If you’re a wrestler, get ready to get your hand raised. The championship season is about to commence.
Those with the winning mindset will find success on the mat.
The Metro Conference will hold its girls championship tournament Feb. 1 at Sweetwater High School while the boys conference finals are scheduled Feb. 8 at Eastlake High School.
Both events will serve as previews for the San Diego Section championship tournaments in both gender fields.
The girls section championship tournament has expanded to include three divisions. All three events are scheduled Feb. 8: Division I at Rancho Bernardo High School, Division II at Santana High School and Division III at Lincoln High School.
The top four place-finishers in each weight class at each divisional tournament will receive medals and advance to the section’s Masters tournament Feb. 21-22 at Christian High School in El Cajon.
Of the 12 wrestlers in each weight class at the Masters tournament, the top four place-finishers will receive medals but only the top three place-finishers in each weight class will qualify to compete in the state championship tournament Feb. 27 to March 1 in Bakersfield.
Division I schools for girls wrestling include Eastlake, Otay Ranch, Sweetwater, Olympian and Bonita Vista while Division II schools include San Ysidro, Chula Vista, Hilltop and Montgomery. Division III schools include Southwest, Castle Park, Mar Vista and Mater Dei Catholic.
There are four divisionals in the section’s boys field. All four are slated to take place Feb. 15: Division I at Olympian High School, Division II at Orange Glen High School, Division III at Ramona High School and Division IV at Madison High School.
Medals will be awarded to the top eight finishers in each weight class in Division I, the top six wrestlers in each weight class at both the Division II and Division III tournaments and the top four wrestlers in Division IV.
The boys field will include 24 wrestlers from the four divisional tournaments.
Local schools competing in Division I include Eastlake, Olympian, Otay Ranch and Sweetwater while the Division II lineup includes Bonita Vista, Chula Vista, Hilltop and San Ysidro. Local schools competing in Division III include Montgomery and Southwest while the Division IV field includes High Tech High Chula Vista, Mar Vista, Mater Dei Catholic and Castle Park.
High school wrestling preview: Granite Hills Invitational
Dec. 7 at Granite HIlls High School
Top Individuals
108 Pounds
Championship: Nicholas Tuato’o (Olympian) pinned Christopher Garcia (Monte Vista) 3:00
Third place: Lucas Michelsen (Cathedral Catholic) pinned Nixon Dayao (Perry) 2:20
115 Pounds
Championship: Noah Steele (St. Augustine) tech fall William Costa (Olympian) 15-0
Third place: Chris Tran (Mira Mesa) major dec. Patrick Hook (Cathedral Catholic) 14-2
122 Pounds
Championship: Emilio Escobar (Granite Hills) pinned Aden Vang (Mira Mesa) 3:15
Third place: Jace Briquelet (Perry) major dec. Hunter Williams (St. Augustine) 12-2
128 Pounds
Championship: Caden Briquelet (Perry) major dec. Jeremy Tajiri (Mira Mesa) 14-4
Third place: Damian Arreola (Granite Hills) tech fall Alejandro Sarabia (Olympian) 18-3
134 Pounds
Championship: Diego Harmon (Imperial) major dec. Adis Wesson (Perry) 16-4
Third place: Diego Brito (Granite Hills) major dec. Jay Noriega (West Hills) 10-2
140 Pounds
Championship: Ames-Michael Hoevker (Granite Hills) pinned Zubair Robinson (Monte Vista) 1:35
Third place: Tiago Rael (Perry) dec. Re Vinjos Santos (Mira Mesa) 9-4
146 Pounds
Championship: David Daniels (Granite Hills) pinned Dylan Blackwood (West Hills) 3:32
Third place: Ricarte Noah Guro (Mira Mesa) dec. Eddie Martinez (Imperial) 8-5
152 Pounds
Championship: Aiden Chur (Granite Hills) tech fall Izak Barragan (Imperial) 19-2
Third place: Cooper Fields (Granite Hills B) pinned William Hypes (Christian) 1:41
159 Pounds
Championship: Layronz Fraser (Granite Hills) tech fall Liam Gonzalez (Ramona) 18-3
Third place: Jordan Mignosi (Coastal Academy) pinned Gabriel Estrada (St. Augustine) 1:25
167 Pounds
Championship: Ryan Carroll (Granite Hills) dec. Weston Druckeman (West Hills) 2-0
Third place: Nikolas Gayda (Grossmont) major dec. Andrew Gonzalez (Olympian) 14-4
177 Pounds
Championship: Junior Bumanglag (Granite Hills) tech fall Johnathan Chisamore (West Hills) 21-6
Third place: Ares Osall (Morse) major dec. Damon Brown (Monte Vista) 20-10
192 Pounds
Championship: Jovanni Mansour (Granite Hills) dec. Danny Esquivez (Imperial) 13-8
Third place: Liam Cavaness (Ramona) tech fall Jordan Moreno (Christian) 17-0
217 Pounds
Championship: Cannon Frisch (Ramona) pinned Jayden Parks (El Cajon Valley) 2:44
Third place: Daniel DiCroce (Santana) pinned Aiden Flores (Olympian) 1:52
287 Pounds
Championship: Noah Larios (Imperial) pinned Levi Mincher (Imperial) 0:37
Third place: Aavion Bobbitt (Mira Mesa) pinned Braden M. Jordison (Ramona) 0:34
Top 20 Teams
1. Granite Hills 286.5
2. Imperial 153.0
3. Olympian 145.5
4. Mira Mesa 132.5
5. Perry 128.5
6. West Hills 122.5
7. St. Augustine 112.0
8. Ramona 106.5
9. Monte Vista 85.5
10. Cathedral Catholic 72.5
11. Santana 57.0
12. Valley Center 55.5
13. San Pasqual 51.5
14. Granite Hills B 49.0
15. Grossmont 47.5
16. Mountain Empire 43.5
17. Christian 39.0
18. Coastal Academy 33.0
19. El Cajon Valley 33.0
20. Canyon Hills 32.0
Mat maidens: Pin to win
Girls wrestling is the fastest growing sport in the country. Teams continue to grow in numbers, and that includes the local level.
The inaugural Girl on Fire tournament, held Nov. 23 at Sweetwater High School, aptly addressed that with a total of 415 female wrestlers representing 42 teams in both novice and varsity divisions. The novice division totaled 244 wrestlers while the varsity division had 183 strong.
It was the first regular season girls tournament hosted at the National City school and earned recognition as largest season-opening girls tournament in San Diego Section history.
It was a big draw event, make no mistake, with seven teams traveling from the Southern Section to help provide a showcase. El Toro brought 31 participants while Imperial Valley girls giant Brawley brought 23 participants with two returners expected to do well this year: Lauren Zaragoza (sixth at state in 2024) and transfer Camille Torres (Arizona state champ).
Brawley won the varsity team championship with 196 points while El Toro was runner-up with 158 points. Chaparral (150 points), Mira Mesa (118 points) and Central Union (87 points) rounded out the top five teams.
Mater Dei Catholic was the top Metro Conference school in 15th place, followed by Chula Vista (19th place), Olympian (21st place) and Otay Ranch (23d place), Eastlake (26th place), Bonita Vista (29th place) and Castle Park (30th place).
South County wrestlers to watch as the season unfolded included Olympian’s Airu Kawashiro (second place, 115 pounds), Otay Ranch’s Keira Grantham (fourth place, 110 pounds) and Chula Vista’s Ariana Enriquez (fourth place, 155 pounds).
Santana was the top East County school in eighth place with 70 points while Steele Canyon (22nd place), West Hills (25th place), Mountain Empire (27th place) and Helix (28th place) each managed top 30 team finishes.
East County wrestlers to watch included Santana’s Amber Spencer (first place, 145 pounds), Sierra Fahn (second place, 130 pounds) and Rachel Taylor (third place, 155 pounds). Steele Canyon’s Alyssa Gaxiola finished third at 170 pounds while West Hills’ Gizelle Fort placed fourth at 120 pounds.
Fahn was second at 125 pounds at last year’s Masters tournament and a returning state qualifier while Spencer was second at 145 pounds and a returning state meet qualifier.
Ledezma was second at 140 pounds last year and another returning state meet qualifier.
Hopkins was third at 130 pounds and a returning state qualifier.
The host Lady Red Devils saw growth with 17 girls in the wrestling room; last season Sweetwater had had five female wrestlers and just two the year before that.
Novice division champions from Metro schools included Bonita Vista’s Jaslene Pena (110 pounds) and Isabella Ramirez (135 pounds) and Mater Dei Catholic’s Beatriz Rockholt (155 pounds).
Novice division champions from East County included Santana’s Marlie Salazar (120 pounds), El Capitan’s Amber Perez (130 pounds) and Bristol Dixon (190 pounds) and Steele Canyon’s Valentina Franco (145 pounds).
Photo credit: Finalscorephotography
Whereas boys wrestling is dominated by North County programs, girls wrestling is showcased in particular by Metro Conference and desert schools.
Olympian is a four-time CIF team champion after reigning supreme at last year’s Division I tournament.
The Goddess of Olympia tournament once again proved to be the early season showcase with 62 participating schools in novice and varsity divisions.
Brawley was the varsity team champion with 276 points while Santa Ana was a close second with 269.5 points. Host Olympian was a strong third with 196 points, followed by Mira Mesa in fourth with 175.5 points and Shadow Hills in fifth place with 157 points.
Rounding out the top 10 teams were Central Union (sixth place, 145.5 points(, Ayala (seventh place, 141 points), Rancho Bernardo (eighth place, 133 points), Orange Vista (ninth place, 127.5 points) and Steele Canyon (10th place, 116 points).
Helix (18th place, 87.5 points), Granite Hills (20th place, 84.5 points), Monte Vista (21st place, 80 points) and Grossmont (25th place, 72.5 points) also had strong showings among East County schools.
Bonita Vista (26th place, 68.5 points), Otay Ranch (29th place, 59 points), Hilltop (33rd place, 53 points) and Eastlake (34th, 49.5 points) were other South County teams vying for inclusion in the top half of the field.
Olympian’s Natalia Righellis captured first place at 155 pounds to lead Metro place-winners while Vania Victoria (third place, 135 pounds), Elisa Najera (third place, 235 pounds) and Madelyn Hogue (fourth place, 145 pounds) all recorded upper-half place-finishes or the Lady Eagles.
Olympian’s place-finishers were rounded out by Cheyenne Sandoval (fifth place, 120 pounds), Keagan Wynne Alatiw (sixth place, 130 pounds) and Breanna Rene Reynoso (eighth place, 110 pounds).
Otay Ranch’s Maliya Lumahan (seventh place, 105 pounds) and Grantham (seventh place, 110 pounds), along with Eastlake’s Emme De Mesa (eighth place, 115 pounds), rounded out South County medalists.
Righellis was thirtd at last year’s Masters tournament and a state meet qualifier while Victoria was fourth at 140 pounds at last year’s Masters tournament alongside Najera (fourth at 235 pounds).
Top varsity individuals among East County schools (top eight place-finishers) included Granite Hills’s Lucia Ledesma (second, 145 pounds), Santana’s Fahn (third place, 120 pounds), Steele Canyon’s Kayala Hopkins (third place, 140 pounds), Steele Canyon’s Reika Proctor (fourth place, 110 pounds), West Hills’ Fort (fourth place, 120 pounds), Granite Hills’ Jayselle Suetos (sixth place, 110 pounds), Steele Canyon’s Aiesha Sall (sixth place, 140 pounds) and Grossmont’s Olivia Stevens (seventh place, 140 pounds) and Grace Parent (seventh place, 145 pounds).
Novice division champions included Monte Vista’s Alexa Malinis )105 pounds), Helix Charter’s Mia Green (120 pounds) and Steele Canyon’s Isabel Garcia (135 pounds).
Girls on Fire Tournament/Varsity Division
100 pounds
Championship: Hope Long (Scripps Ranch) pinned Eliana Martinez (Paloma Valley)
Third place: Mahea’ani Manibusan (Mira Mesa) pinned Kaitlyn Jaimes (El Toro)
105 Pounds
Championship: Leila Rivera (El Toro) pinned Savanah Miller (El Toro)
Third place: Kaylaya Morgan (Valley Center) pinned Jasmine Favela (Brawley)
110 Pounds
Championship: Jennifer Favela (Brawley) tech fall Madison Ramirez (Chaparral) 18-2
Third place: Marie Gil (San Pasqual) pinned Keira Grantham (Otay Ranch)
115 Pounds
Championship: Brelynn Smith (Chaparral) pinned Airu Kawashiro (Olympian)
Third place: Julyssa Arce (Brawley) pinned Ellie Diaz (El Toro)
120 Pounds
Championship: Caroline Collins (Carlsbad) pinned Kylie Young (Valley Center)
Third place: Audrina Beltran (Central Union) pinned Gizelle Fort (West Hills)
125 Pounds
Championship: Brianna Ross (San Marcos) dec. Arabella Rascon (Central Union) 7-0
Third place: Skyler Ellingworth (Chaparral) pinned Chloe Sampson (Mira Mesa)
130 Pounds
Championship: Lauren Zaragoza (Brawley) dec. Sierra Fahn (Santana) 3-0
Third place: Chloe Hervas (San Marcos) pinned Keimora Strand (Mira Mesa)
135 Pounds
Championship: Camille Torres (Brawley) won by injury default over Lily Rodriguez (Central Union)
Third place: Adriana Rebar (Mira Mesa) pinned Analiese Kyei (Scripps Ranch)
140 Pounds
Championship: Annabelle Reed (Chaparral) pinned Jazmyne Mora (Lincoln)
Third place: Fanix Ortiz (Brawley) pinned Jamie Barron (Paloma Valley)
145 Pounds
Championship: Amber Spencer (Santana) pinned Aeisha Ortiz (Brawley)
Third place: Isabel Manalansan (Mira Mesa) pinned Hadesha Osborn (Chaparral)
155 Pounds
Championship: Alyssa Campos (Chaparral) pinned Melissa Moreno (Paloma Valley)
Third place: Rachel Taylor (Santana) pinned Ariana Enriquez (Chula Vista)
170 Pounds
Championship: Milagros Tellez (Brawley) pinned Michael Uselding (El Toro)
Third place: Alyssa Gaxiola (Steele Canyon) pinned Krista Ghosh (Valley Center)
190 Pounds
Championship: Scarlet Strike (El Toro) pinned Chelsea Garcia (Sultana)
Third place: Siana Valentine (Liberty Winchester) pinned Valerie Cervantes (San Pasqual)
235 Pounds
Championship: Angel Hill (Mira Mesa) pinned Dianna Duarte (San Marcos)
Third place: Grace Romo (El Toro) pinned Lizbeth Guardado-Santiago (Lincoln)
