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SJSU Wrestling Archives The Spartan Daily 2-2-84 |
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SJSU Faces Bakersfield |
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by Joe Roderick |
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| Last November's SJSU-Cal State Bakersfield wrestling match wasn't decided until the final whistle had blown in
the last bout of the evening. In all likelihood, tonight's rematch will be as close as can be. Don't be surprised, though, if one teams gains the early momentum and sneaks away to win it. The Spartans beat Bakersfield 21-18, Nov. 23 in San Jose, splitting the all-important first four matches. Tonight at 7:30 in the Roadrunners' small, but always crowded gym, the Spartans tangle with rival Bakersfield. SJSU, undefeated at 10-0, is ranked seventh in the nation among Division I schools. Bakersfield, an independent, is 10-5 and ranked first in the country in Division II competition. The Roadrunners record is highly deceiving, however. All five losses--Oklahoma State (ranked No. 1), Iowa (2), Oklahoma (3), SJSU (7), and Oregon State (12)--were against teams ranked in the top 15 in the U.S. And that's Division I, folks. Records and ranking are meaningless, though, when the Spartans and Roadrunners meet. "It's always close against Bakersfield," Spartan head coach T.J. Kerr said. "No matter what the issues are, it's always close. One year they were supposed to come in and rips us. It ended up pretty close that year." It may be close again tonight. The tone could be set early. The Spartans split the opening four matches against Bakersfield in November. With the score tight, the Spartans were able to let their big boys take care of business. The Spartans will again need to build the momentum quickly. "We've got to win two or three of the first four matches or we'll be hurting," Kerr said. One of the keys could come at 142, where the Roadrunners' Jesse Reyes, ranked No. 1 in the nation, will battle the Spartans' David Barnes. Reyes beat the Spartans' Jay Slivkoff (150) in November, 13-5. Believe it or not, Reyes has improved even more since then, increasing his record to 29-2. "Reyes has been destroying people," Kerr said. "The pressure's on Barnes. It's not like we've never wrestled Reyes before. Barnes knows what he's up against. It's not like he's walking into something he hasn't seen before. Barnes isn't naive about it or anything." Another Spartan under the gun is Anthony Palomino who did his part last November in helping the Spartans to an early lead. At 134 pounds, Palomino knocked off Brian Stevens, who had beaten the Spartan freshman only a week before 10-5. Palomino who was leading 11-6 with just 23 seconds left when Stevens defaulted because of a knee injury. Stevens hasn't returned since. "That was a big turn around," Kerr said. Palomino, now 16-9-1, will battle Steve Markey tonight. Markey is 23-3-1 and ranked ninth in the nation at 134 pounds. The Spartans may have an advantage at 150, where SJSU's Jay Slivkoff (19-8) will battle Troy Osborn, just 18-12. SJSU might have had an even bigger edge if not for the absence of 177-pounder Marvin Jones, who suffered a thumb injury Jan. 14 against the University of Oregon. With Jones (23-4) ranked fifth in the U.S. by Amateur Wrestling News, the Spartans would have gained a near-guaranteed three points, maybe six, at 177. Chris Atkinson, himself a bit nicked up with an ankle injury, will replace Jones at 177, and face Bob Button (17-7-2). Jones was troubled by more the effects his absence has on the team rather than his own individual concerns. "My heart was aching," said Jones, a junior. "This hurt bad. It was totally unexpected. We have a chance at going undefeated. I just really wanted to help out. I wanted to wrestle Thursday, but coach won't let me." NOTES-- You may be wondering why the Spartans and Roadrunners are meeting twice head-to-head. According to Kerr, SJSU, Bakersfield, and Cal Poly-SLO have a five-year agreement to wrestle on a home-and-home basis. The agreement is in its third year. |
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