The San Diego Section qualified a total of 98 wrestlers to the upcoming state championship tournament Thursday through Saturday in Bakersfield: 56 in the boys field and 42 in the girls field.
Olympian High School hosted the boys Masters state-qualifying tournament last Friday and Saturday while Eastlake High School hosted the girls Masters state-qualifying tournament on Saturday.
Both high profile events included qualifiers from the preceding four divisional tournaments in each gender field.
The 24-bracket boys field ended with the top four place-finishers punching their ticket to the state meet while the 16-bracket girls field saw the top three place-finishers advance to state.
It was an elite showcase.
The Metro Conference turned in an uplifting performance with seven state qualifiers — three in the boys field and four from the runner-up Olympian Lady Eagles in the girls field.
That’s a haul of seven Masters qualifiers from South County schools. East County had 15 state qualifiers, including nine from Granite Hills (eight boys, one girl).
The Metro Conference had six boys state qualifiers in 2017.
Ladies first
|Olympian remains a powerhouse at the female level after recording a runner-up finish to make it three top-three finishes in the past three years at the section’s marquee tournament.
The Lady Eagles had four finalists, including three weight class champions: Madelyn Hogue (142 pounds), Natalia Righellis (145 pounds) and Elisa Najera (235 pounds).
Jianna Goodwin finished runner-up in her 100-pound division as an additional state qualifier.
Righellis is now a three-time CIF champion and a two-time Masters champion.
Najera is also a two-time CIF champion and two-time Masters champion.
“All of our girls showed heart and determination to win,” Olympian head coach Jessie Perez said. “We have an extremely young team and they showed up ready to wrestle with the best in San Diego. This year we set a record for the most qualifiers and Masters champs by one school by any Metro (girls or boys) team.”
Olympian finished with 123.5points — well behind repeat team champion Poway (183 points) but ahead of third place Brawley (104 points) and fourth place Mira Mesa (103 points).
Wrestlers who performed well and put a foot on the awards podium but just missed the state-qualifying cut with fourth-place finishes included Eastlake’s Emme De Mesa (120), Chula Vista’s Viviana Romo (155) and Mater Dei Catholic’s Kaila Strother (190).
Boys story
Bonita Vista produced two state qualifiers: Nathan Banaszek at 144 pounds (third place) and Maddern Poderick at 165 pounds (fourth place).
Mar Vista’s Ryder Barang placed fourth at 106 pounds to also snare a state berth.
Bareng entered last weekend’s Masters as the Division IV champion.
Fifth-place near-misses were recorded by Montgomery’s Alan Jean (150), Hilltop’s Ricardo De la Torre (165) and San Ysidro’s Nicolas Quintal (285 pounds). Bonita Vista’s Conlon Mertin (157), Mar Viata’s Aaron Marcial (165) and Otay Ranch’s Isaiah Sary (285) all placed sixth.
Marcial was the Division IV champion.
Bonita Vista finished 10th in the team standings with 77 points as the top-scoring Metro team. Olympian placed next among local teams in 20th place while Hilltop followed in 24th place among the 69 scoring teams.
San Diego Section Girls Masters Championship
Feb. 21 at Eastlake High School
Top Individuals
Top three advance to state meet
100 Pounds
1. Mia Alejo (Clairemont), 2. Jianna Goodwin (Olympian), 3. Mahea’ani Manibusan (Mira Mesa), 4. Alexa Malinis (Monte Vista)
105 Pounds
1. Ava Fodera (Poway), 2. Aletha Tolentino (Coastal Academy), 3. Savannah Choi (Rancho Bernardo), 4. Billi Readinger (Mission Vista)
110 Pounds
1. Carolina Collins (Carlsbad), 2. Isabella Fodera (Poway), 3. Emily Lucatero (Steele Canyon), 4. Mia Green (Helix)
115 Pounds
1. Audrina Beltran (Central Union), 2. Celeste Meyer (Oceanside), 3. Sadie Robbins (El Capitan), 4. Lidia Bailey (Mission Hills)
120 Pounds
1. Ava Ebrahimi (Poway), 2. Arabella Rascon (Central Union), 3. Chloe Hervas (San Marcos), 4. Emme De Mesa (Eastlake)
125 Pounds
1. Aleia Apostol (Poway), 2. Camila Perez (Southwest El Centro), 3. Raquel Hall (Mt. Carmel), 4. Angela Dubon (Mission Hills)
130 Pounds
1. Camille Torres (Brawley), 2, Chole Pearce (Rancho Bernardo), 3. Sophia Fodera (Poway), 4. Kelmora Strand (Mira Mesa)
135 Pounds
1. Lauren Zaragoza (Brawley), 2. Victoria Barragan (Imperial), 3. Edna Rodriguez-Villanueva (Poway), 4. Addison Taufa (San Marcos)
140 Pounds
1. Madelyn Hogue (Olympian), 2. Kaitlyn Krenz (Poway), 3. Vivienne Wright (Mira Mesa), 4. Emily Castro (Holtville)
145 Pounds
1. Natalia Righellis (Olympian), 2. Isabel Manalansan (Mira Mesa), 3. Rossy Para (Lincoln), 4. Maykra Redmond (Grossmont)
155 Pounds
1. Mary Snider (Rancho Bernardo), 2. Emmkylane Bragg (Poway), 3. Savanna Gomez (Granite Hills), 4. Viviana Romo (Chula Vista)
170 Pounds
1. Valerie Cervantes Cruz (San Pasqual), 2. Angelica Murguia (Steele Canyon), 3. Abigail Dentice (Carlsbad), 4. Charisma Lagandaon (Mira Mesa)
190 Pounds
1. Diana Duarte (San Marcos), 2. Patricia Rivera (Southwest El Centro), 3. Yarely Vasquez (Imperial), 4. Kaila Strother (Mater Dei Catholic)
235 Pounds
1. Elisa Najera (Olympian), 2. Madison Vandiver (Brawley), 3. Robin Moore (Ramona), 4. Jala Price (Steele Canyon)
Team Standings
1. Poway 183, 2. Olympian 123.5, 3. Brawley 104, 4. Mira Mesa 103, 5. Steele Canyon 87, 6. Central Union 74, 7. Rancho Bernardo 73, 8. San Marcos 60, 9. Carlsbad 46.5, 10. Southwest El Centro 45, 11. Helix 42, 12. Mission Hills 41.5, 13. Imperial 39.5, 14. Ramona 35, 15. Grossmont 34, 16. San Pasqual 31.5, 17. Granite Hills 31, 18. Santana 30.5, 19. Scripps Ranch 30, 20. Eastlake 25.5, 21. Mater Dei Catholic 25, 22. (tie) Clairemont, El Capitan, Lincoln 23, 25. Coastal Academy 21.5, 26. Oceanside 20, 27.(tie) Calexico, Mt. Carmel 19.5, 29. West Hills 17.5, 30. La Jolla 17, 31. Patrick Henry 16, 32. San Ysidro 15, 33. (tie) Mission Vista, Monte Vista 14.5, 35. Crawford 13, 36. Holtville 12.5, 37. Sweetwater 12, 38. (tie) Chula Vista, Liberty Charter, Valley Center 11, 41. Otay Ranch 9, 42. (tie) Bonita Vista, Vista 8, 44. Rancho Buena Vista 6.5, 45. Mt. Miguel 6, 46. (tie) Canyon Hills, El Camino, University ity 4, 52. Pt. Loma 3.5, 53. Mountain Empire 2.5, 54. Mission Bay 2, 55. El Cajon Valley 1, 56 (tie) Kearny, Mar Vista, Montgomery, Orange Glen, Palo Verde Valley, Sage Creek, San Diego, Torrey Pines, Valhalla 0
San Diego Section Boys Masters Championship
Feb. 20-21 at Olympian High School
Top Individuals
Top four advance to state meet
106 Pounds
Championship: Cash McClurg (Granite Hills) major dec. Wyatt Carnrite (Poway) 12-0
Third place: Aydann Correa (Brawley) pinned Ryder Bareng (Mar Vista) 4;55
Fifth place: Lucas Michelsen (Cathedral Catholic) dec. Derrick Strahm (Holtville) 5-0
113 Pounds
Championship: Julius Villamil (Poway) tech fall Shane Ito (La Costa Canyon) 17-2
Third place: Jayden Montoya (Escondido) dec. Diego Cortes (Rancho Bernardo) 3-2
Fifth place: Elias Pedroza (Granite Hills) dec. Chris Tran (Mira Mesa) 8-1
120 Pounds
Championship: Rene Cordero (Poway) major dec. Emilio Escobar (Granite Hills) 9-0
Third place: Jason Lin (La Costa Canyon) dec. Anthony Strahm (Holtville) 10-6
Fifth place: Zephyr Aubuchon (Carlsbad) major dec. Adam Vang (Mira Mesa) 13-1
126 Pounds
Championship: Ricardo Ortiz (Brawley) dec. Aaron Klein (Poway) 10-4
Third place: Ivan Rivers (Valhalla) dec. Isaac Navarro (Vista) 8-3
Fifth place: Landon Bernal (Imperial) defeated Ethan Vinoray (Patrick Henry) by medical forfeit
132 Pounds
Championship: Jack Molinconico (Poway) dec. Gabriel Pacheco (Central Union) 9-8
Third place: Roman Zelenka (Carlsbad) defeated Daniel Guerra (Southwest El Centro) by forfeit
Fifth place: Uriah Hawkins (Granite Hills) pinned Isaiah Rosales (Oceanside) 1:38
138 Pounds
Championship: Matty Orbeta (Poway) tech fall Justin Torres (Brawley) 17-1
Third place: Luke Menzimer (La Costa Canyon) major dec. Kaden Arram (Mt. Carmel) 13-1
Fifth place: Christian Ripa (Mission Vista) tech fall Ricarte Guro (Mira Mesa) 15-0
144 Pounds
Championship: Ames-Michael Hoevker (Granite Hills) dec. Diego Valdiviezo (Poway) 5-2
Third place: Nathan Banaszek (Bonita Vista) major dec. Gabe Santo (Rancho Bernardo) 13-1
Fifth place: Ayers Reich (Cathedral Catholic) major dec. Caleb Benevides (Brawley) 16-5
150 Pounds
Championship: Carlos Valdiviezo (Poway) pinned Cade Johnston (Vista) 1:15
Third place: David Daniels (Granite Hills) defeated Landon Nelms (Carlsbad) by medical forfeit
Fifth place: Alan Jean (Montgomery) dec. Connor Perry (Pt. Loma) 14-8
157 Pounds
Championship: Bailey Holman (Poway) defeated Aiden Chur (Granite Hills) by injury default
Third place: Skylar Groke (La Costa Canyon) pinned Georges Daniel (St. Augustine) 2:32
Fifth place: Julian Cordova (Southwest El Centro) major dec. Conlon Merton (Bonita Vista) 12-3
165 Pounds
Championship: Mason Carnrite (Poway) tech fall Dax Curry (Rancho Bernardo) 16-1
Third place: Wyatt Hollingsworth (Torrey Pines) defeated Madden Poderock (Bonita Vista) by medical forfeit
Fifth place: Ricardo De la Torre (Hilltop) defeated Aaron Marcial (Mar Vista) by medical forfeit
175 Pounds
Championship: Mario Carini (Poway) tech fall Marcelino Nona (Valhalla) 22-4
Third place: Liam Gonzalez (Ramona) defeated Lawson Fry (La Costa Canyon) by medical forfeit
Fifth place: Carlos Zaragoza (Brawley) pinned Isaiah Boelk (Helix) 2:50
190 Pounds
Championship: Dom Dotson (Poway) tech fall Daryn Leon (Brawley) 19-2
Third place: Jovanni Mansour (Granite Hills) major dec. David Henderson (Scripps Ranch) 10-1
Fifth place: Marko Dzodzo (Torrey Pines) pinned Nolan White (Coastal Academy) 1:26
215 Pounds
Championship: Mick Moylan (Poway) dec. Adam Avila (Brawley) 4-1
Third place: Steven Gomez (Granite Hills) pinned J.J. Martinez (Helix) 1:54
Fifth place: Isaiah Aguirre (Central Union) defeated Levi Mincher (Imperial) by medical forfeit
285 Pounds
Championship: Noah Larios (Imperial) pinned Lewis Fofanah (Poway) 2:38
Third place: Liam Cervantes (Ramona) dec. Travin Shahbaz (Granite Hills) 7-6
Fifth place: Nicolas Quintal (San Ysidro) dec. Isaiah Sary (Otay Ranch) 4-2
Team Standings
1. Poway 402.5, 2. Granite Hills 240.5, 3. Brawley 172, 4. La Costa Canyon 138, 5. Torrey Pines 105.5, 6. Rancho Bernardo 104, 7. Imperial 84, 8. Valhalla 83.5, 9. Carlsbad 80, 10. Bonita Vista 77, 11. Central Union 69, 12. Mira Mesa 67.5, 13. Ramona 58.5, 14. (tie) Holtville, Mt. Carmel 53.5, 16. San Marcos 51, 17. Helix 50.5, 18. Escondido 48, 19. Vista 42.5, 20. Olympian 38, 21. Cathedral Catholic 37.5, 22. Southwest El Centro 37, 23. St. Augustine 35.5, 24. Hilltop 32, 25. Del Norte 31, 26. Mar Vista 30, 27 (tie) El Capitan, San Ysidro 29, 29. Oceanside 28.5, 30. Pt. Loma 28, 31. Otay Ranch 24.5, 32. Scripps Ranch 23.5, 33. Mission Vista 22.5, 34. Coastal Academy 21, 35. (tie) Calexico, Patrick Henry 20.5, 37. (tie) Montgomery, Mountain Empire 16.5, 39. University City 16, 40 (tie) Eastlake, Grossmont, Mission Hills, San Pasqual 14, 44. Valley Center 13.5, 45. Kearny 13, 46. Canyon Hills 12, 47. (tie) El Cajon Valley, Monte Vista 11, 49. Westview 10.5, 50. (tie) Mt. Miguel, San Diego 9, 52. Steele Canyon 8.5, 53. (tie) La Jolla, Lincoln, Orange Glen, Southwest, West Hills 7, 58. (tie) Rancho Buena Vista, Santana 6.5, 60. (tie) Hoover, Mater Dei Catholic, Palo Verde Valley 6, 63. (tie) Christian, Chula Vista, Fallbrook 4, 67. Morse 3, 68. (tie) Liberty Charter, Mission Bay 2, 70. (tie) Clairemont, Crawford, Guajome Park Academy, Madison, Sage Creek, Sweetwater 0
