FULLERTON, Calif. – The 20th-ranked San Francisco State wrestling team traveled to Southern California for pair of matches against Division I foes on Sunday, dropping a tough 20-18 decision to Cal State Fullerton before rebounding for a 26-13 victory over the Air Force Academy at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif.   With the split, the Gators move to 2-4 in dual-meet competition this season.

 

In the opening dual, SF State jumped out in front of CSF by an 8-3 margin, as freshman Naveed Bagheri (Los Gatos, California, Los Gatos, West Valley Junior College) registered a 20-3 technical fall against Eddie Garcia at 133 pounds, while junior Ben Lockett (San Francisco, California, George Washington)posted a close 7-5 decision over Peter Hoang at 141. 

 

The Titans captured the next four bouts to recapture the lead at 17-8 before the Gators stormed back with a pair of wins at 184 and 197 from senior Marques Gales (Fairfield, California, Armijo, Santa Rosa) and junior Vincent Bordi (Manteca, California, Manteca), respectively. Gales received an injury default over Andrew Rozario, while Bordi scored an 8-0 major decision over Ryan Klink, which put SF State up 18-17 with one match remaining.  However, the Gators came up short in the deciding bout at 285, where junior Steve Franklin (Middletown, California, Middletown, Santa Rosa) was defeated by Kurt Klimek, 7-3, to provide the final outcome.

 

SF State regrouped later in the evening against Air Force, winning the first four matches to take a commanding 15-0 advantage. Sophomore Pierre Bondoc (Modesto, California, Beyer) got the Gators off on the right foot with a 9-3 triumph over Andrew Zwirlein at 125, while Bagheri notched his second technical fall of the day, downing Tyler Untrauer at 133 with 3:31 elapsed.

 

Lockett followed with a 19-8 major decision over Stephen Makuka at 141, while sophomore Joshua Nolan (Quincy, California, Quincy) emerged victorious by an 8-4 count over Alec Williams at 149.

 

The Falcons made things interesting with three straight wins to whittle the SF State lead down to two at 15-13. The Gators put an end to the Air Force rally, however, taking the final three bouts to secure the win.

 

Gales bested Sterling Tribble by a 10-7 margin, Bordi recorded an 11-3 over Kazden Ikehara, while Franklin duplicated the feat by blanking Josh Larson, 8-0.

 

SF State will hit the road next weekend for the Embry-Riddle Duals, Saturday, Jan. 17, in Prescott, Ariz. The Gators will face a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents in Grand Canyon (9 a.m.) and New Mexico Highlands (1 p.m.), followed by a non-conference clash with Simon Fraser (3 p.m.).

Cal State Fullerton 20, San Francisco State 18
125 - Ivan Sanchez (F) dec. Pierre Bondoc (SF State), 7-6
133 - Naveed Bagheri (SF State) tech. fall Eddie Garca (F), 20-3
141 - Ben Lockett (SF State) dec. Peter Hoang (F), 7-5
149 - Nick Blackshaw (F) maj. dec. Josh Nolan (SF State), 13-4
157 - Brian Stills (F) dec. Markham Bertron (SF State), 3-0
165 - Michael Larkin (F) maj. dec. Matt Mungo (SF State), 11-2
174 - Alan Reynel (F) dec. Arman Ostadsharif (SF State), 3-0
184 - Marques Gales (SF State) inj. def. over Andrew Rozario (F)
197 - Vincent Bordi (SF State) maj. dec. Ryan Klink (F), 8-0
285 - Kurt Klimek (F) dec. Steve Franklin (SF State), 7-3

San Francisco State 26, Air Force 13
125 - Pierre Bondoc (SF State) dec. Andrew Zwirlein (AF), 9-3
133 - Naveed Bagheri (SF State) tech. fall Tyler Untrauer (AF), 16-0, 3:31
141 - Ben Lockett (SF State) maj. dec. Stephen Makuka (AF), 19-8
149 - Josh Nolan (SF State) dec. Alec Williams (AF), 8-4
157 -Joseph Stafford (AF) pinned Markham Bertron (SF State), 4:17
165 - Stephen Crozier (AF) maj. dec. Matt Mungo (SF State), 18-4
174 - Tyler French (AF) dec. Arman Ostadsharif (SF State), 10-3
184 - Marques Gales (SF State) dec. Sterling Tribble (AF), 10-7
197 – Vincent Bordi (SF State) maj. dec. Kazden Ikehara (AF), 11-3
285 - Steve Franklin (SF State) maj. dec. Josh Larson (AF), 8-0