Local sports briefs: Rams wrestlers take down invite title

Defending state champion Fresno City continued its unbeaten roll this season, dominating the Meathead Movers Invitational at Cuesta College.

The Rams, with nine finalists and six champions, won with 181 points and Rio Honda was runner-up with 84 1/2.

Fresno City champions: Junior Davila, 125 pounds; Kevin Rojas, 141; Conrad Rangell, 149; Brady Bersano, 157; Fito Juarez, 184; and Luis Contreras, 285. Chris Padilla (133), Martin Fabbian (174) and Justin Witten (197) finished second.

West Hills-Lemoore, behind Alberto Arreola’s second place at 133 pounds, was seventh among the 17 teams.

Fresno Pacific sweeps in volleyball

Martina Gregusova had 16 kills and 14 digs as Fresno Pacific cruised to a sweep of Hope International in a Golden State Athletic Conference match in Fullerton.

Erica Adachi contributed 37 assists as the NAIA eighth-ranked Sunbirds (13-6, 9-3 GSAC) won 25-21, 25-14, 25-15. The Royals are 5-19 overall, 1-11 in the conference.

Sunbirds win twice in soccer

Julian Mattaliano scored on a header off Paul Islas’ corner kick in the 63rd minute to lift Fresno Pacific past visiting Hope 2-1 in a GSAC men’s soccer match.

The Sunbirds (9-5, 5-2) trailed the Royals (5-7-1, 2-5) 1-0 before Fabricio Nazare tied it off a pass from Mattaliano just before halftime in a physical game with three yellow cards on each team.

• Demi Hamilton, Natalie Chaney and Jae Slocum scored as the Fresno Pacific women beat Hope 3-0. The Sunbirds (6-6, 2-5) snapped a five-game losing skid. Hope is 4-10 and 0-7.

Fresno Pacific cross country teams place fifth, seventh at SoCal meet

Fresno Pacific’s men finished fifth and the women seventh at the Biola Invitational cross country meet at Irvine Regional Park in Orange.

Brandon Croft’s 16th-place finish in 26:12 in the 8K race led the men. The Master’s won the team and individual titles, paced by John Gilbertson (24:24.1).

Megan Barnard (21:12.5) was 38th in a 5K race for the Sunbirds women. Holly Kopp of The Master’s won in 18:05.8 and Biola was the team champion.

Sunbirds lose to water polo power

Nick Fadden had three goals and Andreas Sahlberg two, but Fresno Pacific lost 11-8 to No. 12 Concordia in a men’s water polo match at Clovis High.

The Sunbirds fell to 9-22 and the Eagles improved to 27-4.

WSHL Monsters rout Phoenix

Justin Pate scored the hat trick and the Fresno Monsters were 3 of 4 on the power play in a 5-1 shelling of host Phoenix in Western States Hockey League action.

The Monsters (8-0) go for a three-game sweep of the Knights (6-8) today.

Ex-Valley stars help pace Chico St.

A trio of runners with area roots helped Chico State capture the California Collegiate Athletic Association men’s cross country championship — the Wildcats’ 10th straight title in the sport.

CCAA Newcomer of the Year Johnny Sanchez (Roosevelt High) was third, senior Joseph Rivera (Tulare Western/College of Sequoias) fourth and sophomore Alfonso Cisneros (McFarland) eighth as Chico State captured 10 of the top 11 spots.

Meyers fourth in Outlaws race

World of Outlaws sprint-car series leader Jason Meyers of Clovis finished fourth Saturday at the Talladega Sage Fruit Showdown in Alabama.

Donny Schatz, second in the points race, was runner-up to David Gravel. Steve Kinser, third in points, was fifth.

Youth boxers post victories

National Junior Golden Gloves champion Isidro Ochoa headed a list of three Fresno PAL Boxing fighters who won bouts at the Richmond Boxing Show.

Ochoa stopped Ivan Rodriguez in the second round at 118 pounds. Jose Martinez decisioned Vincent Avina of Stockton at 70 pounds, and Serena Rojas beat Ires Contreras in the female 115 bout.

• Conrad Rendon, 15, of Aleman Boxing Fresno, won a 102-pound, three-round decision over Lindsay’s Juan Catellano at the Madtown Amateur Boxing Show in Madera. Madtown’s Raied Alamari and Braulio Jimenez won in the 11-year-old class and Efrain Cortez in the 15 division.