Seven local wrestlers qualify for state at CIF Masters Meet
LA HABRA — From a team perspective, the local schools competing on the final day of the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet wrestling tournament certainly felt that they had met their goal.
Although the area did not produce a Masters champion this year, three teams had wrestlers advance as state qualifiers on Saturday at Sonora High.
Leading the pack again was Fountain Valley High, which will send five to the CIF State wrestling championships from Feb. 27-29 at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.
Sophomore Sean Solis (fifth, 113 pounds), freshman TJ McDonnell (fifth, 138), junior Luis Ramirez (eighth, 145), junior Max Wilner (sixth, 160) and senior Matthew Fee (fifth, 220) all moved on to the final stage of the season.
McDonnell, Ramirez and Fee qualified for the state tournament for the first time.
The Barons improved upon last season’s total, when they sent three wrestlers to state – Wilner, Solis and Zach Parker.
“Five is definitely better than three,” said Dennis Piramo, who co-coaches the Barons with Brad Woodbury. “To get one to state in the state of California, I think, is an accomplishment for most teams.
“That’s always good, too, when you bring new people to state every year. It’s a culmination of all the hard work coming together and going to the big show. It means a lot.”
The top nine in each weight class advanced to the state tournament. Fee thought that he might have to face the pressure of a ninth-place match, and he was thankful that he did not.
“My goal this year was to go to state,” Fee said. “I didn’t think I would get this high, so I was thinking that I could squeak by with maybe eighth or ninth, but I took fifth this year, which was surprising to me.”
Individually, some wrestlers may have been disappointed with where they ended up in the placing. Fee expounded on why he thinks some wrestlers tend to dwell on their losses.
“It affects the rankings and stuff, first off, but it’s also kind of a pride thing,” Fee added. “It’s like you can’t be the best if you’ve lost, and everyone wants to be the best.”
Corona del Mar junior Emilio Franco could not be counted among those who had misgivings about his performance.
Franco took third place at 220 pounds, the highest placing of all local wrestlers in the Masters Meet. He became the first CdM boys’ wrestler to advance to state since Adam Elias in 1979.
“I was talking to my parents, and I don’t know, jokingly, I said, ‘Second at CIF [Northern Division individual wrestling championships], third at Masters, what is state? Fourth?’” Franco mused. “It would be pretty nice. I feel very confident right now, so why not.”
Last season, Franco reached the state-qualifying meet, only to be quickly eliminated by dropping his first two matches.
“I did [have] a big jump,” Franco said in reflection. “I didn’t think that I was going to do good at Masters. I just kind of wrestled, and I just refused to self-doubt, get into my mind. I think that’s what helped me. I had a better mindset this year.”
Estancia also had a long state-qualifying drought snapped, as junior Jacob Potts advanced in the 195-pound weight class. Nate Goellrich, the athletic director at Estancia, said that Potts is the Eagles’ first wrestler to advance to state since Nathan Thaler in 2001.
“I know no one is an [easy match at state],” Potts said. “Everyone is there for a reason, so I got to just bring my A-game there. I have my injury, but that’s fine. Just keep going.”
Potts (knee) defaulted down to eighth place in the interest of preserving his health for the state tournament.
“I just have to keep myself safe,” Potts said of his decision to pull out of the tournament early. “If I kept going, what happens if I hurt my knee and my knee is done? I’ll play it safe for now.”
Wilner (ankle) and Ramirez (neck) said they also decided to default after qualifying for state to nurse lingering injuries.
CIF Southern Section Masters Meet
At Sonora High
Team Results
1. St. John Bosco 247; 2. Servite 132; 3. Calvary Chapel 107; 4. Northview 100; 5. Palm Desert 98; 6. Sultana 90; 7. San Marino 89.5; 8. Temecula Valley 87; 9. Fountain Valley 79; 10. Roosevelt 70
Championship Matches
106 – Beau Mantanona (Palm Desert) pins Ethan Perryman (Temecula Valley), 4:32.
113 – Zeth Romney (Chaminade) dec. Luis Ortiz (Calvary Chapel), 6-3.
120 – Maxximus Martinez (St. John Bosco) dec. Richard Castro-Sandoval (Santa Ynez), 3-1.
126 – Timothy Levine (St. John Bosco) dec. Koa Ruiz (San Marino), 10-3.
132 – Nicco Ruiz (St. John Bosco) def. Aaron Nagao (Esperanza).
138 – Alex Ramirez (Rowland) dec. Issac Salas (St. John Bosco), 5-2.
145 – Jesse Vasquez (Excelsior Charter) def. Luka Wick (San Marino).
152 – Sonny Santiago (St. John Bosco) dec. Brandon Bollinger (Sultana), 5-3.
160 – Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco) dec. Andrew Sparks (Calvary Chapel), 5-1.
170 – Buck Valor (Servite) dec. Braden Smelser (Valencia), 1-0.
182 – Nathan Haas (St. John Bosco) dec. Travis Wuerth (Hemet), 7-0.
195 – Guillermo Escobedo (Los Altos) dec. Tristen Wilson (Servite), 6-4.
220 – Brandon Leon (Roosevelt) dec. Gabriel Carranza (Victor Valley), 8-6.
285 – Malachi Lyles (Mayfair) dec. Arturo Ojeda (San Jacinto) 1-0.
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