Buchanan High wrestling coach Troy Tirapelle could feel it shift — the momentum, the energy, the belief.
Down big early, his wrestler stormed back, flipping a near 6-0 deficit into a dramatic victory that brought the crowd to its feet.
That would be Paul Ruiz at 126 pounds. He won by a 10-8 decision over Siraj Sidhu of Clovis North.
“That was pretty electric,” Tirapelle said afterward. “Definitely exciting for the fans. Not how you draw it up.”
Buchanan won the Masters, followed by Clovis North and Clovis.
But as quickly as he acknowledged the thrill, Tirapelle shifted the focus.
“You can’t dig yourself into holes like that,” he said. “Your win percentage is not going to be very high if you expect to beat good people like that all the time.”
Buchanan’s wrestlers are known for their gas tanks.
Tirapelle praised Ruiz’s ability to wrestle harder and longer than opponents, noting that he “never runs out of gas.” But waiting until the final minutes to flip the switch isn’t a formula for consistent success.
“We’ve got to get him going harder earlier,” Tirapelle said. “Pedal down from the beginning — when the first whistle blows — not wait until the last three minutes.”
The lesson wasn’t isolated to one weight class.
At 165 pounds, Tirapelle pointed to a match they believed they could have won — even pulled off an upset — but surrendered three points in the final 10 seconds.
James Curoso of Clovis defeated Blake Woodward, 7-4.
“Those are mental mistakes more than physical,” he said. “We’ve got to be better.”
With the state tournament looming in Bakersfield — a grueling three-day stretch beginning Thursday — the window for major adjustments is narrow.
Tirapelle leaned on an old saying passed down from his father: the hay is in the barn. The work has been done.
“At this point, you’re just fine-tuning the minute details,” he said. “That had nothing to do with technique. It was effort-based. It was turning up the effort faster.”
Despite the critique, Tirapelle’s tone carried pride. He called the performance a great experience and a great showing overall. The standard at Buchanan, however, is relentless.
“If you want to be the best, you’re always striving for perfection,” he said. “There’s always something we’re talking about.”
Central Section Masters boys top 3 placers
Teams: Buchanan, Clovis North, Clovis, Frontier, Bakersfield, Redwood, Kingsburg, Clovis West, Clovis East, Bullard
Boys placers
106
Michael Bernabe, Clovis
Thales Silva, Buchanan
Aiden Talavera, Reedley
113
Anthony Garza, Clovis
Thiago Silva, Buchanan
Phillip Hernandez, Clovis North
120
Rocklin Zinkin, Buchanan
Carlos Melgoza, Kingsburg
Francisco Hernandez, Bullard
126
Paul Ruiz, Buchanan
Siraj Sidhu, Clovis North
Daniel Benavides, Highland
132
Ashton Besmer, Buchanan
Nick Agerton, Frontier
Bryce Pasvogel, Clovis North
138
Cj Huerta, Buchanan
Raymond Rivera, Clovis
Silas Varner, Bakersfield
144
Chris Arreola, Clovis North
Joseph Toscano, Buchanan
Zander Schaefer, Clovis
150
Ivan Arias, Buchanan
Blake Trelles, Clovis North
Bryson Constantino, Frontier
157
Chris Creason, El Diamante
Carlo Contino, Buchanan
Dylan Tiraepelle, Clovis
165
James Curoso, Clovis
Blake Woodward, Buchanan
Nathan Paul, Bakersfield Christian
175
Patrick Roberts, Buchanan
Elijah Ornelas, Clovis North
Angelo Adame, Torres
190
Jonathan Rocha, Clovis North
Jackson Naven, Frontier
Lolomanaia Clark, Clovis
215
Adan Castillo, Clovis
Emilio Ayala, Kingsburg
Jace Demacablin, Kennedy
285
Sammy Seja, Buchanan
Andrew Arroyo, Clovis
Nathaniel Espericueta, Frontier
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Anthony Galaviz writes about sports for The Fresno Bee. He covers the Las Vegas Raiders, high schools, boxing, MMA and junior colleges. He’s been with The Bee since 1997 and attended Fresno City College before graduating from Fresno State with a major in journalism and a minor in criminology.
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