In a Neighborhood Wrestling War With National Stakes, No. 1 Buchanan Controls 'The Big One' Against Clovis

Separated by just five miles but worlds apart on the scoreboard, top-ranked Buchanan flexed its depth and dominance in a 38–21 win over rival Clovis, turning California’s fiercest dual into a statement night on the national stage.

"The Big One" produced another entertaining chapter as top-ranked Buchanan topped neighborhood rival Clovis in showdown between national wrestling powers. / Clovis Wrestling/Alexan Haroutunian

"The Big One” is what the annual dual meet between neighboring Buchanan and Clovis High Schools is labeled.

A Neighborhood Rivalry Which Spans the National Rankings

Located within five miles of each other, two national wrestling powers sit in the same 'hood, a short car ride away from each other, separated by 11 spots in the High School on SI National Team Rankings, with Buchanan sitting atop the nation’s hierarchy and Clovis coming in at No. 12.

The disparity in their national rankings played out on the mats with Buchanan cruising to a 38-22 victory over their rivals as the Bears were never really in danger of losing after taking control early. From a national perspective, all the matches played out as expected with the lone exception coming at heavyweight. Buchanan captured wins in nine of the 14 weight classes.

“We had a few guys out we knew about going into the dual,” Tirapelle continued. “Some other guys on our team needed to step in and step up. When you choose to step onto the mat, there are no excuses. You are who you are, as an individual and as a team. Overall, I appreciated our response.”

Sammy Seja Gains a Measure of Revenge Against Andrew Arroyo

With or without No. 28 Sammy Seja avenging a Doc Buchanan Tournament loss to No. 25 Andrew Arroyo, Buchanan would have claimed the victory. Seja’s 8-5 decision was icing on the cake of this Wednesday evening showdown at Clovis High School.

“Seja has a lot of talent,” Tirapelle added. “As with any high school kid, our job as coaches is to help eliminate how many "letdowns" and/or mistakes he makes during his six minutes out there on the mat. If we can bring this number down, he will be difficult for anyone to beat.”

The Action Commenced at 132 Where Paul Ruiz Ignited the Bears

The whistle blew first at 132 pounds. As they were doing prior to Doc B, the Bears chose to bump a portion of their roster up one weight class each, so Paul Ruiz, who is ranked sixth at 126 nationally, took on Jaden Garcia in the opener and stuck the Cougar in the middle frame, 3:20. Ruiz stacked Gracia up with a cradle to end his night early.

Buchanan Established Control With Victories in the First Five Matches

Four more wins would follow to push Buchanan out to an early 20-0 advantage. Ashton Besmer (No. 2 at 132 pounds) came out at 138 and tangled with No. 36 Ray Rivera. After a scoreless first, Besmer got going in the second and picked up a takedown after escaping and ended the period up, 4-1. Two stalling points would be added in the last period for a 6-1 final.

A 6-1 count would also be used by CJ Huerta (No. 9 at 138) in his 144-pound match with Zander Schaefer. No. 19 Ivan Arias was up 6-1 after the first period in his encounter with Tobias Nabors and delivered on the potential of a high scoring match by posting a 20-5 technical fall. Carlo Contino banked Dylan Tirapelle, 7-0, in a 157-pound match that featured two takedowns and an escape for the Bear.

“We started at 132,” Buchanan coach Troy Tirapelle said. “We knew we were heavily favored for a while through those weights, so it wasn't too much of a surprise.  We didn't do the best job of securing bonus points, but we handled them enough to have solid wins.”

Dylan is the nephew of Buchanan coach Troy Tirapelle, and the son of one of the Clovis coaches, Adam Tirapelle. So, it’s not just a neighborhood rivalry, it’s a family one, too.

James Curoso Gets Clovis on the Board at 165

Not only was No. 32 James Curoso’s win at 165 pounds the Cougars first, but it was also the first bout in which they registered a takedown. Curoso got his early and kept it going as he worked to a 13-4 major decision of Blake Woodard.

The good vibes were short-lived for Clovis as Patrick Roberts kept them from building on Curoso’s outcome. Instead, Roberts turned the 175-pound meeting with Shane Struthers into his own personal showcase as he rolled to a 15-0 tech, bringing the team score to 25-4, in favor of Buchanan.

Wins and Bonus Points at 190 and 215 Kept the Cougars Alive

The Cougars showed a little life for the home crowd over the next two on the card as they pocketed wins at 190 (Lolo Clark) and 215 (No. 24 Aidan Castillo).

Both came with severely needed bonus points as Clark’s outing resulted in a 10-2 major decision against Raiden Bishop. Castillo was in control out of the gate but upped it a notch in the second when he ran an Armbar and decked Andre Sandoval in 3:35.

Clovis' Momentum Was Thwarted by Senja's Upset

Were it not for Seja’s upset win at 285, the Cougars would have had some serious momentum as they flowed into the next two matches in which they were favored. Clovis could have matched Buchanan’s opening five match run if Arroyo wasn’t tripped up. But alas, he was and that put the Bears out front, 28-13, with four more on the horizon. Arroyo’s frustration led to the loss of a team point.

No. 2 Michael Bernabe (106 pounds) was expecting to face No. 3 Thales Silva, a wrestler who defeated him twice before Bernabe got him back at Doc B. Clovis caught a break when Buchanan sent out Aiden Rosewarne in his stead. The bout went from a match that either guy could win, to one that delivered bonus points to the Cougars after Bernabe’s 15-0 tech.

No. 5 Anthony Garza was next up for Clovis at 113 pounds and was set to see No. 10 Thiago Silva. The two have not met yet this season, but Garza was second at Doc B to Silva’s fourth place finish. Garza collected seven of his eight points on a cradle from the neutral and rode that to an 8-3 decision of Silva to bring the Cougars within striking distance with two matches remaining, 28-21.

Buchanan Closes It Out by Sweeping the Final Two

Unfortunately for the home fans, there would be no more cheering as the Bears swept the final two, with techs in both, to arrive at the 38-21 final.

David Chacon’s victory at 113 pounds was the one that officially locked down the team victory. Chacon’s tech was 19-4 versus Phillip Green. Rocklin Zinkin, up from 120, where he is ranked second in the nation, and pummeled Roman Marquez, 18-3, at 126 pounds.  

“We knew where we were favored and where they were,” remarked Tirapelle. “Most of the results were pretty expected. Nothing super out of the ordinary took place, which definitely can happen in high school sports. I was hoping a few of our "underdogs" would have shown a bit more grit in closing the gap. Just shows we have more to work on. Our next big thing is a home dual with Poway on Jan 31st.”

Buchanan 38, Clovis 21

(match started at 132)

132-Paul Ruiz (B) pinned Jaden Garcia, 3:20

138-Ashton Besmer (B) dec Ray Rivera, 6-1

144-CJ Huerta (B) dec Zaner Schaefer, 6-1

150-Ivan Arias (B) tech-fall Tobias Nabors, 20-5

157-Carlo Contino (B) dec Dylan Tirapelle, 7-0

165-James Curoso (C) maj-dec Blake Woodard, 13-4

175-Patrick Roberts (B) tech-fall Shane Struthers, 15-0

190-Lolo Clark (C) maj-dec Raiden Bishop, 10-2

215-Aidan Castillo (C) pinned Andre Sandoval, 3:35

285-Sammy Seja (B) dec Andrew Arroyo, 8-3

106-Michael Bernabe (C) tech-fall Aiden Rosewarne, 15-0

113-Anthony Garza (C) dec Thiago Silva, 8-3

120-David Chacon (B) tech-fall Phillip Green, 19-4

126-Rocklin Zinkin (B) tech-fall Roman Marquez, 18-3

(Clovis lost a team point at 285)