Atherton, CA – Oak Squad Wrestling kicked off its season with a strong performance under new head coach Cristian Vasquez. Hosting their first dual on November 1^st, Oak Squad defeated Victor Valley College 26-15 in an impressive debut inside of Haynes-Prim Pavilion. Building onto this momentum, the program traveled to Redding, CA where they claimed 3 out of 4 dual wins at the Simpson Duals which set a thrilling tone for the season ahead.
 
Oak Squad v. Victor Valley (26-15)
Freshman Julian Sanchez set the tone in the opening match, pulling off a last-second takedown to secure a gritty 4-3 win at 125lbs. Despite Victor Valley taking the next three matches and establishing a 3-10 lead, Oak Squad quickly regained momentum with dominate performance at 157lbs from Jesus Loreto. Loreto showcased his technical prowess, winning by tech fall and closing the gap 8-10. JT Nishikawa kept Oak Squad's momentum with a 15-5 major decision, propelling the program back into the lead at 12-9 after a penalty point against Victor Valley. Adding to the team's success, Nikita Smatov delivered an outstanding performance by majoring his opponent 13-1 at 174lbs, increasing Oak Squad's lead to 16-9. Although Victory Valley responded with a pin at 184, tightening the score to 16-15, Oak Squad's Matthew Porras Diamond and Andrew Mannion sealed the win. Diamond's 13-4 major decision and Mannion's win by fall capped off the dual 26-15, securing Coach Vasquez's first victory at the helm.
 
Simpson Duals Results
Following their home victory over Victor Valley College, Oak Squad Wrestling headed north to participate in the Simpson Duals on November 2, showcasing remarkable skill and endurance. The team started the day strong against Shasta Community College, dropping only one match and securing a commanding 45-6 win. Riding high on momentum, Oak Squad faced off against Southwestern Oregon Community College in the next round, where they posted another solid victory, winning the dual 21-6. They continued their streak with an even more dominant performance against Linfield, finishing the dual with a 51-6 win. In their final matchup of the day, Oak Squad took on a challenging opponent: the #13 nationally ranked NAIA team, Corban University. Freshman Julian Sanchez made a statement by defeating #17 Brayden Boyd in an intense opening match. At 133 pounds, Giancarlo Plaza followed up with an impressive pin in just a minute and a half, giving Oak Squad an early 9-0 lead. Corban responded with bonus-point wins in the next three matches, shifting the score to 9-15. Oak Squad's JT Nishikawa brought them back into the game with a technical fall at 165 pounds, narrowing the score to 14-15. However, Corban closed out the dual by winning the next three matches, despite forfeiting at heavyweight, with the final score standing at 20-29 in favor of Corban. With three wins out of four duals at the Simpson Duals, Oak Squad Wrestling delivered a standout performance and set a high standard for the rest of the season.
 
Up Next…
Oak Squad will head to the prestigious Bill Musick Open in Fresno, CA on November 9 for what's sure to be a challenging tournament. Be sure to follow along using menloathletics.com for livestream, live stats, and ticket links!