STOCKTON – And then there were three.
Sierra’s Brenden Rullan went 3-1 with three pins at 120 pounds Friday and is one of three local wrestlers to advance to the second day of the Sac-Joaquin Section Wrestling Championships at the Stockton Arena.
Rullan, along with Donny Fontillas (113) and Tristan Smith (285) of Ripon, are all two wins away from advancing to state championships.
“This feels great,” Rullan said. “It is a big step from last year when I only made it to Day 1 of Masters.
“But I am not done yet. I am going to come back and try and win the next two and get to state.”
Smith was also 3-1 with three pins with his only loss coming via a one-point decision in overtime. Fontillas won his first match with a pin, lost his second by decision and picked up two consolation wins via major decision and decision.
Manteca’s Tyler Welch (170) went 1-1 with a pin in his first two matches before losing his third match and being eliminated.
 “We are really proud of the progress he (Welch) made this year,” Buffaloes coach Mark Varnum said. “He is probably a weight class or two above what he should be so maybe we move him down. He is hungry and I think he is going to come back stronger.”
East Union’s Jaysen Reindel lost his first match by two points and unfortunately also injured his shoulder. He battled back to claim a two-point decision in his second match but his shoulder hurt too much to continue and he was forced to withdraw.
Wrestling begins at the Stockton Arena this morning at 9. Rulan, Fontillas and Smith must win to land a berth in the consolation quarterfinals. They must then win their quarterfinal match to guarantee a Top-six finish and a trip to the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield on Friday.