SAN JOSE — A human error at the scorer’s table extended Gianna Mosqueda’s match by about 10 seconds.
It also caused a few gray hairs to sprout on her coaches’ noggins.
“The clock just lagged and lagged,” said Watsonville coach Alex Mosqueda — Gianna’s older cousin. “It almost made a big difference. We were sweating it a little.”
In the end, the excess perspiration and new silver strands were well worth it.
Mosqueda, the top-seeded wrestler at 143 pounds heading into the weekend’s action, completed her dominant run to a Central Coast Section championship by outlasting a final takedown attempt from No. 2-seeded Kelly Nebesnick, of Gilroy High, to escape with a 5-3 decision.
“I was determined to keep fighting to keep going — I didn’t want to give up,” Mosqueda said. “I was really nervous, but I kept saying, ‘it’s my year, it’s my title.’ I’ve been wanting [this title] since freshman year…I’m very happy. It doesn’t feel real.”
A fifth-place finisher as a freshman, and a runner-up each of the last two seasons, Mosqueda is the first female CCS champ from Watsonville since Emily Kalka accomplished the feat at the inaugural meet in 2010.
She is also only the fourth section champion from Santa Cruz County, joining Scotts Valley High’s Domino Parrish (2014 & ’15) and Gabby Sandoval (2016).
“I think this year she came in and said, ‘this is my year, and nothing is going to stop me,’” coach Mosqueda said.
Mosqueda cruised through her first three matches of the tournament, scoring a trio of pins to earn her third straight trip to a championship match. But things changed against Nebesnick, who reached the final with a pair of pins in the quarters and semis.
A quick takedown and near fall 30 seconds into the match, gave Mosqueda an early lead, and she carried a 4-1 lead heading into the final period.
Nebesnick scored a rapid reversal in the opening moments of the third, and Mosqueda’s escape made it 5-3.
Following a stoppage with 1:10 left in the final stanza, the scorer’s table forgot to start the clock. The seconds didn’t start ticking until half the fans in the packed Overfelt High gym were screaming out “time!”
Nebesnick began a takedown with less than five seconds left, but time ran out as Mosqueda hit the deck, and the referee ruled no takedown.
Exhausted, Mosqueda held on just long enough.
“I was like, ‘I’m not giving it up!’ It’s my title! I need it!” said Mosqueda, who blew kisses to her dozens of supporters, family and friend that made the drive over the hill from Watsonville and the greater Santa Cruz County.
And if that wasn’t enough, Mosqueda also had another person cheering her on in her mind: her late grandmother, Dolores, an avid supporter who passed away last August.
“That’s how wrestling started in our family — with her,” Mosqueda said. “She convinced my dad to wrestle. She used to come cheer me on all the time. It’s just emotional. It’s been a hard year.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, she ran into the arms of coach Mosqueda, a CCS placer and state qualifier who took over the girls’ head coaching duties for Watsonville this season and pushed his cousin to the title.
Added Alex: “That moment was pretty awesome. I was glad I got to be there with her to experience it. I wanted her to win for her grandma, too.”
Mosqueda will continue her season at the California Interscholastic Federation state meet on Feb. 23-24 at the Visalia Convention Center.
It will be her third straight trip to the state meet. As a sophomore, she went 2-2, and last season she finished up 1-2.
Mosqueda said she has hopes of earning a spot on the podium.
When asked if those are realistic expectations, coach Mosqueda said: “Heck yeah. She can do it.”
Aptos High had a pair of wrestlers come close to joining her in Visalia.
Unranked and practically unknown, junior Sue Minuth recovered from a loss to Mosqueda in the second round by rattling off four straight victories to earn a spot in the third-place match.
With a berth to the state meet on the line, Minuth lost to Milpitas High’s Linden Aly by pin.
Sophomore Camila Barranco took fifth place at 106 pounds a year after finishing fourth. She beat Soledad High’s Veronica Garcia-Ramirez by pin 35 seconds into their match.
Menlo-Atherton High won the team championship with a score of 217 points. Alisal High came in a distant second place with 172.
Aptos (61.5) finished 18th. Watsonville was 24th (34).
