Wrestling is classified as a coed sport, which means that males and females compete against each other during regular season dual meet competition. The sport remains flexible, however, with gender-specific weekend invitational tournaments and section championships.
This year’s San Diego Section girls wrestling championship tournament will take place Saturday, Feb. 14, at Rancho Buena Vista High School. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the state championship tournament slated Feb. 27-28 in Visalia.
Several Metro Conference hopefuls are in the chase for state qualifying berths. Among them are eight entrants from Eastlake High School. They include: Alexis Galvadon, Elizabeth Hafen, Nina Rothenhaus, Grace Williams, Isabella Hook, Loraine Tejano, Aliyah McGuire and Venica Dael.
EHS coach Stephanie Matsumoto noted that as many as five Titans have the potential to place at the tournament.
“All other girls are first-year wrestlers,” she said.
Matsumoto has been involved from the start of CIF girls wrestling and remains proud of the progress made at both the local, section and state levels in terms of the increase in participation numbers and quality of competition.
“Girls wrestling has grown tremendously,” Matsumoto said. “There were only two girls on the (Eastlake) team two years ago. Last year, we started with 10 and, due to injuries, we ended with five competing at CIF.
“This year, we started with 15 girls at duplicate weights. We are taking eight to CIF.”
Matsumoto said EHS boys wrestling coach Troy Vierra has been very supportive of the girls wrestlers on the team. “He works the girls just as hard as the boys and has entered them in girls tournaments,” Matsumoto explained.
“I have found the girls to be determined in this sport. We have a young team. I only have three seniors.”
The upsurge in participation numbers at Eastlake High School for girls wrestling is reflective overall of the growth of the sport throughout the section.
Matsumoto noted that approximately 90 girls participated in last year’s San Diego Section championship tournament. There are 132 girls registered for this weekend’s tournament.
“Girls wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in San Diego,” Matsumoto noted. “There are 30 colleges offering scholarships in the sport of women’s wresting.”
Standouts on the Titans this season include McGuire, a junior 137-pounder with an impressive four first-place finishes in girls invitationals, as well as Tejano, a junior 152-pounder with two first-place, two second-place and one third-place finish in invitational tournaments, and Williams, a sophomore 128-pounder with two first-place and one third-place finish in invitationals.
McGuire, Tejano and Williams are all returning wrestlers.
“The competition is getting a lot better,” EHS assistant coach Tom Williams explained. “The girls are working hard in practice, making a commitment to improve, and it’s showing on the mat.”
With an increase in participation numbers in the San Diego region, success at the state level should follow.
Matsumoto noted that the top competition in California is currently concentrated in the Orange County and Covina areas.
“The quality of completion here is getting better and better,” Matsumoto said. “I have had more interest not only at Eastlake, but also in other schools.
“The state brackets are as large as the boys. Unfortunately, only two girls will qualify from San Diego Section.”
In the spotlight
In section rankings released on Jan. 30, two Metro Conference girls wrestlers were ranked at the top of their respective weight classes: Montgomery’s Cynthia Corpus (152) and Hilltop’s Alyssa Baker (162).
Baker is among five girls on the Hilltop team. Joining her are teammates Jasmine Plasencia (101), Kayla Ochoa (108), Rosa Zuniga and Carie Hayes.
Baker and Ochoa are both returning state qualifiers. Ochoa won last year’s 103-pound section title while Baker won the 172-pound championship.
Corpus finished second at 162 pounds for the Aztecs.
Hilltop, which finished third in last year’s team standings, is ranked fifth this season.
Eastlake is ranked fourth.
Wrestler profile:
Castle park’s Karla Gonzalez
Castle Park High School 145-pounder Karla Gonzalez made history last season as the first female wrestler from the school to qualify for the girls state championship meet.
“It was an honor to be the first and hopefully I can do it again,” she said.
Gonzalez qualified as the runner-up in last year’s San Diego Section finals at 145 pounds (placing second to Hilltop’s Jazmin Ibanez). Gonzalez is competing in the same weight class this season, and had already chalked up wins over four male foes by the middle of this season.
“Wrestling boys is more of a challenge,” Gonzalez explained. “They’re more aggressive, so whenever a girl can beat a boy, I think it’s a little more impressive than a girl beating another girl. So, yes, it’s a feather in my cap.”
Despite placing second at last year’s section finals, Gonzalez had yet to compete in a girls tournament until the recent Steele Canyon girls tournament on Jan. 24. However, she does have an excuse.
“She’s a cheerleader and always going to cheerleading events on Saturdays,” CPHS coach Robert Schertzer noted.
Schertzer remains impressed with what he’s seen on the mat from Gonzalez this season while wrestling against boys.
“She’s persistent, very smart and very flexible,” he said. “Being a cheerleader helps her being flexible and being able to do some of the harder moves.”
Gonzalez was one of three female wrestlers showcased on the mat in a South Bay League dual meet at rival Chula Vista High School on Jan. 22. In the line-up for the victorious Spartans were 106-pounder Jessy Romero and 120-pounder Jennifer Mancillas. Romero scored a first-period pin to help her team claim a 62-15 dual meet victory.
