More from the Davis (CA) Enterprise
Good showing, good show
By Michael Mirer/Enterprise staff writer
UC Davis’ Brandon Bear, unranked and lightly recruited out of high school, emerged from the flurry at the center of the mat with the ankle of Iowa’s Paul Bradley firmly in his grasp.
Bradley, the nation’s second-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds who had already been called for stalling once, looked out of energy and resigned to his fate. The crowd, 5,150 fans, sensed what was coming, the roar building as Bear worked himself around Bradley’s prone body, zeroing in for a two-point takedown, the winning points.
“I could hear them a little bit. I was focused making sure he wasn’t going to up, “Bear said. “After that I could hear him great.”
Bear became the first collegian to beat Bradley this year, scoring a 6-5 victory.
It certainly would not be enough for a team victory as UCD dropped its dual meet 26-9 to No. 9 Iowa, the nation’s most famous wrestling program. But it was the moment that Aggie coach Lennie Zalesky had in mind when he scheduled this match against the most recognized program in college wrestling.
“I don’t know if I could hear the crowd as much as my own heart, “said Zalesky when asked whether he felt the atmosphere in The Pavilion.
Ronnie Silva at 174 pounds and Reed Shelger at 197 also recorded victories as the Aggies saved their best wrestling for late in the evening. UCD captured three of the last four bouts against the Hawkeyes Sunday after dropping the first six.
The crowd was as much of the story as the result Sunday. The 5,150 fans comprised the largest crowd ever to watch an Aggie wrestling match in Davis. Some of those spectators were high schoolers, sporting their team colors to the match. They saw Bear, a senior from Modesto who went to Modesto Junior College out of high school, record one of the biggest upsets in school history.
“I think it’s huge one for our program of course, but also for northern California wrestling, “Zalesky said. “A JC transfer like Brandon Bear comes here, spends two years here and beat an No. 2 ranked kid. He’s a state qualifier senior year. A state qualifier and can beat that kind of kid. That’s going to ring out through California.”
Bear came to UCD last year, found his rhythm midseason and rode that momentum all the way to the NCAA Championships. He lost his two matches in St. Louis, and returned knowing that he had never felt comfortable in against the top competition.
Bear attacked from the opening whistle against Bradley, seemingly wearing his stockier opponent down. He trailed the Iowa junior 5-3 with two minutes remaining, adding a point when Bradley was called for stalling with 46 ticks left. As they clashed in the center of the ring, Bradley pushed Bear over his back and into the air. Teetering for a moment, Bear marshaled his momentum and landed in a scoring position.
“I’ve been in there with the top guys in the nation, but the matches I didn’t necessarily win, “Bear said. “Now that I’ve won one, I think I’m going to work that much harder. I feel that the goals I want are in reach. It gives me that much more confidence.”
Silva had set the stage for Bear, waking up the crowd as he took control of his match late. Leading 5-4, he put Iowa’s Luke Lofthouse to the mat with 27 seconds remaining the bout. Remaining on the attack Silva pulled him into a near fall, recording three more points as the clock expired.
It was especially sweet for Silva, who tore his ACL two years and had the start of his senior season delayed when broke a hand early in practice. When the final buzzer sounded he nearly leaped into the stands.
“It was awesome, “Silva said. “It was everything. Awesome is the word of the day.”
But it was that sort of night for the Aggies, wrestling a home meet unlike any other. A full house, a loud band and a raucous student section created a charged atmosphere.
“I remember walking out of tunnel and just feeling the electricity running through my body, “Bear said.
-Reach Michael Mirer at [email protected] or 747-8056
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