seconds remaining in the final period.

“We were hand fighting,” he said. “I went for a shot and took him down. He stayed on his belly and I capitalized on that mistake.”

Ceres High’s Edison Jimenez, Josh Dominguez, Angel Figueroa, Israel Ezpinoza, Aram Garibay and Sonald Lal also collected individual victories against shorthanded Johansen.

Jimenez won by first-round pin (1:35) over Jackson Schulz at 138 pounds.

Dominguez, Figueroa, Esparza, Garibay and Lal won by forfeit at 160, 170, 182, 106 and 113 pounds, respectively.

Allen Thy lost by major decision (7-2) to Isaac Brionez at 195 pounds.

Marcus Martinez lost by major decision (11-3) to Bereyah Deleon at 132 pounds.

Bryan Erenas lost by second-round pin (1:24) to Jose Aguilar at 145 pounds.

Nathan Pethyon lost by second-round pin (1:00) to Aaron Medina at 120 pounds.

Fabian Amparo lost by first-round pin (0:48) to David Salazar at 126 pounds.

Victor Torres lost by first-round pin (0:38) to Hector Martinez at 152 pounds.

Johansen’s Attila Sides won by forfeit at 285 pounds.

Bulldogs 30, Vikings 12

No matches were staged during the Ceres High varsity girls wrestling team’s 30-12 victory against Johansen last week.

The Bulldogs and Vikings won by forfeit five and two times, respectively, during the WAC dual.

Ceres High improved to 4-3 on the year and 2-1 in league.

Johansen dropped to 0-3.

Ceres High’s Angelique Huerta (131 pounds), Jazzmin Suarez (137s) Suzy Rodriguez (189s) and Vanessa Sanchez (235s) were all awarded forfeit victories.

Johansen’s Jessica Arrieta (106s) and Ketzia Naranjo (111s) accounted for Johansen’s two wins.

There were double forfeits at four different weight classes (126s, 150s, 160s, 170s).