At the beginning of the season, Cerritos College head coach Don Garriott said he didn’t have any high or low expectations for this season compared to last. He just knew that there would be some contenders on his team who would finish the season off strong.

Ending their season at the State Championships, the Cerritos College wrestling team took eighth place as a team with 59 points on Saturday, Dec. 8 at West Hills College.

The team took eighth with six of eight Cerritos College wrestlers placing in the finals.

Named All American and taking third in his weight class, 125-pounder Gabe Ballesteros defeated Matthew Correa from Cuesta College in a close contest, 4-3 and shutout Fresno City College’s Chris Martinez, 2-0.

133-pounder Rudy Delgado and 197-pounder Tyler Smith both placed fifth for the team in their respective weight classes.

Delgado was the only wrestler to reach the semifinals, and ended the Championships with a win by the withdrawal of Aaron Ceballos of San Joaquin Delta College.

Taking seventh in his weight class, 184-pounder Tyree Cox said, “I wasn’t wrestling smart. I didn’t wrestle basics, I tried wrestling a weird style.

“It was a tough weight class and I just didn’t show up.”

Also taking seventh was 141-pounder Michael Behnke and 285-pounder Weston Hawkins.

The wrestling season will begin again in the Fall 2013 semester.