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Brockson qualifies for state tournament

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

Fallbrook High School junior Nic Brockson qualified for the CIF state wrestling tournament.

The top four wrestlers in each weight class at the CIF San Diego Section’s all-division masters tournament Feb. 17-18 at Mission Hills High School qualified for the state tournament. Brockson placed fourth in the 115-pound bracket.

“We’re very proud of him,” said Fallbrook head coach Tom Brockson.

The masters tournament included the top seven in each weight class from the Division II tournament Feb. 11 at San Pasqual High School. Three Warriors qualified for the masters tournament: Nic Brocson was third among 115-pound matmen, senior Xavier Pacheco was the seventh-place 122-pound grappler, and sophomore Daniel Wilson took seventh in the 134-pound class.

“Just really proud of all the guys,” Tom Brockson said.

Pacheco began the masters tournament by pinning Bryce Hughes of Christian High School 1:33 into that match. “He came out hot the first match, had a big win,” Brockson said.

Riley Jones of El Capitan would eventually place sixth in the weight class. Jones sent Pacheco to the losers’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament with a pin 25 seconds into the second period of their second-round match. In his first consolation bracket match, Pacheco was pinned by Alvin Cordova of Holtville 1:46 into the bout.

“He was in the matches,” Brockson said.

During the week between the divisional tournament and the masters tournament, Pacheco injured his back. “That was hurting him,” Brockson said.

Pacheco also wrestled his masters matches with lingering injuries to his knee, thumb, and big toe. “He was out there and just battled through it,” Brockson said.

“He battled through all those injuries,” Brockson said. “He just really toughed it out.”

Last year, Pacheco wrestled in the 115-pound class. He placed sixth at the Division II tournament, pinned Jones in his first masters tournament match, was pinned in the second round with seven seconds remaining in the first period, began consolation bracket competition with a 9-3 decision victory, and was then pinned to end his junior season.

Pacheco is contemplating continuing his scholastic wrestling career at Palomar College.

In the 2022 division tournament, Wilson was pinned by the weight class champion and then lost a one-point decision in overtime, so the 2023 masters tournament was Wilson’s first. He began with a loss by pin to Jesus Bracamonte of Central Union High School, who needed 56 seconds to advance. In his second match, Wilson lasted until the third period before being pinned by La Costa Canyon’s Samuel Weinberg 16 seconds into the period.

“He had a tough draw in the bracket,” Brockson said.

“He went out there and wrestled,” Brockson said. “He gave it his all.”

Brockson is optimistic about Wilson’s future. “He’s still developing, and we’re really excited about next year,” Brockson said. “He has two more years to try to get to state.”

Due to coronavirus precautions, there was neither a state meet nor a masters tournament in 2021, so Nic Brockson made his masters tournament debut last year after placing fourth among 108-pound wrestlers at the Division II tournament. After a first-round forfeit win and a major decision loss in the second round, Brockson pinned two consolation bracket opponents before being pinned in the second period by the wrestler who took fifth place.

This year, Brockson advanced to the second round with a bye. He then faced Ramona freshman Logan Barerra, who had placed fourth in the Division III tournament. “Ramona kind of surprised us,” Tom Brockson said. “It was a battle.”

An 8-6 decision win over Barerra advanced Nic Brockson to the quarterfinals match against Brawley’s Anthony Tamay, who won the Jan. 7 Mission Hills Invitational tournament and defeated Brockson by an 8-0 major decision in that tournament’s semifinal. In the masters tournament, Brockson obtained a 7-3 victory over Tamay.

“He came up early in points,” Tom Brockson said.

Tamay narrowed the deficit somewhat, but Nic Brockson was able to add his own points. “He ended up taking a win in the match,” Tom Brockson said.

“He just outwrestled him,” Tom Brockson said. “For the season for Nic, it was probably his turning point.”

In the semifinal, Carlo Arreola of Granite Hills pinned Nic Brockson with 18 seconds left in the third period. Weight class champion Edwin Sierra of Poway won a major decision against Patrick Henry’s Ethan Vinoray in the other semifinal. Brockson and Vinoray were relegated to the consolation semifinals where Vinoray pinned Valhalla’s Arseel Eliya and Brockson won a 3-1 decision against Carter Bolt of Torrey Pines.

With four state qualifiers, the third-place match was for medals rather than for the trip to Bakersfield. Vinoray took third by pinning Brockson six seconds into the second period.

Brockson became the first Fallbrook wrestler to qualify for the state tournament since Nick Perillo was third in the 182-weight class at the 2015 masters tournament. “It was exciting,” Tom Brockson said.

 

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