SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : ROUNDUP : Late Pin by Ehlert Places Irvine in Division III Final

With 10 seconds left in the final match of a six-hour extravaganza, Irvine heavyweight Scott Ehlert pinned Chaffey’s Abe Sarinana giving the Vaqueros a criterion victory over Chaffey in a Division III wrestling dual meet semifinal at Irvine High.

The final score was a 27-27 tie, with Irvine earning the victory because it won seven matches to Chaffey’s six.

Chaffey (23-3) led by as much as 10 in the semifinal meet, and held a 21-17 lead entering the 173-pound match. But Irvine’s Jeff Flint defeated Terry Um, 10-2, to tie the score, 21-21.

In the 191-pound division, Chaffey’s Mike Bowman pinned Jeff Swanner at the end of the second period, giving Chaffey a 27-21 lead. With only the heavyweight match remaining, the only way Irvine could win was for Ehlert to pin Sarinana.

Irvine barely survived its first-round meet with at-large entry Sunny Hills, 23-21, then romped over Downey in the quarterfinals, 44-13. The Vaqueros will face Calvary Chapel (16-1) in the final Feb. 25.