Hat trick for Bosco
St. John Bosco, one of the favorites to win the state title in three weeks, captured its third straight boys CIF Southern Section dual meet title on Wednesday, winning this year in Div. 1. The Braves won 13 of the 14 matches to blitz local rival Mayfair of Lakewood, 66-6.
First-year head coach Jenaro Santillan told the Long Beach Press-Telegram that hard work and year-round training were responsible for the win.
Six Braves won by fall to catalyze the dominating win: senior Joseph Antonio, juniors Tigran Greyan and Sean Willcox and freshmen Mason Savidan, Jorge Rios and Aaron Mesa.
Mayfair’s only win came by forfeit at 215 pounds. Senior Kayden Cartee wrestles at that weight for the Monsoons. The Bosco transfer is currently ranked fifth in the state by CalGrappler.com.
Esperanza doesn’t just hope to win
Esperanza won its first-ever boys Southern Section dual meet title, dominating Corona of Centennial, 54-7, to take Div. 2 on Wednesday night.
The Aztecs, a dark horse to finish top five at the state meet, won the first five matches to grab a 22-0 lead and never looked back. They finished with four falls, including one in the first round by undefeated Sammy Sanchez, the state favorite at 106 pounds. Gianini Sanchez’ pin at 113 happened in just 36 seconds.
Freshman Chris Arreola, who missed a month of the season recovering from a broken wrist, won by technical fall early in the second period at 136 pounds.
Centennial’s wins came from Keshaun White at 190 pounds and heavyweight Angel Rodriguez.
Poway wins Titanic dual
Poway edged Buchanan, 31-30, in a Saturday dual meet between the state’s two premier programs. This is the fourth straight year the two teams got together to wrestle a dual. Buchanan won the first two and went on to win the state title each year. Last year, Poway prevailed, 28-26, Buchanan’s first in-state dual meet loss in a decade. A few weeks later, the Titans took the state throne from Buchanan, snapping the Bears’ seven-year title streak.
This year’s encounter was the closest yet! Buchanan was leading by 12 points and firmly in control with only three matches left when Poway rallied at its home gym.
The Titans scored three points when Mario Contini outpointed Damian Montoya, 9-5, at 165 pounds. Senior Gunnar Neal followed with an 11-1 majority decision at 175 pounds to cut the deficit to five, 30-25, with just one match left.
That put the spotlight on Dominic Dotson, Poway’s 190 pounder. Ranked eighth in the state, the junior needed a pin to win the dual for the Titans. A simple win, or even a majority decision, would not be enough.
According to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Dotson told a teammate before the match that he would get his opponent in a cradle. He did just that, winning by fall 32 seconds into the bout to complete Poway’s come-from-behind win.
“I’m so happy for the team,” said Dotson in the newspaper article. “I needed to prove to them they could rely on me. I was nervous but turned that in my favor.”
Poway coach John Meyers was asked afterwards the significance of the win beyond the symbolic fact that the last three state champions had won this dual.
He acknowledged that the win was great for the school and the community, but told his team that it doesn't affect anything going forward.
“We still need to get better individually for the state tournament,” Meyers said. “Teams like Buchanan are so well coached that they will have their kids ready for the next event.”
Pats on the back
Birmingham's boys team poses after winning the Los Angeles Section dual meet title. The girls won, too!
Birmingham won the Los Angeles Section boys and girls duals on Saturday. The top-seeded boys defeated second-seeded San Fernando, 61-15. The top-seeded girls knocked off third-seeded Franklin, 54-30.
Neither win was a surprise. The Patriot boys have now won five dual meet titles in a row and eight in the past nine years. The girls have now won four in a row.
Aiden Martinez, Roman Arakelyan, Arman Arutiunian and Greg Torosian all had huge wins for the boys team. Birmingham is home to returning state champion Henry Aslikyan, a junior who recently committed to Michigan.
Elizabeth Reyes and Keiry Mazariegos both had big wins in the finals for the girls, who qualified seven underclassmen for the state meet a year ago, including state placers Avy Perez and Adeliada Fernandez.
Saints march to Dual Meet titles
Last night, Santa Ana matched Birmingham by winning both boys and girls dual meet championships. Santa Ana’s boys dominated the lower weights to take down Peninsula for the Div. 6 title. Santa Ana, with 10 underclass wrestlers, won by fall or technical fall at 117, 124, 130, 136 and 142 on its way to the 44-24 win.
Santa Ana’s girls team, ranked No. 1 in the state by CalGrappler won the first dual meet title in program history with an overwhelming effort over El Toro, 63-18. The Saints won 11 of the 14 bouts, 10 by fall. They lost only once on the mat, with El Toro’s other two wins by forfeit.
The Serratos sisters, freshman Angelica (105), senior Alicia (110) and sophomore Annabelle (125), all won by fall. Angelica, aka “Cookie,” remains unbeaten on the season and is ranked No. 1 in the state at 100 pounds, one ahead of Central Catholic’s Jillian Wells, last year’s state champion at that weight.
Sultans swat Santa Fe
Led by the Humphrey brothers, Sultana outlasted Santa Fe to win the Southern Section Div. 3 Dual Meet title on Thursday. The Sultans now have won three dual meet titles in program history. This is the first since 2017.
Santana won 10 of the 14 bouts, with freshman Jackson Humphrey winning by fall at 113, state-ranked sophomore Cael Humphrey winning big at 132 and senior Rocky Humphrey, wrestling for the last time in his home gym, closing out the meet with an 18-4 win at 138 pounds.
Corona sees the light
Corona won its second girls dual meet title in the four-year history of the event on Thursday. The Panthers, with seven seniors in their lineup, outlasted Marina, 46-30, in Div. 1 of the Southern Section.
The second match of the night proved decisive. Marina’s Rachel Ortiz led Corona’s Kristen Dizon, 8-3, after one period at 140 pounds only to see Dizon score a stunning second-period pin. Dizon’s win was part of an 18-0 Corona lead to start the dual. The Panthers never trailed.
Corona is now 16-0 in dual meet matches this season. The Panthers are also 4-for-4 in tournaments entered. They are ranked tenth in the state by Cal Grappler.
One for the thumb
South Torrance won its fifth Southern Section dual meet title over the past seven years by outpointing Aliso Niguel, 44-22, on Thursday night in Division 4. The Spartans trailed, 19-7, through six matches, but tied matters on the strength of pins by Robert Crowe and Leonardo Battulga and went on to win to finish the year unbeaten in duals at 11-0.
Aliso Niguel won four of the first five matches and competed despite wrestling with a couple of stalwarts on the sidelines in crutches.
Tritons show effort
Pacifica of Oxnard won the Southern Section Dual Meet title in Division 5 by a 35-31 score over Simi Valley. The title was the first for the Tritons in the first all-Ventura County final.
Pacifica led, 32-25, with two bouts remaining and split them to secure the win.
First lady title for Eleanor Roosevelt
Roosevelt of Eastvale won the Southern Section Division III girls duals convincingly over local rival Tahquitz on Thursday. The final score was 57-15.
The title was the first for the Mustang girls.
Roosevelt snorted to an early 15-0 lead and won a key bout at 190 pounds, when Ava Hetrick, normally a 170-pounder, wrestled up a weight class and won by fall. The Mustangs clinched the win when senior Maressa McGowan won by first-period fall at 105 pounds.
Tahquitz made the final dual despite entering the playoffs as the tenth seed.
Down but far from out!
Elisa Rocha's comeback story for Shadow Hills includes a league title.
Shadow Hills junior Elisa Rocha had trouble cracking the varsity lineup this year, given that two seniors – both Master’s Meet qualifiers last year – were wrestling in her weight class. So she wrestled JV while never missing a practice. Even when she lost a wrestle off for a spot in the Desert Empire League lineup, she did not stop practicing even though her season was over and kept showing up to be a good practice partner.
One day before the league meet, a disciplinary issue with the senior at her weight opened up a spot for Rocha to wrestle. She was on weight, earned the spot with her practice ethic and stepped in.
AND WON!
Rocha upset the No. 1 seed in her first match at 125 pounds and made it all the way to the championship bout, where she beat Leilani Lee of Palm Springs for the league title. From season over to DEL champion in 24 hours! Rocha’s season will continue next week at the Southern Section’s Individual Championships.
Shadow Hills went on to win the league title, with seven champions, including lower weight Outstanding Wrestler Yocelyn Sandoval; but Rocha’s win was the most surprising.
“We took her to some lower level varsity tournaments this year and she competed in the middle of the pack,” said coach Jody Davis. “Her struggle isn't her ability to wrestle; it is her lack of confidence in a competition. We have been working on that all season. We are hoping that this shows what she is capable of and gives her a boost going into the post season and her senior year.”
Palm Desert won 10 of the 14 weight classes to take the DEL boys title, led by lower weight Outstanding Wrestler Sebastian Rodriguez.
A girl for the same season
Setsianna Kraynak found time between leading the AB Miller basketball team in scoring to compile 100 career wins on the mat.
Setsianna Kraynak is a senior at A.B. Miller and a four-year varsity wrestler for the Rebels. She recently recorded her 100th career win and now sits at 105-36 all-time. She wrestled this year at 125 pounds but dropped to 120 for the league finals, which she won. Her current senior year record is 28-4.
Those accomplishments alone would be notable, but there’s more: Kraynak, who stands 5-4, also is a starting guard on the basketball team. She is a four-year varsity player and the Rebels’ leading scorer the past three seasons.
“She played basketball in middle school and likes the sport more than wrestling,” said her father James Kraynak, the school’s wrestling coach. “She messed around with wrestling when she was little (before middle school) and wanted to do both when she got into high school. She thought of playing soccer, too, since she plays club soccer, but three sports in the same season were too much.”
How does Kraynak manage to play even two sports at the same time?
“She coordinates her practice schedule around basketball,” her dad explained. “If she doesn’t have basketball practice, then she goes to wrestling practice. There are times where she doesn’t go to wrestling practice for a couple weeks and just shows up to tournaments.”
“As a parent and coach, I am very proud of her,” Coach Kraynak added. “I am also proud that she is doing what she likes to do. She did not want to choose one sport and prides herself on being a multisport athlete.”
Imagine that!
Richard Bateman's photo of kindred spirits at Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks shows the power of sport.
The adage, “a picture is worth 1,000 words,” came to mind last week when Newbury Park hosted its closest rivals from Thousand Oaks in a dual. Newbury Park invited its elementary and middle school club team wrestlers from Project 8 Wrestling to escort the high school girls during the lineup announcements.
“This was a huge honor for the younger wrestlers, and it was amazing to see all of their smiling faces out there,” noted Panther assistant coach Erik Watt.
One particular moment was captured by photographer Richard Bateman and, in Watt’s words, “speaks to the pure raw power of sport and leading by example.”
Newbury Park’s 235-pound wrestler, Maya Garza, walked out to shake hands accompanied by Charlotte, a younger club wrestler. Charlotte also happened to be the niece of Garza’s opponent that night, Cherish Hall Taoai. All got to share the moment: young girl with two of her wrestling idols.
“Watching Maya and Cherish be able to show the younger generation what it means to compete at a high level, but to do it with grit and integrity was inspiring,” Watt said. “For them to do it with a level of intensity that this sport demands, while at the same time supporting and respecting each other was amazing to watch. As a dad, coach, and community member, it was a moment I will never forget, and I'm thankful that women's/girls wrestling is growing and thriving.”
News and notes
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The most recent CalGrappler team rankings have Buchanan, St. John Bosco, Poway, Gilroy and Clovis in the top five for boys and Santa Ana, Clovis East, Orange Vista, Birmingham and Pitman ranked top five for the girls.
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Patrick Henry wrestling coach Sam Litvin is taking pride in his student athletes. Both the boys and girls had cumulative unweighted GPAs above 3.0 the first semester. And for a young team comprised mostly of first- and second-year wrestlers, the team improved its dual meet record from 5-8 last year to 9-6 this season…
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La Costa Canyon senior Alexandria Perez placed third in the state at 190 pounds as a sophomore and was state runner up last year at 170 pounds to undefeated Leilani Lemus. This year, the three-time state placer is vying to be the first girls’ champion in Maverick history while competing at 155 pounds.
Perez has lost more than 40 pounds the past two years thanks to a diet that eliminated all processed food and all sweets..
The senior currently stands 30-2 on the year with losses only to Angelinah De Leon of Santa Clara (second in the state at 155 last year) and Olivia Davis of Esperanza (second in the state last year at 140 while competing for Monte Vista of Spring Valley).
Head coach Dwayne Buth told the San Diego Union-Tribune that while Perez’ path to a title would have been easier at 190, she’s much healthier at 155 pounds.
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Isabella Marie Gonzales of Clovis East is a two-time returning state champion and 26-0 this season wrestling at 120 pounds.
Kylee Golz of Trabuco Hills lost to Gonzales in the state finals at 115 pounds last year. The senior, a two-time Southern Section Masters champion, could have stayed at 115 pounds this year and be a favorite to win state. But with Gonzales moving up a weight class, Golz (28-1) intends to match her.
“I like a challenge, and I’m going after Isabella,” she told a local newspaper.
Golz lost, 6-1, in the state finals a year and lost to Gonzales, 6-0, in a tournament in December.
Taking the crown from Gonzales, who has just one loss in her high school career, will be a challenge. Give Golz credit for accepting the challenge head on.
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Long Beach Poly recently won the girls Moore League finals. The Jackrabbits won eight weight classes. They took the first five final bouts by fall and won seven of the eight divisions by fall. The only win not by fall was a 15-0 technical fall.
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South Torrance, which had won seven consecutive Pioneer League dual meet titles, won the Bay League title in its first year in that league.
West Torrance succeeded the Spartans in the Pioneer League. The Warriors were a struggling program during the pandemic years but turned things around this season behind a group of dedicated seniors.
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Gilroy, wrestling its second-string lineup, won the 15th Annual Colt Invitational over the weekend. Saint Francis of Mountain View, entering just eight wrestlers, finished second.
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Bullard took first in the 20th Annual Central Valley Invitational by almost 50 points over runner up Cesar Chavez.
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Granite Hills of El Cajon was the victor at the 61st Holtville Rotary Wrestling Tournament. The Eagles won by 30 over Brawley.
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Clovis North prevailed in the 33-team Hunter Diemert Memorial. The Broncos won by more than 60 points over second-place Livermore.
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Sultana had four boys champions and eight girls champions en route to winning both titles at the Mojave League finals.
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Clovis junior Leilani Lemus, a two-time returning state champion, is not in the “Undefeateds” category below. That’s because Lemus has wrestled only 19 matches on the year, one short of the threshold. She has yet to lose.
Undefeateds
In this recurring category, we list wrestlers with 20 or more wins who are currently undefeated on the season.
34-0 – Roxanne Raab, Sr., Clairemont, 135
33-0 – Daniel Zepeda, Sr., Gilroy, 150
29-0 – Samantha Sachs, Sr., Glendora, 130
26-0 – Isabella Marie Gonzales, Sr., Clovis East, 120
26-0 – Angelo Posada, Sr., Poway, 215
24-0 – Sammy Sanchez, Fr., Esperanza, 106
24-0 – Dulcy Martinez, Soph., Central Catholic, 135
22-0 – Coby Merrill, Jr., J.W. North, 285
Coaches only may add to this list. Email jtawa@cifstate.org
Blazing blades
In this section, we list wrestlers recording pins this season in 12 or fewer seconds.
6 seconds
Andres Lambarena, Sr., Granite Hills (Apple Valley), 285 (Nov. 16)
7 seconds
Hunter Mathiesen, Soph., Rio Americano, 132 (Dec. 7)
8 seconds
Rory Bickmore, Sr., Arcata, 157 (Jan. 10)
Mauricio Escobedo, Soph., Granite Hills (Apple Valley), 132 (Jan. 10)
Margaret Pryor, Fr., Patrick Henry, 100 (Dec. 18)
9 seconds
Crystal Perez, Soph., Willow Glen, 190 (Dec. 7)
10 seconds
Leonardo Battulga, Sr., South Torrance, 285 (Feb. 6)
Michael Poindexter, Jr., Granite Hills (Apple Valley), 150 (Nov. 20)
11 seconds
Rory Bickmore, Sr., Arcata, 157 (Dec. 7)
Gabriel Tinajero, Sr., Ganesha, 215 (Jan. 15)
Gabriel Tinajero of Ganesha is one of several wrestlers to make our fastest pin category this week.
12 seconds
Luke Hansen, Jr., Campolindo, 285 (Feb. 5)
Emily Keltgen, Jr., Rio Americano, 110 (Dec. 22)
Naun Mendez, Fr., Firebaugh, 150 (Dec. 28)
Coaches only may add to this list. Email jtawa@cifstate.org
100 % COMMITTED!
In this section, we identify those wrestling high school this year who have made commitments to wrestle in college.
Sonny Acuna, Sr., Northview, 197 – Cal Baptist
Eli Almarinez, Sr., Vacaville, 125 -- Vanguard
Joseph Antonio, Sr., St. John Bosco, 165 -- Army
Henry Aslikyan, Jr., Birmingham, 125 -- Michigan
Curtis Bartley, Sr., Del Norte (Crescent City), 149/157 – Northern Idaho
Ashton Besmer, Jr., Buchanan, 133 -- Army
Ben Bomberger, Sr., Poway, 184/197 – Cal Poly SLO
Brokton Borelli, Sr., Los Banos, 197 -- Maryland
Levi Bussey, Sr., Granite Bay, 197 – Cal Poly SLO
Nathan Carillo, Jr., St. John Bosco, 125/133 – Oregon State
Primo Catalano, Sr., Chaminade, 197 – Army
Bailey Cathey, Sr., Galt, 131 – Minot State
Leo Contino, Sr., Buchanan, 165/174 – West Virginia
Elijah Cortez, Sr., Gilroy, 141/149 -- Cornell
Isaiah Cortez, Sr., Gilroy, 133/141 -- Cornell
Christopher Creason, Jr., El Diamante, 165 -- Army
Olivia Davis, Sr., Monte Vista (Danville), 145 – William Jewell
Justice El-Sayad, Sr., Temecula Valley, 285 – Cal Poly SLO
Jacob Estrada, Sr., Monache, 133/141 – University of Providence (Montana)
Ryan Espiritu, Sr., Vacaville, 149 – Colorado School of Mines
Christian Garcia, Sr., Walnut, 125/133 – Cal Poly SLO
James Gensaw, Jr., Sr. -- Del Norte (Crescent City), 142/133 – Cal Poly Humboldt
Mackenzie Gilbert, Sr., Modesto, 103 – Waldorf
Isabella Marie Gonzales , Sr., Clovis East, 117/124 – Iowa
Travis Grace, Jr., Gilroy, 174 – Oregon State
Victor Alexander Gutierrez, Jr., Central Catholic – Cal Baptist
Christian Herrera, Sr., Bakersfield, 157 -- Wyoming
Chris Huerta, Jr., Buchanan, 141 -- Princeton
Robert Jones, Sr., Poway, 125 – Cal Poly SLO
Isaac Judson, Sr., Albany, 149 – Williams College
Kaiya Lopes, Sr., Rancho Bernardo, 103 – Minot State
Jeff Lopez, Sr., Clovis, 141 – Oregon State
Leo Maestas, Sr., Clovis West, 133 – American University
Khale McDonnell, Sr., Fountain Valley, 285 – Oregon State
Moses Mendoza, Jr., Gilroy, 133 -- Michigan
Mason Ontiveros, Jr., Pitman, 184 -- Oklahoma
Dylan Pile, Sr., Los Gatos, 174 -- Stanford
Angelo Posada, Sr., Poway, 197/285 -- Stanford
Beau Priest, Sr., Bakersfield, 157/165 – Oregon State
Braden Priest, Sr., Bakersfield, 149 – North Carolina
Ronnie Ramirez, Sr., Walnut, 133 – Oklahoma State
Adrien Reyes, Sr., Clovis, 184 – Oregon State
Jonathan Rocha, Jr. Clovis North, 184 -- Purdue
Samantha Sachs, Sr., Glendora, 131 – Iowa
Nicholas Sahakian, Sr., St. John Bosco, 285 -- Michigan
Jaelynn Serna, Sr., Apple Valley, 110 – Missouri Valley College
Siraj Sidhu, Jr., Del Oro (Loomis), 133 -- Stanford
Edwin Sierra, Sr., Poway, 125/133 -- Stanford
Aiden Simmons, Sr., Bakersfield, 141 – Cal Poly SLO
Joseph Toscano, Jr., Gilroy, 157 -- Cornell
Billy Townson, Sr., Poway, 133 -- Rutgers
Carter Vannest, Jr., Pitman, 197 -- Oklahoma
Evelyn Vargas, Sr., Merced, 180/207 – Dickinson State
Blake Woodward, Jr., Buchanan, 149 – Oregon State
Daniel Zepeda, Sr., Gilroy, 149 – North Carolina State
Nikade Zinkin, Sr., Clovis, 149/157 -- Nebraska
Rocklin Zinkin, Jr., Buchanan, 125/133 – Oklahoma State
Commitments to add? Email jtawa@cifstate.org