Eastlake High School senior Ben Martinez qualified for his second trip to the California state boys wrestling championship meet. He led a contingent of four Metro Conference qualifiers to the two-day meet in Bakersfield March 2-3.
Martinez (30-8) had the best showing in the group with a 2-2 record to finish among the top 16 wrestlers in his weight class. He finished two wins from earning a place-finish in the tournament.
The Eastlake matster called it an “exhilarating” experience.
“The whole atmosphere around the arena was electrifying,” Martinez said. “The excitement level increased every round.
“The quality of competition is second to none. California is considered one of the best state tournaments. It’s almost at the college level. Everyone is at that level.”
Olympian heavyweight Luis Castro and Mater Dei Catholic 197-pounder Thomas Schmitt both finished 1-2 at the state meet.
Castro, a junior, is already looking forward for next year.
“To see the competition in San Diego and then to see what the competition is like at state really opened my eyes but it also encouraged me to work harder,” Castro explained. “My goals are to win CIF and Masters next year.”
Castro was one of seven Eagles to qualify for the finals at this year’s Division I championship meet. He finished with 31 pins in 2017-18 — just short of the school record of 34 pins in one season.
Olympian made school history by finishing runner-up in the team standings at the Division I finals.
San Diego Section Masters champion Poway finished third in this year’s state team standings to close out head coach Wayne Branstetter’s 45-year high school coaching career, including 40 years with the Titans.
Rancho Bernardo junior Jaden Abas (44-1) and Poway sophomore Domonic Mata (48-1) led the section with first-place individual finishes at 138 and 152 pounds, respectively.
Poway had seven state place-winners: senior Nathan Tausch (second, 182 pounds), senior Chase Zollman (third, 132 pounds), senior Jacob Allen (fourth, 120 pounds), sophomore Jason Miranda (fifth, 133 pounds), senior Josh Tolentino (sixth, 145 pounds) and senior Calvin Naraghi (seventh, 160 pounds).
RBV’s Bernie Truax finished third at 145 pounds.
Buchanan captured its third consecutive state title and fourth overall by scoring 219 points. Gilroy finished second with 180 points, followed by Poway with 171.5 points.
Among individuals, Clovis senior Seth Nevills (285 pounds) became only the third wrestler in the 46-year history of the state meet to win four state titles. Meanwhile, St. John Bosco Cleveland Belton (126 pounds), Santiago sophomore Jesse Vasquez (132 pounds) and Buchanan senior Anthony Montalvo (182 pounds) each won their second state crowns.
Also of note, Selma freshman Richard Figueroa won the 106-pound title. His sister, Gracie Figueroa became a four-time state champion at the CIF State Girls Wrestling Championships the previous weekend.
Selma finished fourth in the boys state team standings with 168 points, followed by Clovis in fifth place with 121.5 points, Clovis North in sixth place with 119 points, Oakdale in seventh place with 111 points, St. John Bosco in eighth place with 106 points, Frontier in ninth place with 91 points and Vacaville in 10th place with 84 points.
2018 CIF State Boys Wrestling Championships Final Results
106: Richard Figueroa (Selma, 9) defeated Carlos Negrete (Clovis North, 9) by 6-1 decision.
113: Maximo Renteria (Buchanan, 9) defeated Aaron Nagao (Esperanza, 10) by 9-1 major decision.
120: Nic Aguilar (Gilroy, 12) defeated Henry Porter (Oakdale, 9) by 6-1 decision.
126: Cleveland Belton (St. John Bosco, 12) defeated Ryan Franco (Clovis North, 9) by 3-2 decision.
132: Jesse Vasquez (Santiago, 10) defedated Alex Felix (Gilroy, 12) by 10-0 major decision.
138: Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, 11) defeated Lawrence Saenz (Vacaville, 12) by 4-3 decision.
145: Peyton Omania (De La Salle, 12) defeated Tony Mendoza (Selma, 12) by 3-2 decision.
152: Domonic Mata (Poway, 10) defeated Trey Munoz (Trabuco Hills, 11) by 1-0 decision.
160: Josh Kim (Santiago, 12) defeated Joel Romero (Buchanan, 12) by 3-1 decision.
170: Trent Tracy (Frontier, 11) defeated Gabe Martinez (Oakdale, 11) by 10-2 major decision.
182: Anthony Montalvo (Buchanan, 12) defeated Nathan Tausch (Poway, 12) by 5-0 decision.
195: Tony Andrade (Gilroy, 12) defeated Colbey Harlan (Oakdale, 12) by 3-1 decision.
220: Joey Daniel (Santa Ana, 12) defeated Isaiah Perez (Pitman, 12) by 6-2 decision.
285: Seth Nevills (Clovis, 12) defeated Jake Levengood (Vacaville, 12) by 1:11 pin.
HIGH SCHOOL WINTER SPORTS ALL-LEAGUE TEAMS
BOYS WRESTLING
Mesa League
First Team
108: Zachary Ramos (Olympian)
115: Antonio Collazo (Eastlake)
122: Anthony Ching (Mater Dei Catholic)
128: Jason Harlan (Mater Dei Catholic)
134: Ethan Ramos (Olympian)
140: Ty’Darrius Wallis (Bonita Vista)
147: Ethan Deguzman (Olympian)
154: David Rodriguez (Olympian)
162: Axell Perez (Otay Ranch)
172: Tyshawn Anderson (Olympian)
184: Rylen Gregorio (Olympian)
197: Chris Gomez-Dominguez (Hilltop)
222: Michael Miller (Bonita Vista)
287: Luis Castro (Olympian)
Second Team
108: Christian Aguilera (Hilltop)
115: Marc Nunez (Hilltop)
122: Israel Ramirez (San Ysidro)
128: Ralph Sanvistores (Olympian)
134: Kazu Tsukamoto (Hilltop)
140: Dylan Kohler (Eastlake)
147: Daniel Reyes (Bonita Vista)
154: Joseph Castillo (Hilltop)
162: Luciano Parra (Olympian)
172: Marcelo Avila (Otay Ranch)
184: Michael Morgan (Eastlake)
197: Diego Sanchez (Olympian)
222: Shaihi Baker (Olympian)
287: Sergio Carzoli (Eastlake)
Wrestler of the Year
Ben Martinez (Eastlake)
Championship Team
Olympian High School
South Bay League
First Team
108: Bryan Figueroa (Chula Vista)
115: Julian Winnie (Mar Vista)
122: Daniel Briceno (Chula Vista)
128: Roy Figueroa (Mar Vista)
134: Joseph Fonseca (Sweetwater)
140: Franz Villanueva (Castle Park)
147: Guillermo Gonzalez (Sweetwater)
154: John Telmo (Sweetwater)
162: Nathaniel Bingham (Mar Vista)
172: Matthew Frith (Mar Vista)
184: Oscar Luna (Southwest)
197: Uziel Roldan (Southwest)
222: Andrew Villagomez (Montgomery)
Second Team
108: Elijah Eugenio (Mar Vista)
115: Alex Hernandez (Chula Vista)
122: Enrique Cisneros (Southwest)
128: Mario Lopez (Montgomery)
134: Axel Velazquez (Castle Park)
147: Bryan Alamilla (Southwest)
162: Francisco Herrera (Sweetwater)
184: Roberto Porras (Sweetwater)
197: Jose Sanchez (Montgomery)
222: Noah Ballesteros (Southwest)
Wrestler of the Year
Joseph Fonseca (Sweetwater)
Championship Team
Mar Vista High School
San Diego Section Dual Meet Champions
Division I: San Marcos
Division II: Poway
Division III: Brawley
Division IV: Ramona
Metro Conference nets two place-finishers at girls state wrestling tournament
The San Diego Section finished this year’s eighth annual California Girls State Wrestling Championship tournament in Visalia with perhaps its strongest showing, netting eight place-finishers, among them a pair of South County wrestlers: Hilltop senior Jasmine Plasencia and Mar Vista senior Sonia Baniqued.
Plasencia, the San Diego Section champion at 106 pounds, finished seventh in her weight class at the state tournament.
Baniqued, the runner-up at 150 pounds at the section finals, placed eighth in her weight class.
The two-day state tournament took place Feb. 23-24 at the Visalia Convention Center.
Helix Charter High School senior Destiny Lyng led the San Diego contingent with a second-place finish in her 139-pound weight class.
The section’s other place-winners included El Camino junior Madlyne Navarro (third at 237 pounds), Ramona junior Savannah Kiddoo (fourth at 113 pounds), San Pasqual senior Emily Velazquez (fifth at 191 pounds), Lincoln junior Phonisha Pruitt (seventh at 128 pounds) and La Costa Canyon sophomore Maddie Konopka (seventh at 145 pounds).
“I’m really proud of how the section performed this past weekend,” explained High Tech High Chula Vista coach Trevor Keifer, who served as tournament director for the San Diego Section championship tournament, which took place Feb. 10 at Sweetwater High School. “We doubled our placers from last year, which is a huge improvement. The section, as a whole, really stepped it up this year. I look forward to seeing of we can continue this success into next year.”
South County schools qualified 11 wrestlers to compete at last weekend’s state meet.
Plasencia, a four-time section champion and three-time state qualifier, lost her first match but finished the tournament strong with a 4-1 showing, including three consecutive wins in the single-elimination wrestle-backs.
Plasenica (29-7) pinned Gabrieleno junior Cassidy Do, the Southern Section third-place finisher, in 4:49 in the seventh-place match.
Baniqued, a returning state qualifier, lost her first match but came back with three elimination wins, including two by pin, before finally wrestling for seventh place. She lost by a 3:45 pin to Lynbrook senior Kennedy Miedema, the second-place finisher from the Central Coast Section, in the seventh-place match.
The Mar Vista wrestler finished the season 28-4.
Other South County qualifiers included Olympian’s Yesenia Marin Deguire (103) and Alexa Downs (123), HTH Chula Vista’s Sarina Kuninaga (113), Hilltop’s Amber Plasencia (128) and Nahdia Barrientos (133), Otay Ranch’s Dayna Mitchem (152) and Aylin Salas (191), and Montgomery’s Larisa Vasquez (162) and Jasmin Ballesteros (172).
Amber Plasencia (27-12) finished 3-2 with one pin; she was one win away from earning a place-finish in the tournament.
Marin Deguire finished 1-2 in her weight division.
Selma’s Gracie Figueroa (121 pounds) and Alleida Martinez (111 pounds) became four-time champions, only the third and fourth girls wrestler to do so in CIF state history. Selma (142 points) claimed a record third-consecutive state title, with Northview (85 points) and Corona (78 points) finishing in second and third place, respectively.
Angelina Gomez (101 pounds) of Northview, Rory Coscia (116 pounds) of Enochs, Candice Corralejo (131 pounds) of Del Oro and Alexandra Castillo (189 pounds) of Birmingham each claimed their second individual state title. Also, freshmen Cheyenne Bowman (126 pounds) of Rowland and Katja Osteen (160 pounds) of Chaminade each won a state crown.
2018 State Invitational Championships Final Results:
(101-pounds) Angelina Gomez (Sr., Northview) d. Lizette Rodriguez (So., James Logan) Dec 3-1
(106-pounds) Elysia Urrea (Sr., Lincoln-Stockton) d. Marissa Ritchie (Jr., M.L.King) Dec 12-10
(111-pounds) Alledia Martinez (Sr., Selma) d. Ashley Venegas (Jr., Mt. Whitney) F-1:56
(116-pounds) Rory Coscia (Sr., Enochs) d. Tara Othman (Sr., Benicia) Dec 4-3 TB2
(121-pounds) Gracie Figueroa (Sr., Selma) d. Catlin Cardenas (Sr., Corona) MD 9-0
(126-pounds) Cheyenne Bowman (Fr., Rowland) d. Desiree Estrada (Sr., Cerritos) F-2:14
(131-pounds) Candice Corralejo (Sr., Del Oro) d. Dalia Garibay (Jr., Freedom) Dec 5-0
(137-pounds) Drury Aine (Sr., Westminster) d. Destiny Lying (Sr., Helix) Dec 9-4
(143-pounds) Emmily Patneaud (So., Newark Memorial) d. Julia Padilla (Sr., Northview) Dec 4-2
(150-pounds) Jerzie Estrada (Jr., Selma) d. Liliana Vegara (Jr. Gregori) MD 8-0
(160-pounds) Katja Osteen (Fr., Chaminade) d. Yelena Makoyed (Jr., Bella Vista) F- 0:49
(170-pounds) Adelina Parra (So., San Fernando) d. Emily Sandoval (Sr., James Logan) Dec 4-2 SV
(189-pounds) Alexandra Castillo (Sr., Birmingham) d. Fola Akinola (Jr., Menlo Atherton) Dec 6-1
(235-pounds) Tavi Heidelberg (Jr., McClatchy) d. Cristina Santoyo (Jr., Monroe) Dec 7-3
Team Scores (Top 10):
- Selma 142
- Northview 85
- Corona 79
- Menlo Atherton 64
- San Fernando 60
- James Logan 59
- Birmingham 55
- Millikan 47
- Hillcrest 44
- Ridgeview 43
HIGH SCHOOL WINTER SPORTS ALL-LEAGUE TEAMS
GIRLS WRESTLING
Metro Conference
First Team
103: Yesenia Marin Deguire (Olympian)
108: Jasmine Plasencia (Hilltop)
113: Desire Ferguson (San Ysidro)
118: Azalya Trujillo (Mar Vista)
123: Alexa Downs (Olympian)
128: Amber Plasencia (Hilltop)
133: Nahdia Barrientos (Hilltop)
139: Leilani Pompa (Montgomery)
145: Lucero Perez (Otay Ranch)
152: Dayna Mitchem (Otay Ranch)
162: Larisa Vasquez (Montgomery)
172: Jasmin Ballesteros (Montgomery)
192: Aylin Sala (Otay Ranch)
Second Team
103: Jesela Silva (Eastlake)
108: Luz Mercado (Eastlake)
113: Katiana Carillo (Eastlake)
118: Ana Mercado (Eastlake)
123: Valiry Shipley (Otay Ranch)
128: Valeria Aguilar (Olympian)
133: Ariana Reynoso (Olympian)
139: Ayianna Fernandez (Castle Park)
145: Sabrin Farha (Eastlake)
152: Sonia Baniqued (Mar Vista)
162: Jolyna Heng (Olympian)
172: Tiffany Beltran (Otay Ranch)
192: Cindy Luevano (San Ysidro)
Wrestler of the Year
Jasmine Plasencia (Hilltop)
