Basa in quarters, 5 CHS wrestlers to second day

RENO —It was the case of the expected and unexpected on the first day of the 41st annual Sierra Nevada Classic in wrestling at the Reno Livestock & Event Center.

As expected, Brandon Basa (113) and Nathan Mersino (138) had advanced to the second day. The surprise is 132-pound Kyle Rudy also moved on.

Sheldon Miller and Abel Carter also advanced to the second day.

Miller had compiled a 3-1 record while Carter had racked up three straight pins after an opening-round loss.

Basa posted three straight pins to advance to the quaterfinals, while Rudy went 2-1 and Mersino went 3-1.

Their next opponents had already wrestled five matches on the day.

“Basa was impressive,” Carson coach Keith Shaffer said. “He looked really good.”

Basa opened with two straight pins.

He started with a pin against Chester’s Callum Kremer with 16 seconds left in the second round, and then followed up with a first-round pin against Jake Bergstrom of Foothill.

“It was a good start to the day,” Basa said after his second victory. “I’m happy with it. My goal is to win this.

“I feel pretty strong. I have to be ready for anything and everybody. I can’t look past anybody.”

The last Carson wrestler to win a SNC title is current assistant coach Nick Schlager, who won in 2009.

Miller started his day in impressive fashion, recording a 14-second pin against Austin Cook of CCAT. Miller took Cook down just after the opening whistle and recorded the quick pin, earning him some valuable rest.

His second match wasn’t that much tougher, as he recorded a pin with 39 seconds left in the first round. against Manny Sandoval of Will C. Wood-Vacaville.

Miler was pinned in the first round of his third match, but came back to win by pin in his fourth match to advance to the second day.

Carter advanced to the second day with a 9-6 win over Culver’s Jaiden Jones in his final match.

Mersino had two quality wins, racking up an 8-4 decision in an out-bracket bout, and then edging Werner Hunter, 3-2.

Rudy posted two straight wins, both by technical fall (19-4 and 18-3) before being pinned in his third match.

It’s Rudy’s best performance on a big stage in his CHS career.

Jarod Butler (160) posted a 3-2 record, Darryl Heyward (152, nonscoring) went 2-2, Ty Evans (182, nonscoring) went 1-2, Eli Thomas (106) went 1-2, Johnny Lopez (126) went 1-2, Seth Reichelt (152) went 0-2, Jake Roman (145) went 0-2, Kellen McDermott (182) went 0-2 and Jesse Case (170) went 0-2.