Poway or highway at Doc Buchanan
The 49th Doc Buchanan Invitational took place in Clovis over the weekend and attracted a national field. There were 22 states represented, 122 teams, and more than 45 boys with national rankings.
California wrestlers did very well at an event that has become among the most prestigious high school tournaments in the nation, with Poway emerging with the team title and Golden State wrestlers prevailing in 12 of the 14 brackets to earn the cherished cowboy hats bestowed upon winners.
“Overall, the Doc B has become a premier event in the nation and is continuing to grow,” said Gabriel Schaefer, the Director of Wrestling at host school Clovis High. “The community of the Central Valley has embraced the event and sport, making it fan-friendly and competitive at the highest levels of high school sports.”
Poway, from San Diego, won the team title, outdistancing St. Edward of Ohio and Buchanan of Clovis, the defending champion and seven-time reigning CIF state champion. The Titans had two champions, three runners-up, and one wrestler each placed third, fourth, and fifth in their respective brackets and won by 50 points over the next-highest California team.
“Poway won the tournament and looked great in doing so,” Schaefer said. “Very solid team and obvious favorite for CA state this year.”
Poway’s individual champions came from seniors Paul Kelly (141) and Angelo Posada (178). Kelly finished third in California at 138 a year ago. Posada was second at 160 and second in the Doc B at 163 pounds.
Poway’s second-place finishers included freshman Arseni Kikiniou at 109 pounds, junior Edwin Sierra at 116, and senior Robert Platt, a state champion last year at Brawley; at 218 pounds.
“We met team expectations,” said Poway coach John Meyers. “I told the kids that they wrestled well, but we always want to win every match. I judge the kids on how well they wrestle and how hard they fight. They fought hard.”
Meyers added that winning the Doc B did not necessarily mean that the Titans were now favored to dethrone Buchanan for the state title.
“I do not know what this means for state,” he stressed. “There are other great teams out there with great coaches who will be getting their kids prepared. We can only control how we get ready and the effort we put in each day until state.”
Buchanan had nine wrestlers make the podium in their respective weight divisions, but crowned no individual champion. Last year’s two champions, freshmen Rocklin Zinkin and Joe Toscano, finished third and second at 116 and 147 pounds, respectively, as sophomores, suffering their first losses of the season at the Doc B. Zinkin lost a decision to Sierra in the semifinals, 6-3. Toscano fell, 2-1, to a St. Edward wrestler in the championship bout.
Two other Bears also placed third, sophomore Blake Woodward at 109 pounds and senior Branson John at 168.
Buchanan coach Troy Tirapelle said that his team did not meet expectations at the Doc B, but added that “the standard is super high.”
“We are always looking for more from our kids,” he added. “We had our ups and we had our downs; a few more downs than I would like, but that’s pretty much like every tournament. Never does it all go ‘your way.’ It ends up being all a part of the building process.”
Tirapelle said that mental mistakes by some of Buchanan’s wrestlers cost them this past weekend.
“Those are the hardest to overlook and the hardest to overcome,” he explained. “You can put up with and fix physical mistakes. Mental ones are much more internal and time-consuming.”
Buchanan, which has won every state championship since 2016, for now, has relinquished the favorite’s role in 2024 to Poway, the 2023 state runner-up.
“I don’t think we are far off,” Tirapelle said. “We need a little more belief and a lot more fire. Good news is we’ve got two months to try to get to where we need to be. It makes it exciting. It’s been a while since we have had something to chase. Usually, you can use that to give yourself a little edge. We will see.”
Gilroy, which finished fourth overall, had the most individual champions with three: Isaiah Cortez at 129, Elijah Cortez at 135, and Cody Merrill at heavyweight. Isaiah Cortez won a Cowboy hat last year and is a reigning state champion. Elijah Cortez also won state in 2023. Merrill was a state champion in 2022 but missed the state meet last year due to injury.
Gilroy’s coaches did not respond to a request for comment.
Moses Mendoza, a champion last year at 116, finished second this year at 123 pounds. Two other Gilroy wrestlers made the podium.
St. John Bosco finished a strong fifth, with three runners-up and three other wrestlers finishing among the top five in their respective brackets. Jesse Grajeda (135), Joseph Antonio (168), and Nicholas Sahakian (288) all placed second. Sahakian, a defending state champion at 220, was second at the Doc B last year as a sophomore as well.
Grigor Cholakyan placed third at the Doc B for the second consecutive year.
“It was really great taking fifth at one of the toughest tournaments in the nation,” noted Bosco head coach Jeff Anderson. “Year in and year out, this tournament has showcased some of the best across the land. This year was no different, if not even more difficult, with the number of elite-level wrestlers attending.”
“We had a great showing, with six placers, but we were left wanting more,” Anderson added. “Doc B is such an incredibly tough tournament. The margins for victory are so razor thin that one takedown or one escape can mean the difference in placing or not... taking home the championship or not. But that is how we want it - to see the best competition on the biggest stage. Our boys never shy away from this level of competition. And even though we didn't get the results we wanted, this will motivate us to another level.”
Anderson praised Grajeda for a breakout performance. The freshman was seeded 12th and upended a couple of higher-ranked wrestlers to make the finals.
“He really showed he belongs on the big stage,” Anderson noted.
Antonio and Sahakian both came down to one takedown, Anderson said. Cholakyan was “nails” in all but one match. Nathan Carillo at 120 showed off his skill in finishing fourth at 120. Sean Willcox avenged some previous losses to place fifth at 113, which bodes well for a strong state tournament run.
Finally, Yazir Tellez impressed in making it to the round of 12 at 150 pounds.
“Yazir is right on the cusp of taking the next big step,” Anderson observed. “I think this performance showed he can compete with the best and will be a force to reckon with at State.”
Clovis was sixth, with six placers, including runner-up Nikade Zinkin.
“Our team was competitive but struggled in the upper weights (where we are usually pretty strong),” Schaefer noted.
Palm Desert was the final California school to finish in the top 10. The Aztecs placed eighth with two champions, repeat Doc B winner Brock Mantanona (155) and Andrew Barbosa (160). Mantanona’s win relegated EJ Parco of Los Gatos to runner-up status after winning a cowboy hat in 2023. Barbosa, the seventh seed, defeated three higher-seeded wrestlers, including 2023 finalist Beau Priest of Bakersfield.
Palm Desert’s coaches did not respond to a request for comment.
Ronnie Ramirez of Walnut, Isaiah Quintero of El Dorado of Placentia, Collin Guffey of Granite Hills of El Cajon, Sonny Kling of Canyon Springs, and Coby Merrill of JW North were the other individual champions from California. Ramirez is a reigning state champion, while Quintero, Guffey, Kling, and Merrill all placed second in Bakersfield a year ago.
Isaiah Quintero has his arm raised in victory at the Doc B after placing third a year ago
Quintero, who finished third at the Doc B in 2023, was El Dorado’s only wrestler at the Doc B. He won in his return to prominence after off-season ankle surgery.
“We are very proud of his performance, but, as we all know, Doc B can expose your flaws,” said coach Gilly Quintero. “He did have a few moments of adversity with very solid and hungry opponents. A lot of work needs to be done to prepare for the postseason but overall we believe Isaiah is on the right path to finish his high school career strong.”
Coby Merrill’s title at 215 gave JW North its first Doc B champion. The sophomore, a transfer from Gilroy, pinned two top 10 California wrestlers on his way to the final match, where he avenged last year’s loss in the state final by defeating Platt, 3-2.
North also had two other wrestlers in the tournament, Soren Harris-Pham (113) and Lukas Know (132).
“They did not place but competed well against high-level opponents,” noted coach Harlan Kistler.
News and notes
The state team rankings before the Doc B had Buchanan at No. 1, Poway No. 2, St. John Bosco third, Gilroy fourth, Bakersfield fifth, and Clovis, Palm Desert, Los Gatos, Granite Hills, and Oakdale 6-10, respectively.
Here was the Doc B order, among the top California finishers:
1. Poway
2. Buchanan
3. Gilroy
4. St. John Bosco
5. Clovis
6. Palm Desert
7. Bakersfield
8. Canyon Springs
9. Granite Hills
10. Fountain Valley
11. Chaminade
12. Oakdale
13. Walnut
14. Los Gatos
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Mat Scouts had Poway, Buchanan, Gilroy, Bosco, and Bakersfield all ranked among the nation’s top 30 before the Doc B.
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Marina and Northview are nationally ranked among girls’ teams.
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Here are the California boy wrestlers ranked nationally according to SBLive:
106 – Kikiniou, Poway (13th)
113 – Ramirez, Walnut (6); Sierra, Poway (8), Zinkin, Buchanan (19); Abran Cline, Granite Hills (El Cajon) (20)
120 – Quintero, El Dorado (Placentia) (6), Mendoza, Gilroy (12); Antonio Rodriguez, Soph., Los Gatos (19)
126 – I. Cortez, Gilroy (4)
132 – E. Cortez, Gilroy (14)
138 – Kelly, Poway (8)
144 – Toscano, Buchanan (4)
150 – Mantanona, Palm Desert (1); Miguel Estrada, Sr., Frontier (Bakersfield) (2); Laird Root, Sr., Poway (13); Parco, Los Gatos (15); Daniel Zepeda, Jr., Gilroy (16)
157 – Cholakyan, St. John Bosco (4); Leo Contino, Jr., Buchanan (5); Barbosa, Palm Desert (13)
165 – Guffey, Granite Hills (El Cajon (7); Antonio, St. John Bosco (9); Dylan Pile, Jr., Los Gatos (11); John, Buchanan (17)
175 – Posada, Poway (16)
190 – Kling, Canyon Springs (15); Eugenio Franco, Sr., Corona del Mar (16); Thomas Sandoval, Sr., Vacaville (17)
215 – Platt, Poway (10); Coby Merrill, JW North (11)
285 – Cody Merrill, Gilroy (1); Sahakian, St. John Bosco (9)
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Here are the California girl wrestlers ranked nationally according to USA Wrestling as of late November:
95 -- Mia Navarro, Jr., Palm Desert (14th)
100 -- Monee Cordero, Sr., Highland (14)
105 -- Lauren Nguyen, Sr., Granada (23)
110 – Anaya Falcon, Sr., Walnut (2); Avy Perez, Jr., Birmingham (7); Abbi Cooper, Jr., Clayton Valley (13); Shayna Ward, Soph., Oakland Tech (17); Kaiya Maggini, Soph., Del Oro (Loomis) (19); Sophia Cornish, Sr., Tesoro (21); Alicia Serratos, Jr., Santa Ana (22); Deandra Meza, Jr., Walnut (26); Madison Heinzer, Sr., Gilroy (28)
115 – Eden Hernandez, Sr., Poway (3); Kylee Golf, Jr., Fairmont (10); BK Martinez, Sr., Ayala (18)
120 -- Isabella Marie Gonzales, Jr., Clovis East (1); Alexandra Waitsman, Sr., El Camino Real (10); Stevie Joyce, Soph., Granada (29)
125 -- Alejandra Valdiviezo, Sr., Poway (11)
130 – Samantha Sachs, Jr., Glendora (5); Lilyana Balderas Soph., Anaheim (11)
135 – Kayla Edwards, Sr., Rancho Buena Vista (22); Sophia Henal, Sr., Grace Davis (26)
140 – Gianna DiBenedetto, Sr., Bella Vista (15); Renice Gonzalez, Jr., Colony (15)
145 -- Jennah Creason, Sr., Redwood (Visalia) (25); Olivia Davis, Soph., Monte Vista (Danville) (26); Adelaida Fernandez, Soph., Birmingham (28)
155 – Duda Rodriguez, Sr., Newport Harbor (2); Kaiulani Garcia, Jr., Gilroy (10); Leilani Lemus, Soph., Clovis (17); Audrey Segura, Jr., Redwood (Visalia (30)
190 -- Kathryn Hingano, Sr., Rio Linda (16); Katianna Martinez, Jr., Evergreen Valley (28)
235 – Gemma Templeman, Sr., Rocklin (2); Loralei Hartman, Sr., Santa Ana (17); Anna Bozanic, Soph., Gilroy (22)
Best “Pound-for-Pound”
Gonzales (tenth overall)
Rodrigues (16)
Falcon (19)
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Slava Shahbazyan of Chaminade won the 150-bound bracket at the 42nd Annual Newbury Park Invitational in early December by recording a fall in the last 10 seconds on the final versus Daniel Rundle of Ventura.
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El Camino Real trailed 33-10 in a dual with six-time defending CIF Los Angeles Champion Birmingham late in November before rallying to win the final six matches to edge the Patriots, 34-33. Desmond Born (138), Nathan Tran (150), Chukwueneka Ohiaeri (157), Lionel Caceres (160) and Abtin Rostama (190) recorded pins for the victors…
100 % COMMITTED!
In this section, we identify those wrestling high school this year who have made commitments to wrestle in college.
Andrew Barbosa, Sr., Palm Desert, 157 – Rutgers
Abram Cline, Sr., Granite Hills (El Cajon), 125 – Maryland
Grigor Cholakyan, Sr., St. John Bosco, 157 – Stanford
Diego Costa, Sr., Palm Desert, 184 -- Princeton
Miguel Estrada, Sr., Frontier (Bakersfield), 157 – Iowa
Jagger French, Sr., Del Oro (Loomis), 149/157 – Cal Poly SLO
Collin Guffey, Sr., Granite Hills (El Cajon), 174 – Stanford
Lorelei Hartman, Sr., Santa Ana, 235 – Frostburg State
Paul Kelly, Sr., Poway, 141 – Cal Baptist
Sonny Kling, Sr., Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley), 197 – Cal Baptist
Bryce Luna, Sr. Saint Francis (Mountain View), 133 – Army
Brock Mantanona, Sr., Palm Desert, 149 – Michigan
Cody Merrill, Sr., Gilroy, 197 – Oklahoma State
Moses Mirabel, Sr., Gilroy, 149 – Brown
EJ Parco, Sr., Los Gatos, 149 – Stanford
Laird Root, Sr., Poway, 157 – North Carolina
Isaiah Quintero, Sr., El Dorado (Placentia), 133 – Purdue
Thomas Sandoval, Sr., Vacaville, 184 – Brown
Alek VanBebber, Sr., Kingsburg, 149 – Cal Poly SLO
Hercules Windrath, Sr., Fountain Valley, 141/149 – Cal Poly SLO
Commitments to add? Email jtawa@cifstate.org.