Perillo 2-2 at state wrestling tournament; ends season ranked 26th in state

Fallbrook High School senior Nick Perillo ended the CIF wrestling season ranked 26th among 182-pound wrestlers in the state after winning two matches and losing two bouts at the CIF state wrestling tournament March 6 at Rabobank Arena at Bakersfield.

"It was a great way to end the season," said Fallbrook varsity coach Cristian Vera.

"He knew it was going to be tough and he did everything he possibly could. He did great," Vera said. "The two matches that he won were pretty dominant matches."

The wrestlers who placed among the top three in each weight division at the CIF San Diego Section's all-division masters tournament Feb. 27-28 at Southwest High School in El Centro qualified for the state tournament. Perillo placed third in the 182-pound weight class.

"In the state of California it's tough to get to the state tournament," Vera said. "Just making it to the state championships is a really big deal."

Perillo was one of 40 state qualifiers. The Central Section received 10 berths, the Southern Section was allotted nine wrestlers, the San Joaquin Section had six entrants, the Central Coast Section and the North Coast Section joined the San Diego Section in having three allocations apiece, the Northern Section and Los Angeles Section had two grapplers apiece, and the San Francisco Section and the Oakland Section were each designated one competitor.

"Everybody that's there is good," Vera said.

Perillo opened competition against Madera South High School sophomore Nathan Chavez, who placed ninth in the Central Section tournament. Perillo won the match by pin 69 seconds after it began.

"It definitely was a good way to start it out," Perillo said.

"At the state level everybody's so good, so most matches are won by one points, two points," Perillo said. "You don't see very many pins."

Perillo's next match was against Frank Trent, an Oakdale High School senior who placed third in the San Joaquin Section tournament and had earned a first-round bye. Trent's 9-6 decision victory relegated Perillo to the losers' bracket.

"It was a really close match," Perillo said.

"It was pretty even. I got a takedown to tie it up," Perillo said. "I had my hand on the mat when I took him down and I called for injury time."

Perillo called for the injury break after being poked in the eye. Because Perillo rather than Vera had called the injury time-out, the match was not officially stopped and Trent was awarded a point for an escape. Trent was also awarded a penalty point when Perillo needed more time than was allowed.

"The score showed 9 to 6, but he basically scored only one more point," Perillo said.

In addition to learning a lesson about injury time-outs, Perillo also learned a lesson about his competitive ability. "I can hang with any of these guys. It's just a matter of edging them out," he said. "It was so close it could have gone either way."

Perillo's first match in the losers' bracket ended 17 seconds into the third period when he pinned Lemoore High School senior Osaze Osunde, who was the seventh-place Central Section wrestler.

"The third one I came back and dominated that one," Perillo said.

If a wrestler is ahead by 15 points, a technical fall is awarded. Had Perillo not pinned Osunde, he still would have received two points for a takedown and increased his points lead to 17-2, thus meeting the threshold for a technical fall.

"The third match where I got the pin was even more dominant than the first one," Perillo said.

Perillo's final high school match was a 9-7 loss to Gilroy High School freshman Tony Andrade, who placed second in the Central Section tournament.

"He was a really tough opponent and obviously one of the best in the state," Perillo said.

"The guy was no joke and he brought him down to the last couple of points," Vera said. "It came down to the last takedown."

The loss in his fourth match prevented Perillo from extending his high school career into the second day of the state tournament March 7.

"It could have been a little bit better," Perillo said.

"It was just little mistakes here and there," Vera said.

"He lost two matches against high-level kids," Vera said. "They both come from really tough sections in California."

"Nobody there could really dominate me," Perillo said. "I thought if I wrestled a lot of those guys another time it could easily have gone the other way."

Even with the losses Perillo earned the state's 26th ranking for his weight class.

"I didn't place at that tournament, but it ranked me statewide," Perillo said. "That was an accomplishment."

"To have a state-ranked kid on our team is huge," Vera said. "It just shows how much effort he's put into making himself a great wrestler."

Perillo had a record of 41-9 during his senior season, including 31 victories by pin. Entering Perillo's senior year, the 120 takedowns in a season Perillo achieved in 2014-15 were exceeded only five times in CIF San Diego Section history and Perillo's 31 pins for the season had been exceeded only 11 times.

"All season I focused on one match at a time," Perillo said.

"He has put in a lot of work since he started wrestling as an eighth-grader," Vera said. "It's amazing to watch."

Perillo preceded the masters tournament by winning the 182-pound class at the San Diego Section's Division I tournament Feb. 21 at Mission Hills High School, becoming Fallbrook's first division champion since Brett Jones won the 119-pound class in 2009. Jones, who qualified for the state tournament in the 112-pound class in 2008 and as a 119-pound wrestler in 2009, was also Fallbrook's last state qualifier prior to Perillo.

Although the North County Conference does not have league tournaments, Perillo was declared the league champion for the second year in a row. Fallbrook was in the Avocado West League in 2013-14 and in the Valley League for 2014-15. Perillo was undefeated in dual meets since his sophomore year, and the 14 consecutive dual meet wins included 12 by pin.

During his senior year, Perillo competed in five tournaments prior to the CIF Division I tournament. He placed second in the Carter Classic tournament in Rialto, fourth in the Jimmy Hamada Classic at La Costa Canyon High School, and third at the El Cajon Invitational hosted by Otay Ranch High School, the Jim Londos Memorial Wrestling Tournament at Orange Glen High School, and the Monte Vista Varsity Invitational.

Perillo noted that training such as running and weightlifting complemented his wrestling practice. "I did so much more work outside of the room," he said. "I knew I had to put in all the work."

Perillo began his Fallbrook High School wrestling career in December 2011 at the Vista Frosh-Soph Dual tournament. He won all eight of his matches, including seven by pin, to capture the tournament's 152-pound championship.

In February 2012, Perillo won the San Diego County Freshman Championships tournament, pinning three of his four opponents. As a freshman in 2011-12, Perillo won the team's Rookie of the Year award and also had the most pins for any Fallbrook wrestler.

Perillo's 2013-14 achievements as a junior included the 160-pound Avocado West League championship, team Most Valuable Player recognition, and team distinction for most pins and most takedowns. Perillo placed fifth in the Division I tournament as a junior.

"Along the way I really appreciated my coaches and my teammates," Perillo said.

Perillo also expressed gratitude to his family including his father, Rich, his girlfriend, Sierra Villagomez, and his one-year-old son, whose first name is also Nick.

Perillo was born in Las Vegas. His family moved to Bonsall shortly before he began kindergarten at Bonsall Elementary School. In 2006, the Perillo family moved from Bonsall to Fallbrook, and Perillo spent sixth grade at La Paloma Elementary School prior to two years at Potter Junior High School.

Perillo plans to continue his wrestling career at Palomar College. "It's a great sport," he said. "It helps in so many aspects of life."