TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

LEMOORE -- The top wrestlers in the Central Section will see plenty of the limelight over the next 15 days.

Friday night at the section's Yosemite Divisional at Lemoore High, it belonged to the underdogs.

Bakersfield High, ranked second in the state by The California Wrestler, saw its lineup of usual suspects parade into this morning's semifinals with ease. But what made the Drillers' day, more than anything, was a couple of quarterfinal pins from guys who weren't expected to win: 120-pounder Oscar Marin and 160-pounder A.J. Fierro.

Marin, seeded sixth, trailed No. 3 Jose Navarro of Madera 3-2 midway through the third period with Navarro on top, trying to kill the final minute on the clock.

"It was a little bit frustrating," Marin said. "I just had to stay active. I felt the guy was gassing a little bit and was stalling."

Marin's big break came with about a minute to go. Navarro was called for locking his hands around Marin, a violation while in top position. No matter how the move ended up, Marin would get the point he needed to tie the match.

But he got more than that, performing a quick switch and taking Navarro to his back for an improbable pin. The victory ensures that Marin will finish in at least sixth place -- an important feat considering the top seven in each weight class escape this brutal state qualifier and reach next weekend's Central Section Masters.

"It feels so good," Marin said. "Making it to state is always a goal. Really, there's nothing else."

Also seeded sixth, Fierro had his own dramatic match at 160. He trailed Lemoore's Jaime Martinez, the No. 3 seed, 3-2 in the final seconds when the wrestlers were simeltaneously called for stalling. Because Martinez had been warned earlier in the match, Fierro was given a penalty point and the match went to overtime.

"I thought I had lost," Fierro said. "Then I looked up and saw (the referee) saying overtime."

Once there, Fierro was the aggressor and was rewarded with a double-leg takedown near the edge of the circle.

"It was intense, but I know that's what we train for, that type of thing," Fierro said. "Sometimes you just have to suck it up."

Joining the two surprise six seeds in the semifinals for Bakersfield are top seeds Natrelle Demison (138 pounds), Maxx Ramirez (145) and Silas Nacita (145), plus Bryce Martin (126), Micah Cruz (132), Coleman Hammond (152) and Kyle Pope (182).

The Drillers amassed 152.5 points and, predictably, trail state No. 1 Clovis, which sent 12 of its 14 wrestlers to the semifinals and has 184.5 points.

The Cougars were typically brilliant; it took them nearly 10 hours before any of their wrestlers lost. Liberty's Tyler Hartsfield finally broke the streak, beating Dominic Kincaid 7-5 in the 145-pound semifinals.

Frontier also had a good day and a surprise semifinalist in 160-pounder Kyle Shepherd. He came in seeded seventh and benefitted when Fresno-Bullard's Kalvin Stuckey beat the No. 2 seed. Shepherd took out Stuckey 10-3 to advance to a semifinal against Fierro.

In all, Frontier, seventh in the team standings, won four of five quarterfinal matches. Izaiah Ozuna (126), Jack Murphy (195) and John Popek (heavyweight) join Shepherd in the final four.

"That's a good day at a tournament like this," Frontier assistant coach Daniel Chapman said. "We would have liked to have five of five, but this is good. There's a difference between getting seeded and living up to your seed.

"And getting through to next week is the ultimate goal anyway."

That will be the challenge for those stuck in the consolation bracket as this morning's wrestling begins. That includes five Foothill wrestlers who lost quarterfinal matches, including No. 3 seeds Nick Marquez (113) and Jordan Olgin (220).

"Now comes the real test," Foothill coach Brad Hull said. "Those guys have got to come back in the morning, make weight and be ready to go."

The Trojans did send Nick Corona (145) and Rudy Amaya (heavyweight) to the semifinals.

Consolation wrestlers must win their first match this morning to stay alive. After that, another win puts them in the top six; a loss sends them to the do-or-die seventh-place match.

"That's not the round you want to be in," Hull said.

Wrestling begins this morning at 9 a.m. Semifinals are slated for 10, with championship matches at 5 p.m.