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Martinez and Illinois to wrestle Big Ten style in Lemoore
“We decided to do this for several reasons,” said Heffernan, whose Illinois team should be a team to be reckoned with this year in the Big Ten. “Central California has been very good to our program for many years. We have had three Tirapelle brothers: Adam, Alex and Troy, as well as Gabe Flores and Ryan Escobar.”
But he admitted his team is special with the likes of Central Valley wrestlers like Martinez, Nikko Reyes and Jesse Delgado. “When we recruited the current group we talked about Illinois coming to the area to compete to allow these guys the opportunity to wrestle close to home. The Central Valley has very strong wrestling, and more importantly, appreciates the sport.”
Heffernan said this group is special. “This entire group made a real sacrifice to come to Illinois,” he said. “And we are doing our part to show our appreciation for their sacrifice. We are excited to come to the west coast in November, especially knowing there is real interest in the sport in Central California.”Heffernan said his team will also wrestle at Gilroy High School – Delgado’s home town. The talented senior wrestler is a two-time NCAA champion and three-time all-American. “I feel like bringing Jesse (and our team) is a great way to pay tribute to Jesse’s accomplishments and what he has done at the University of Illinois.”As far as Martinez is concerned, Heffernan couldn’t be more pleased. “Isaiah is doing great and we have very high expectations for him during his career,” said Heffernan. “He had a very productive red-shirt season and continues to improve all the time. He is a pretty mature kid in his approach and he trains very hard. He is really strong mentally and exceptionally confident in his abilities. He will be a mainstay in our line-up and as he progresses through his career, he will hopefully develop into a leadership role within our team.”
It was a little less than two years ago that Martinez won his third straight CIF State Wrestling Championship, beating the no. 2 guy at the time, Nicholas Fiegener, pinning him to secure his place in the annuls of California wrestling history, becoming one of only 17 wrestlers to win three state titles.
In an interview shortly after Martinez won his title, Heffernan told The Leader he fully expects Martinez to win a national title. The only other Tiger to win a NCAA championship was Chris Pendleton, who wrestled for Oklahoma State.
Tiger Coach Marcio Botelho is looking forward to the event and has been communicating with the Illinois coaching staff. “When Isaiah first signed they kind of promised him they would go back to his high school and compete,” said Botelho. “I think that was a promise he (Heffernan) made to Isaiah and I think he’s coming through. That just shows a lot about the coach.”
Botelho views the Illinois match as a recruiting tool for Illinois. He said that many valley wrestlers see guys like Heffernan coming to the Valley and visiting small towns like Lemoore, and that impresses them.
According to the Tiger coach, Isaiah is excited about returning to his home town and wrestling in front of friends and family. “He’s really stoked about it. He told me he couldn’t wait to come here and perform and to show how much better he is at the next level.”
Episode 34 of The MatBoss Podcast is with four-time All-American and three-time NCAA Division I finalist Gerry Abas of Fresno State. Gerry Abas talks about his start in wrestling in the Bay Area and how his speed, quickness and flash on the wrestling mat had its foundations in break dancing in the 1980s.
He also talks about his classic match and loss to Iowa’s Lincoln McIlravy, coaching his younger brother Stephen at Fresno State, watching the school drop the program and his feelings about it at the time. Abas also speaks about his son Jaden and what we can expect from him on the next level.
Stephen Abas
Stephen Abas, 2008 Olympic silver medalist and three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Fresno State, has been named head wrestling coach at Fresno High School.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Abas to Fresno Unified, knowing that he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with our Fresno High student-athletes,” said Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson.
The statement said Abas would take the helm of the Warriors wrestling program at Fresno High immediately.
As a wrestler at Fresno State University, Abas was a four-time NCAA All-American, winning three NCAA titles at 125 pounds in 1999, 2001, and 2002. Abas tallied a 144-4 overall record for the Bulldogs, including 46 pins. Abas’ career winning percentage of 97.3 percent is also a school record. For all these accomplishments, Abas was named the Fresno State Male Athlete of the Year in 1999 and 2001.
Stephen in high school (Canyon Springs HS & James Logan HS) was a 3X CIF state champion and a NHSCA National Champion in 1996.
Stephen Abas – Fresno State, 3X NCAA National Champion
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Registration/Workout 3:00 – 8:00 pm
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Round 1 Girls Championship Round 1 9:00 am – 11:30 am (10 mats)
Round 2 Girls Championship Round 2 11:30 am – 1:00 pm (10 mats)
Round 1 Boys Championship Pig Tail 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (10 mats)
Round 2 Boys Championship Round 1 2:30 pm – 6:00 pm (10 mats)
Round 3 Boys Championship Round 2 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm (10 mats)
Round 4 Boys Consolation Pig Tails 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm (10 mats)
Friday, February 22, 2019
Round 5/3 Boys/Girls Consolation Round 1 9:00 – 12:00 pm (10/5 mats)
Round 6/4 Boys/Girls Consolation Round 2 12:00 – 3:00 pm (10/5 mats)
Round 7/5 Boys/Girls Quarterfinals/Consolation Round 3 3:00 – 6:00 pm (10/5 mats)
Round 8/6 Boys/Girls Consolation Round 4 6:00 – 7:30 pm (10/5 mats)
Round 9/7 Boys/Girls Consolation Round 5 7:30 – 8:30 pm (10/5 mats)
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Round 8/10 Girls/Boys Championship Semi-Finals 9:00 – 10:30 am (6 mats)
Round 8/11 Girls/Boys Consolation Semi’s 10:30 – 12:00 pm (6/3 mats)
Round 10/12 Girls/Boys 3rd/5th/7th Places 12:00 -2:00 pm (6/3 mats)
Final Round Championship Finals 5:05 pm (2 mats)
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State Rankings2 weeks agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Team Rankings
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State Rankings1 week agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Rankings – 106 lbs.
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State Rankings1 week agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Rankings – 126 lbs.
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State Rankings1 week agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Rankings – 120 lbs.
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State Rankings1 week agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Rankings – 113 lbs.
