Tick, tick, tick…
The countdown has begun to what promises to be one of the most exciting state meets in boys wrestling history. In just six days, in Bakersfield, five powerhouse programs will embark on the quest to identify the best of the best, the champion of champions, the ONE California state champion.
Last year it was Poway, that set a scoring record to wrestle the title from Buchanan, which had won the previous seven.
Poway and Buchanan will certainly be in the mix again this year, but so, too, will St. John Bosco, Gilroy, and Clovis. Those five teams all finished top five last year and have been ranked among the top five all year long by CalGrappler. The most current rankings are in this order:
1. Buchanan
2. Poway
3. Bosco
4. Gilroy
5. Clovis
While Clovis will have to be perfect to win its first title since 2015 and extend its state record to 14 championships all-time, the other four programs have so much star power that winning the title could come down to a pigtail match on Thursday at Mechanics Bank Arena, or a head-to-head win against another contending team’s wrestler later on.
That star power was on full display last weekend in section championships. Poway and St. John Bosco both won 13 of 14 brackets to win their section events. Gilroy took 11 of 14 and placed second in the other three. As for Buchanan and Clovis, they were in the same brutal Central Section Div. 1 championship with the likes of Clovis North, Bakersfield, Frontier, Central (Fresno) and Redwood (Visalia) and still combined to produce 11 of the 14 champions.
With all but the North Coast Section competing in post-season tournaments last weekend, let’s take a look at highlights from across the state.
Bearing down
We start in the Central Section, where Buchanan won six individual titles and scored 311 total points in the Div. 1 championship to edge Clovis, which had five titlists and scored 287 points.
A Buchanan highlight came at 128 pounds, where senior Paris Ruiz edged Clovis junior Thunder Lewis, 8-6. Ruiz was seventh in the state last year at 132, while Lewis finished sixth at 113. Another Bear highlight occurred when Leo Contino edged Bakersfield’s Beau Priest, 2-1, to win at 159. That was a rematch of last year’s third-place bout at the state championships (157 pounds), which Contino also won.
A Clovis highlight was Nikade Zinkin defeating Joe Toscano of Buchanan for the third time this season to win at 146 pounds. This one went to a tiebreaker before Zinkin prevailed. Toscano has lost just three times all year, each to Zinkin, last year’s state champion at 126 pounds.
Kudos to Leo Maestas (Clovis North – 140), Jonathan Rocha (Clovis North – 192), and Brock Rios (Frontier – 217) for breaking the Buchanan/Clovis logjams to take home individual titles.
Kingsburg, McLane, Golden West, Bakersfield Christian also win
The Central Section also crowned four other division champions on Saturday.
Kingsburg won by a whisker – 3.5 points – over Madera to take D2. The Vikings had four individual champions, including Emilio Ayala, who pinned his way through the 215-pound bracket; and Carlos Melgoza, who won as the second seed at 113 pounds.
McLane got a title from Gilbert Criado at 120 pounds to win D3.
Golden West won a tight contest in D4 that saw just 19 points separate first through fourth. Blake Pacheco (15) and Alexander Carmona (285) won titles for the Trailblazers.
Bakersfield Christian edged Tehachapi by 10.5 points to win D5. The Eagles had three individual champions: Kaileb Cadena (150), Nathan Paul (157), and Chris Andrews (285).
Golden West blazes trail
Golden West won the girls Div. 1 championship in the Central Section, becoming the first Tulare team over the past decade to win a section title in the highest division in any sport.
Kayleigh Fernandez won an individual title for the Trailblazers at 105 pounds.
Many wrestlers who will be state title favorites won brackets. That includes undefeated and two-time state champion Isabella Marie Gonzales of Clovis East, who pinned her way through the 120-pound division; Central of Fresno’s Me’Kala James, who had no trouble at 125; and Clovis junior Leilani Lemus, another undefeated, two-time champion who pinned her way to the win at 170 pounds.
A first for Monache
Monache's girls came up clutch in the championship matches to capture their first Central Section title in program history
The Monache Marauders won their first Valley title in program history, edging out Liberty of Bakersfield by 3.5 points.
Monache trailed in the team chase going into the championship bouts and needed three of its four finalists to win to earn the title. Upset wins by Bailey Hoard (100) and Alex Andrea Corona (120), coupled with a dominating performance by Sierra Almilla (105), catalyzed the victory.
Poway domination
Poway claimed its 43rd San Diego Section championship, winning Div. 1 by going 51-1 overall, with 13 champions. The highlight came when Gunnar Neal turned around an 8-1 first-period deficit to defeat top-seeded Junior Bumanglag of Granite Hills, 14-9.
Reigning state champion (175 pounds) Angelo Posada pinned all four of his opponents for Poway at 215 pounds to remain undefeated on the year. Robert Jones won all four of his matches at 126 pounds by first-period fall.
Second-place Granite Hills placed 10 in the finals. Its lone champion came at 138 pounds from Ames-Michael Hoevker in come-from-behind fashion.
Bonita Vista
Bonita Vista won its first section championship, defeating Valhalla by 7.5 points in Div. 2. Josue Garcia won by a point in the 126-pound final to repeat as section champion. Edwin Flores (120) also won for the Barons.
Valhalla senior Victor Gosswiller won at 215 pounds to secure his second section championship, as did teammate Marcelino Nona at 165.
Other two-time winners included Mt. Carmel senior Ilyand Calvo at 175 and Central Union’s Gabriel Pacheco at 132.
Four-peat for Brawley
Brawley won a section title for the fourth straight year, and 12th in the past 13, by dominating in Div. 3. The Wildcats crowned eight individual champions, including four-time section champ Evan Velez (138) and three-time champ Mathew Gutierrez (190).
Large margarine of victory for Imperial
Imperial won Div. 4 for the second straight year. The Tigers have now won four section titles over the past seven years.
Imperial had four individual champions to outdistance second-place Holtville by 76 points. Noah Larios was a repeat winner at 285.
Holtville’s Anthony Strahm and Mason Navarro also were repeat champions.
Pats on the back for Birmingham
Birmingham won both the boys and girls Los Angeles City Section titles, as expected. The title was the seventh straight for the boys and the fourth straight for the girls.
Five Patriots won individual titles for the boys, including junior Henry Aslikyan, the reigning 106-pound state champion; and Gregory Torosian, who won the 150-pound bracket on his birthday.
Six girls were victors for Birmingham, including Avy Perez, who won a City title for the fourth straight year with an 11-second pin in the 105-pound final.
Lincoln logs another title
Lincoln won the San Francisco Section title for the second straight year behind four champions, including junior Kai Villegas at 138 pounds and senior Syd Villegas at 165.
Gilroy was here
Gilroy’s boys team had a wrestler in every championship bout of the Central Coast Section Southern Regional and came away with 11 individual champions.
Two-time state champion Daniel Zepeda led the way with a 4-0 showing at 150 pounds to remain unbeaten on the season. Past state champions Elijah and Isaiah Cortez also won their divisions.
Gilroy’s girls team led the Southern Regional with five bracket winners, including Tamara Grace at 135 pounds.
Monterey, Hollister, and Alisal also acquitted themselves well.
Los Gatos, Saint Francis rule CCS Northern Regionals
The Los Gatos boys and Saint Francis of Mountain View girls won regional championships on Saturday.
They each sent 13 wrestlers, with the Los Gatos boys producing eight individual titlists and the Saint Francis girls taking two brackets.
Los Gatos won every bracket from 113 pounds through 144, including Antonio Rodriguez at 126. Matthew Luna and Hunter Luna won at 150 and 157, respectively, to break the Wildcat streak.
April Gao (115) and Katherine Love (125) won divisions for the Saint Francis girls, who also had two seconds and one third.
Stronger than Oakland High…
Oakland High School will be sending five boys champions to the state tournament out of the Oakland Section, with Skyline having four and Oakland Tech three.
Oakland High won three straight classifications from 134 (Noah Newton) through 146 (Henry Sparks). Skyline’s four champions all were at 152 pounds or heavier, including Keliti Havea at 192 and Malu Havea at 287.
Chico is the man!
Chico High won its 16th straight Northern Section Div. I boys championship on Saturday. The Panthers had six individual champions, from Tej Sidhu at 115 to Gabe Rodriguez at 287.
Corning doesn’t wear down
Corning edged Chico for the girls title. The Cardinals had one short of a full roster and placed first or second in the first seven classes, from 102 through 132. Mago Leal won both of her matches by fall at 132.
Five reign supreme in SJS
Folsom, Pitman, Vacaville, Sutter, and Escalon were winners last week in the boys Sac-Joaquin Section Championships.
Folsom beat Del Oro in Div. 1 behind four individual champions, including sophomore Orion Hill, who was impressive in winning at 134 pounds.
Pitman dominated Div. 2 with eight champions, including Mason Ontiveros at 177. Brokton Borelli of Los Banos beat Carter Vannest of Pitman in the event’s spotlight matchup at 192 pounds.
Vacaville outdistanced Oakdale to win Div. 3. Senior Aydan Ducharme (159) was one of four Bulldog bracket winners.
Sutter is the Div. 4 champion. The Huskies brought 10 wrestlers and produced four champions, including senior Carter De La Cerna at 138 pounds.
Escalon bested Calaveras to win Div. 5 thanks to senior champions Christian Cruz (144) and John Konrad (190).
Del Oro, Tokay and Pitman take SJS girls titles
Del Oro won the girls Northern Regional Tournament in the Sac-Joaquin Section behind three champs, including junior Kaiya Maggini, who was second in the state last year at 110 pounds.
Tokay outpointed Lincoln of Stockton to win the Central Regionals, led by senior champions Kelly Meehan (145) and Kaylee Tuavao (170), both of whom recorded first-period falls in their championship bouts.
Pitman beat out Escalon in the Southern Regionals behind wins from Lily Dizon at 100 and the Austins, Gabryella Austin at 125, freshman Annabella Austin at 235, and 2024 state champion Baya Austin at 140.
Jazmin Turner of Grace Davis, who was third at State at 105 last year, also won her bracket at 105 pounds.
Bosco Braves Central
St. John Bosco won the Southern Section Central Division Boys Championship by winning every bracket but heavyweight (where injured superstar Nicholas Sahakian would have been competing). Isai Fernandez, wrestling at 175 pounds, was the most impressive in the final round. He pinned his opponent, Jack Riggs of Calvary Chapel (Santa Ana), in 67 seconds. Riggs, a senior who did not start wrestling until his freshman year, earned his first trip to the Masters Meet.
Servite senior Adam Galindo also qualified for his first Masters by placing second at 215.
Fountain Valley takes Coastal
Fountain Valley won the Coastal Division with an impressive showing. The Barons won nine brackets, including the three lower weights – Chris Qureshi (106), Hunter Jauregui (113), and Liam Qureshi (120) – to romp over Mayfair (Lakewood) and everyone else. This marked the third straight year for FV with a section title.
Of note: Fountain Valley’s highest-ranked wrestler, senior Khale McDonnell, was not one of the nine champions. He lost by fall to Kaydee Cartee of Mayfair, a wrestler he had twice defeated this season.
Turning 40
Temecula Valley won its 40th section title – 22nd in this format -- in the Inland Division. The Golden Bears won a tight competition with Northview sparked by now-two-time champion Gabriel Lemos, who did not surrender a single point while winning at 144 pounds. Ashton Lassig and Nolan Walker also claimed titles. Lassig pinned his way through five bouts at 175, while Walker won by first-period pin in the 215-pound championship bout.
A Lance-ing blow
Lakeside of Lake Elsinore won its first section championship when it outpointed Walnut in the Eastern Division. The Lancers had five individual champions, including Axel Esparza, who won for the second straight year.
J.W. North heavyweight Coby Merrill continued his dominant, unbeaten year by pinning all four opponents at 285 in a combined time of 93 seconds.
Senior Ronnie Ramirez of Walnut, a returning state champion (120), pinned all four of his opponents to take the 126-pound bracket.
Bonita senior Tristan Fernandez won a section title by fall in the 150-pound division, his third straight title.
Nathaniel Dominguez of Pacifica (Oxnard) was 30-0 on the year before losing the 175-pound final to Javon Major of Paloma Valley.
Esperanza turns hope into reality
Esperanza won six brackets to romp to the Northern Division championship. Freshman Sammy Sanchez, No. 1 in the nation at this weight, went 5-0 to remain unbeaten on the year.
Sun shines on Centennial
Centennial of Corona eeked by Sultana to take the Southern Division tournament. Rocco Godinez, champion at 144 pounds, was the only bracket winner for the Huskies, but three others finished as runners-up.
Sultana snagged five titles -- Jackson Humphrey (113), Rocky Humphrey (126), Cael Humphrey (132), Ryan Collins (157) and Xander Firm (285) – but had two wrestlers fail to win a bout. All of Centennial’s wrestlers advanced at least one match.
Jacob Bell of Etiwanda won at 150 to capture his fourth straight title.
Northview girls find Central title
Northview dominated the Southern Section girls Central Division tournament. The always-tough Vikings appear primed for a state tournament run after placing nine in the top four of their respective brackets, including three champions. One of the champions, Brawley transfer Delarie Juarez, edged Olivia Davis of Esperanza, 3-2, to win at 145 pounds. Juarez is the reigning state champion at 145 pounds, while Davis was second in the state last year at 140.
Kylee Golz of Trabuco Hills won her bracket at 120 pounds by dominating four opponents. The state runner-up last year at 115 pounds is aiming for a state finals rematch with undefeated, two-time reigning state champion Isabella Marie Gonzales of Clovis East.
Corona earns ring in Eastern Division
Corona fended off a challenge from Santa Ana to win the Eastern Division and set a scoring record of 332 points in doing so. The Panthers, who have been a dominant squad all season long, had five individual champions, including Iztel Herrera and Jestinah Solomua, who pinned their way through the 115-pound and 145-pound titles, respectively.
Santa Ana had four individual champions, including Cookie Serratos and Alicia Serratos, who won at 100 and 105, respectively. Cookie Serratos, who is undefeated on the year, won her final bout, 1-0, over returning state qualifier Destiny Huitron of Arroyo.
Roosevelt of Eastvale crowned its first two champions in program history: Emma Goodland, who won as the seventh seed at 120 pounds; and top-seeded Sophia Cardenas at 135.
Juliana Marquez pinned all four of her opponents in 73 seconds or less to win the 190-pound bracket. The Gabrielino senior is the defending state champion at 190 pounds.
Good Knights in the Northern
Shadow Hills beat out Mayfair to capture the Northern Division. The Knights had two dominant champions, Melany Ahumada at 100 pounds and Alisa Murillo at 110. Ahumada, the third seed, pinned all six of her opponents in the first round. The top-seeded Murillo also pinned six opponents, five in the first period.
Anaheim’s Lilyana Balderas, the state's third-place finisher at 125 pounds last year, won her bracket at 125. She won all four of her bouts in 38 seconds or fewer.
Glendora senior Samantha Sachs was dominant in winning at 130 pounds. Sachs, the state tournament runner-up at 125 pounds in 2024, is undefeated this season.
Marina finds safe harbor in the Southern
Marina, the state champion in 2022 and 2023, won a tight Southern Regional. The Vikings scored 220 points to 212.5 for Long Beach Poly and 182 for Hillcrest.
Marina had two champions, Aubree Gutierrez at 110 and Eva Garcia at 155. The Vikings’ Abigail Marquez was second at 100, losing only to Jillian Wells of Lakeside, the reigning state champion at that weight.
Zahra Stewart of Orange Vista won the 125-pound bracket. She finished seventh in the state at 120 pounds last year. Stewart is now a three-time division champion, as is Tilly Kakuk of Chico, who turned around a tight final at 120 with a reversal midway through the final period.
Undefeateds
In this recurring category, we list wrestlers with 20 or more wins who are currently undefeated on the season.
37-0 – Roxanne Raab, Sr., Clairemont, 135
37-0 – Daniel Zepeda, Sr., Gilroy, 150
35-0 – Samantha Sachs, Sr., Glendora, 130
32-0 – Cookie Serratos, Fr., Santa Ana, 100
30-0 – Isabella Marie Gonzales, Sr., Clovis East, 120
30-0 – Angelo Posada, Sr., Poway, 215
29-0 – Coby Merrill, Jr., J.W. North, 285
29-0 – Sammy Sanchez, Fr., Esperanza, 106
28-0 – Dulcy Martinez, Soph., Central Catholic, 135
27-0 – Noelia Sedano, Sr., Justin Garza, 235
26-0 – Mary Snider, Jr., Rancho Bernardo, 140
22-0 – Leilani Lemus, Jr., Clovis, 170
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
Heaven Charleston, Fr., Inderkum, 155 (Feb. 15)
Coby Merrill, Jr., J.W. North, 285 (Feb. 14)
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)
Avy Perez, Sr., Birmingham, 105 (Feb. 15)
Roxanne Raab, Sr., Clairemont, 135 (Feb. 8)
Gabriel Tinajero, Sr., Ganesha, 215 (Jan. 15)
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
Ajalynn Jimenez-Panoke, Sr., Hillcrest, 109 -- William-Jewell College
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