Dos Pueblos wrestling’s Brandon Velasquez went 1-2 at the CIF State Championships last weekend to bring his season to a close.
Velasquez competed in the packed 157-pound weight class in a 40-man bracket, finishing in the top 20.
“Brandon wrestled incredibly well and showed true grit as he battled through some challenges keeping him from being at 100%,” Dos Pueblos head coach Matt Bernard said. “He’s had to overcome much adversity, suffering a concussion early in the season that kept him out for the majority of the regular season.
“He returned in time for the postseason road to states and methodically worked and improved his conditioning each week to battle at the next qualifying round to states.”
He began the weekend with a pin victory in the first period over Carlo Bontino of Buchanan, who was the No. 4-ranked wrestler in California at 157 pounds.
Despite the momentum from the upset victory, Velasquez dropped his next two matchups by decision to round out the weekend of competition.
“Brandon can compete with anyone in the state. He proved that by pinning the fourth seed and eventual fifth-place wrestler at 157lbs,” Bernard said. “Ultimately, it wasn’t the desired outcome he wanted for the tournament, but he gave it his all in every match and persevered where others would not.
“His leadership and role modeling have been a great asset to the team, and his performance will continue to be a benchmark for others to strive to meet. I’m incredibly proud of how far he’s come and the bright future he has before him.”