In a back-and-forth battle to the end, the San Francisco State University Gators wrestling team lost to the Menlo College Oaks in their final home match of the season.
The Gators had a slow start to the match as the Oaks put the first eight points on the board until the third dual when junior wrestler Felipe De Matos scored a takedown for the Gators. The 4-1 dual takedown put De Matos ahead and started a scoring run for the hosts.
In the fifth dual, senior Zack Wright gave the Gators a 10-8 lead by scoring 11 solo points with three takedowns, securing a major decision win. The next dual extended the Gators’ lead by five points with a win from senior Johnny Lopez against Oaks’ redshirt junior Michael Torres, who only scored one point during their dual.
Menlo came back during an aggressive dual ending in a 5-4 score, putting the team score at 13-11 with the Gators still in the lead. The eighth dual saw senior Basil Othman score 12 solo points, handing the Gators three team points to regain their five-point lead nearing the end of the match.
(Gwen Murray)
“I’m going to just do my thing, have fun, chill with my boys, chill with my family and focus on my process, not really the outcome at this point in my career,” Othman said. “I’ve lived a life, and I’ve wrestled a season, I’m not going to have any regrets. I put in the work every single day, everything I do, I do extra, so just trusting in that, whether the postseason goes my way or it’s just a flop.”
The Swamp was filled with family and friends as the team honored their 10 seniors for senior night after the fifth dual.
“It’s been a huge honor to coach this senior class,” said head coach Jason Welch. “I have only been the coach here for eight years, and to have a group of seniors who have been with me six years now, those are like my ride or die.”
It wasn’t only senior night that brought so many fans. With the schools being so close to each other, there were many Menlo supporters cheering on their wrestlers. The presence of the Oaks’ fans brought more energy out for each dual.
“I really enjoyed the last ride, it was a pleasure coming out here,” Othman said. “And we had a really great crowd. I live for this. I love being with my boys and just putting it on.”
The banter between away and home fans continued throughout all the duals. Even if their wrestler was not in favor of the dual, each side stayed persistent in their support.
Despite the early 8-0 deficit, the Gators managed to come back and score 16 points. They held the lead until the tenth dual, where Oaks senior wrestler Isaiah Morales won with four total takedowns, putting the Oaks on top by two. The Gators lost 18-16, taking their two-game winning streak away as they head into the postseason.
“It’s just another dual, it’s just another stepping stone,” said senior wrestler Andre Dargani. “For me, this doesn’t really matter; it’s postseason, regionals and nationals that matter.”
SFSU has a two-week break before the NCAA postseason games start, and will be taking the time to work on what they have been doing and focusing on the process, according to assistant coach Anthony Mancini.
“I thought our performance was good, we were very focused on the process, not the result,” Mancini said. “So if our process is good, we’re initiating offense and we’re doing the things we work on in practice, we’ll accept whatever results happen.”
The Gators finished the season with a 7-5 record heading into the postseason.
“Win or lose, that’s out of our control,” Welch said. “We’re a process-driven game, and our goal is to win in two weeks. This wasn’t our Super Bowl. Our Super Bowl is in two weeks; this is just a good game.”
The Gators will next compete at the NCAA Division II Super Regional VI on Feb. 28 in Colorado. A top-three finish will send the Gators to the national championships in March.
