Landauer falls in state wrestling

San Lorenzo Valley High senior Ben Landauer went 1-2 overall and was eliminated in the first round during his appearance at the California Interscholastic Federation wrestling championship Friday, March 2.
Landauer was the only SLV wrestler to qualify for the championship at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.
Wrestling in the 220 pound bracket, he was knocked out of championship contention with a 10-5 decision in his opening match against Madera High’s Eric Mendoza.  
Landauer defeated Zachary Williams of Sultana in a double-overtime match in the first consolation round.
“That was his best match of the whole season,” said coach Ken Pollastrini. “There was just no quit in him that time. He was relentless and didn’t lose focus. I was very proud of how he wrestled.  Nobody blew him out; Ben made it a challenge.”
Landauer made his exit from the tournament in the following round, when he lost to Arnold Salinas of Fresno by a 7-5 decision.
“Overall, it was a really good experience for him,” Pollastrini said. “We had set goals at the beginning of the season, and Ben met all of those. He won the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League title, he made it to state, and he won there. It was a great season for all of us.”
Landauer was accompanied to the state meet by fellow SCCAL wrestlers Joe Else and Riggs Powell of Aptos High. Both finished 1-2 and were bumped from the tournament on the first day.