Madison’s avenue
Liberty of Bakersfield senior Madison McMahan recently won a league title and helped her team win its first league title.
Her journey to league champion, however, is anything but typical.
During the COVID pandemic, she started whistling or talking involuntarily on occasion and suffering debilitating periodic mini-seizures or tics. McMahan was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder, an affliction brought on by stress or anxiety.
Despite her disorder, the athletic-minded McMahan wanted to play a winter high school sport. Basketball was out of the question, as a seizure might cause a fall onto the hard wooden floor. So, too, was swimming, as she could not risk being temporarily paralyzed by a seizure while in water over her head.
Encouraged by her brother, McMahan decided to try wrestling and came out for the team as a junior. Though it’s a high-stress sport, it’s conducted on mats, with competition rules that allow for injury time stoppages. With patient coaches and supportive teammates, it can be done.
The Liberty wrestling family welcomed her and treated her episodes, which manifest 2-5 times every practice, as inspiration rather than a distraction. If McMahan can handle these events, where her body just stops for a few minutes; and get back on the mat and try her best, what setbacks in their lives can’t be overcome?
In her junior year, McMahan’s disorder showed up mostly during practice. Her fellow wrestlers learned to re-focus their efforts whenever she went out and encouraged her a few minutes later when she jumped back in. This year, with success and as the season went along, the number of mini-seizures per practice increased and even spilled over to matches.
“She can feel it coming on and will try to remove herself from a fall or impacting her teammates,” said boys’ head coach Paul Garcia. “At one tournament this season, it came in the middle of a match. She started to walk off the mat toward her coach and collapsed. The official had no idea what was going on. The coach asked for a minute for her to recover, and she did. Then she continued the match. We also have a doctor’s note stating what it is and what to expect. We’ve not had to use it yet.”
Next fall, McMahan, who carries a 4.2 GPA, will attend the University of Wyoming with the intention of studying chemical engineering. But the South Yosemite Conference champion at 155 pounds is not yet done on the mat. Division championships in the Central Section start today. The Section championships are next week and the state meet the week after.
Who knows how far McMahan will go considering how far she’s already come?
Garcia posted a quote in the wrestling room the other day:
“One who overcomes their adversities will truly know their victories.”
McMahan embodies this. She became a champion, regardless of wins or losses, the moment she first set foot on the mat.
Remember the Titans
Poway finished as runner-up last year to seven-time reigning boys state champion Buchanan. The Titans have been on a mission to wrest that title away in 2024. They are ranked among the top five teams in the nation, the only California squad so recognized, and, in January outpointed Buchanan to win the Doc Buchanan Invitational, the most prestigious in-season tournament in the state.
Poway’s latest statement was delivered on January 27 in Fresno, when the Titans edged Buchanan, 28-26, in a dual meet dubbed “The Battle for the Throne.”
This was the third consecutive year the teams had met in a dual. Buchanan won the first two, dominating 55-9 in the inaugural meeting before winning, 31-22, last year at Poway. The Bears went on to win state each time. Poway won this season by taking eight of the 14 bouts, prevailing in the dual by the slimmest of margins. Buchanan had not lost a dual to a California opponent in almost 10 years.
The deciding match may have come at 113 pounds, where Poway junior Edwin Sierra, fifth in the state last year at 113 pounds; edged Buchanan sophomore Rocklin Zinkin, the state runner-up in 2023 at 106 pounds. The score was 5-3, almost identical to the 6-3 margin Sierra won by when the two met in the semifinals at the Doc B.
The match began with the 150-pound bout, where Poway senior Laird Root got the Titans off quickly with a third-period pin. The results followed according to script before the lineups flipped, with Ben Bomberger’s 3-1 win for Poway at 190 pounds the closest. At 106 pounds, where state No. 1 Arseni Kikinou shut out No. 3 Blake Woodward; and again at 113, Poway won matches that were considered tossups beforehand.
The match came down to the final two bouts. At 138 pounds, Paul Kelly, who was third in the state last year at that weight, outwrestled Clovis North transfer Gavin Bauder, the state runner-up at 132. That gave Poway a 28-22 lead, meaning that Joe Toscano, the state runner-up at 126 pounds, would need to pin his opponent to score six points and send the match to criteria. Toscano won big, but he could not pin freshman Mario Carini, who held off Toscano and Buchanan to clinch Poway’s win.
That championship season
The CIF State Wrestling Championships will begin in less than two weeks at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, but, before then, a whole lot of things have to be decided at the Section level, including division champions, dual meet champions in some sections, and state qualifiers coming out of Master’s Meets.
Dual meet finals have already been conducted in the Southern, Los Angeles City, North Coast, and Sac-Joaquin Sections, and girls division champions have been determined in the San Diego Section, but there are many more events planned before State, as follows:
Feb. 9-10 – Southern Section Girls and Boys Individual Championships; Central Section Division Championships Boys and Girls
Feb. 10 – San Diego Section Boys Division Championships; Los Angeles Section Boys and Girls Championships; Central Coast Section Regionals Boys and Girls; Northern Section Division Championships Boys and Girls; San Francisco Section All-City; Oakland Section championships
Feb. 16-17 – San Diego Section Boys Master; Southern Section Boys and Girls Masters; Central Section Section championships Boys and Girls; North Coast Section Section Championships Boys and Girls; Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Boys and Girls; Northern Section Section Championships Boys and Girls
Feb. 17 – San Diego Section Girls Masters; Central Coast Section Masters Boys and Girls
Relieved to win
You won’t find Kayla Ganac on the “Legends of the Fall” list of fastest pins in California, but it won’t be for lack of trying.
At Los Osos HS, coach Jeff Brehmeyer likes his athletes to string out early bouts of tournaments against overmatched opponents as a means of warming up, so he was surprised when his senior, wrestling at 135 pounds in the Ayala Women’s Tournament on Jan. 19, put her opponent’s shoulders to the mat after just 15 seconds.
Brehmeyer asked Ganac, who waited more than four hours to wrestle her first match, why she didn’t wrestle longer, the response was simple:
“I really had to go to the bathroom,” she said.
News and notes
Olympian won the San Diego Section Division 1 Girls Wrestling Tournament for the second straight year, besting San Marcos of San Marco by 25 points. The Eagles had three individual champions, Natasha Mason at 105 pounds, Alina Solis at 125, and sophomore Natalia Righellis, who scored upsets in the semifinals and finals at 155, including pinning an opponent in the championship match she’d lost to twice before by fall.
Poway finished fourth despite entering only six wrestlers. The Titans won four of the first five weights, including Xiomara Gallego at 125 pounds. Gallego was undefeated last year but dislocated an elbow the match before the postseason.
Rancho Buena Vista senior Kayla Edwards, who was fifth in the state last year at 126, won a title at 135 pounds. She is 37-1 on the season.
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Brawley’s girls won the Division 2 title in dominating fashion, claiming the crown by more than 100 points over second-place Holtville. The Wildcats advanced seven to the finals and had four champions: Jennifer Favela (100), Blanca Favela (105), Lauren Zaragoza (120), and Delarie Juarez (145).
Zaragoza won her championship match by fall in 39 seconds.
Juarez, a fifth-place finisher at state at 131, won her final by medical forfeit. She’s ranked No. 1 in California in her weight class and is undefeated at 22-0.
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St. John Bosco defeated Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana, 45-22, to claim its second straight Southern Section Open Division dual meet title.
The Braves had a fall from standout Nicholas Sahakian through the first six matches but trailed, 19-12, before fashioning five straight wins to take control, starting with Sean Willcox winning at 113. Stanford-bound Grigor Cholakyan closed the match for Bosco with a 25-second pin at 157 pounds.
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Canyon Springs won its first dual meet section title in 22 years by defeating Mayfair, 38-30, in the Southern Section Division 1 championship match. The Cougars won despite standout senior Sonny Kling, second in the state last year at 182 pounds, failing to make weight at 190.
Leading 35-30 with one match left, sophomore Richard Trujillo sealed Canyon Springs win with a 3-0 win at 157 pounds. The Cougars had been second five times between championships.
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Etiwanda edged San Clemente, 34-33, to win its second consecutive Southern Section boys Division 2 dual meet championship.
Evan Manzo won the match’s opening bout by fall at 165 pounds and the Eagles built a big enough lead to hold off San Clemente, which won the dual’s final three matches, two by fall.
The highlight for the Tritons may have come at 175 pounds, where junior Liam Carroll scored five points in the final 20 seconds of his bout to win, 6-5.
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Northview beat Corona, 39-27, to win the Southern Section Division 1 girls dual championships for the third straight year. The Vikings have defeated Corona in the championship dual each time. Corona won the inaugural dual championship over Northview in 2021.
Northview clinched when Samantha Rivera fought through a second-period knee injury to finish off an 8-5 win at 119 pounds.
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Paloma Valley won its first Southern Section Division 2 girls dual championships over Montclair, 54-29. The team was tied at 18-18 after six bouts when Melissa Moreno came from behind to win at 170 pounds, the first of four straight wins that gave the Wildcats control.
Paloma Valley is the three-time reigning Southern Section Division tournament champion in Division 2.
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Vacaville defeated Oakdale, 40-21, to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I boys team duals. Pitman edged Ponderosa, 37-33, to win Division II, Golden Valley was four points better than Merced in Division III, Central Catholic overcame Will C. Wood, 44-36, in Div. IV and Escalon took a 39-27 win over Sutter for the Div. V title.
Central Catholic won despite wrestling without one of its state-ranked wrestlers at 165 pounds. The lineup included three outstanding female wrestlers, Jill Wells, Aleena Nguyen, and Dulcy Martinez, who went a combined 8-1 against the boys.
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The Delta River League held the first-ever girls wrestling dual team championships this past week. For years, the league didn't have enough teams with the required number of girls to meet the criteria for a girls wrestling dual-team championship. This year, Sheldon, Davis, and Pleasant Grove each had seven or more weight classes filled and had a tri-dual to determine the league's champion. Sheldon defeated Pleasant Grove, 54-18, and Davis, 33-31, to wear the champion’s crown for the first time!
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North High of Bakersfield took second in the South Yosemite Mountain League, with three champions, four runners-up, and four third-place finishers. North’s three girls all placed, including champion Malana Flores at 120 pounds.
“This is a vast improvement from eight total wrestlers in the program last year with this entirely new coaching staff,” said coach Tanner Melson.
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Collin Guffey of Granite Hills was second in the state last year at 152 pounds. The Stanford-bound senior is undefeated this year and 151-11 over his career, with 108 pins, six technical falls, and eight wins by majority decision. That’s dominance!
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Before the 2022-2023 season, Alameda High School had not had a wrestling program in more than 40 years. The Hornets did not win a dual in their first season but are 5-1 this year and in contention for a league title despite no wrestler having more than two years of experience at the high school level. Last year the team finished the year with fewer than 10 wrestlers boys and girls. This year, Alameda opened the season with 43 wrestlers!
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The Fallbrook boys at the Escondido event: (left to right) Dan Wilson 1st 138, Cameron Joe Cruz 6th at 128, Nic Brockson 1st at 132, Devin Huntington 2nd at 152, Ricky Lopez 1st at 108, Cruz Arroyo. Not pictured Jacob Sorden 5th at 122
Fallbrook sent seven boys to Escondido for the Kai Atesalp Memorial Tournament. Kai Atesalp died last July at age 18 after an accidental fentanyl overdose. He was a standout wrestler at Escondido just a few weeks shy of going off to college.
Three of Fallbrook’s seven wrestlers won titles, including lightweight MVP Nic Brockson at 132 pounds.
Fallbrook also had a girl place fifth at the San Diego Section Div. 1 championship. Sophomore Dalanie Stroney is the first girls placer in school history.
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Matilda Torres HS had another North Yosemite League Tournament, as the varsity boys placed second and the girls took third.
The Toros had three boys league champions, Alex Salas (106), Aidan Salas (113) and Angelo Adame (144). Makena Darby (115), Scarlett Renwick (130), and Liliana Standen (135) each took first place for the girls.
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Firebaugh's four Most Outstanding grapplers
History was made at the 2024 West Sierra League Championships. For the first time in Firebaugh HS wrestling history, the four Outstanding Wrestlers were all from Firebaugh: Valeria Mendoza (Outstanding lower weight) and Adriana Becerra (Outstanding upper weight) joined Jordyn Fuentes (Outstanding lower weight) and Isaac Ceja (Outstanding upper weight) in taking home top honors.
Coalinga won the boys varsity championship, while there was a three-way tie for the top spot among girls between Coalinga, Avenal, and Firebaugh.
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La Canada’s boys team has a running streak of five straight league titles. The girls also are strong this year.
One of La Canada’s season highlights was traveling to New Mexico to visit three national park sites and participate in the Sammy Vivian Invite in Socorro, where the team placed fifth.
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The John F. Kennedy Titans of Fremont won the MVAL league again and the DII NCS East Bay Dual Meet championships.
Undefeateds
In this recurring category, we list wrestlers with 15 or more wins who are currently undefeated on the season.
43-0 -- Ronnie Ramirez, Sr., Walnut, 113
39-0 -- Collin Guffey, Sr., Granite Hills, 165
36-0 – Dulcy Martinez, Fr., Central Catholic, 125
35-0 – Jill Wells, Jr., Central Catholic, 100
33-0 – Isabella Marie Gonzales, Jr., Clovis East, 115
22-0 – Delarie Juarez, Jr., Brawley, 145
21-0 – Anaya Falcon, Sr., Walnut, 105
21-0 -- Jayden Tadeo Gosal, Sr., John F. Kennedy (Fremont), 215
Legends of the fall
In this section, we list wrestlers recording pins this season in 10 seconds or under.
Six seconds
Berlyn Davis, Sr., San Clemente, 145, Goddess of Olympia, Dec. 16
Seven seconds
Collin Guffey, Sr., Granite Hills, 165, El Cajon Invitational, Dec. 15
Eight seconds
Gabriela Bonilla, Fr., Millikan, dual v. Lakewood, Jan. 18
Nine seconds
Max Schlumpberger, Sr., Albany, dual v. Mt. Diablo, Dec. 2
10 seconds
Isaac Judson, Jr., 144, dual v. Jesse Bethel, Dec. 6
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
Avangeline Turner, Sr., Davis, 155 – Grand View University
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
Branson John, Sr., Buchanan, 165 -- Maryland
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
Christian Pebley, Sr., Ponderosa, 157 -- Colorado Mesa University
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
Devon Wells, Sr., Granite Hills, 144 – Menlo College
Hercules Windrath, Sr., Fountain Valley, 141/149 – Cal Poly SLO
Commitments to add? Email jtawa@cifstate.org