The Santa Rosa Junior College men’s wrestling team made quick work of Shasta College, pummeling them 46-9 at home Oct. 22 and moving the team to 8-2 on the season atop the conference.
Following their third-place finish at the 3C2A NorCal Team Dual Championship the week prior, the Bear Cubs came out engaged and aggressive, using well-executed escapes and quick maneuvering to maintain top position, forcing eventual pins.
Seven of 10 weight classes, ranging from 125–285 pounds, were disputed between the two schools with the SRJC dominating six of them, five by pinning their opponent.
The meet began with the teams lined up across from each other on the wrestling mat in a tense stare-down with the opposition. The wrestlers took turns shaking hands with their individual foes in a show of respect for the competition.
A calm confidence emanated from the Bear Cubs bench, and yet the wrestlers approached each match mindful of their challenger’s abilities.
“We knew that they were going to have some good people on their team, so we didn’t underestimate them at all, and then we just kept our heads straight,” sophomore Joe Ellis said after the meet. “We knew what we needed to do. We just went out there and got it down.”
Freshman Connor Jeong was in a back-and-forth in the first match, but appeared to get quicker and stronger throughout until he flipped a switch to take over late with a pin for the win. Jeong said, “In the third period, I was up by like three or something, and I was like, I got to turn it on.”
The gym was nearly silent when the match began but as it progressed the support for SRJC became electric. The home bench got the crowd going each time a Bear Cubs wrestler scored. The crowd only grew louder as the Bear Cubs continued to dominate.
One pin led to another as each wrestler appeared to thrive off the momentum and energy inside the building.
“When I picked him up, I definitely was like, ‘OK, yeah, I got this,’” Reg said.
SRJC head coach Fred Duerr was content with the win, but saw room for improvement.
“You can’t take anybody lightly,” he said. “We got to wrestle our style, our brand. You gotta eliminate the mistakes, and just get better one day at a time.”
The Bear Cubs next face Sacramento City at home on Oct. 28.
