Ceres Unified School District had two sets of brothers advance to the finals of the Valley Oak League High School Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
"I think that's awesome," Ceres High senior Tony Chavez said. "We have a few gifted wrestlers in Ceres. That's for sure."
"We put Ceres on the map," Central Valley junior Victor Tubera said. "We're a threat."
"That was cool to see," Bulldogs head coach Jon Nowicki said. "We've had a lot of sibling studs come through this program that my dad coached. It just shows that to be a good wrestler, it kind of has to run in your blood."
Steven Chavez, Tony's twin brother, captured the 173-pound crown by pinning Oakdale's Charlie Gilstrap in the third round (4:47).
"He stood up and there was my opening right there," Steven said. "It happened so fast. He was on his back and I was squeezing on for dear life."
Steven trailed 2-0 at the end of the first round. Chavez grabbed a 5-4 lead with a takedown late in the second round.
"He came out stronger than expected," Steven said. "He kind of caught me off guard."
Tony had to settle for runner-up honors following a 7-6 loss to Oakdale's AC Brown at 154 pounds.
"I knew it was going to be tough, but I thought I was going to take the victory," said Chavez, who edged Brown 4-2 in overtime during the Ceres High-Oakdale VOL dual meet earlier this season. "I could have wrestled better, more intense."
AC held off Tony in the final minute during the second meeting.
"There's a lot of wrestlers like that," Chavez said. "You just have to be really offensive. That's something I'm working on."
Added Steven: "It was pretty upsetting for me to see him lose. He should be up there."
Central Valley senior Mike Tubera captured the 121-pound championship with a third-round pin (3:05) of Oakdale's Kevin Butler.
"He got me in a cradle and I rolled through it and caught him," Tubera said. "I wanted it so bad."
Added Victor: "I'm really proud of him."
Victor lost by technical fall (21-5) to state-ranked Trevor-Machado of Oakdale in the second round of the 142-pound title match.
"I've improved since the last time I wrestled him," said Tubera, who fell 16-1 in the opening round to Machado-Ching during the Central Valley-Oakdale conference dual. "I wish I could have gone all three rounds this time."
The Tubera and Chavez brothers qualified for this week's divisional tournament at Sacramento's Foothill High.
"I think that's awesome," Ceres High senior Tony Chavez said. "We have a few gifted wrestlers in Ceres. That's for sure."
"We put Ceres on the map," Central Valley junior Victor Tubera said. "We're a threat."
"That was cool to see," Bulldogs head coach Jon Nowicki said. "We've had a lot of sibling studs come through this program that my dad coached. It just shows that to be a good wrestler, it kind of has to run in your blood."
Steven Chavez, Tony's twin brother, captured the 173-pound crown by pinning Oakdale's Charlie Gilstrap in the third round (4:47).
"He stood up and there was my opening right there," Steven said. "It happened so fast. He was on his back and I was squeezing on for dear life."
Steven trailed 2-0 at the end of the first round. Chavez grabbed a 5-4 lead with a takedown late in the second round.
"He came out stronger than expected," Steven said. "He kind of caught me off guard."
Tony had to settle for runner-up honors following a 7-6 loss to Oakdale's AC Brown at 154 pounds.
"I knew it was going to be tough, but I thought I was going to take the victory," said Chavez, who edged Brown 4-2 in overtime during the Ceres High-Oakdale VOL dual meet earlier this season. "I could have wrestled better, more intense."
AC held off Tony in the final minute during the second meeting.
"There's a lot of wrestlers like that," Chavez said. "You just have to be really offensive. That's something I'm working on."
Added Steven: "It was pretty upsetting for me to see him lose. He should be up there."
Central Valley senior Mike Tubera captured the 121-pound championship with a third-round pin (3:05) of Oakdale's Kevin Butler.
"He got me in a cradle and I rolled through it and caught him," Tubera said. "I wanted it so bad."
Added Victor: "I'm really proud of him."
Victor lost by technical fall (21-5) to state-ranked Trevor-Machado of Oakdale in the second round of the 142-pound title match.
"I've improved since the last time I wrestled him," said Tubera, who fell 16-1 in the opening round to Machado-Ching during the Central Valley-Oakdale conference dual. "I wish I could have gone all three rounds this time."
The Tubera and Chavez brothers qualified for this week's divisional tournament at Sacramento's Foothill High.
