South County will be well represented on the mat at this weekend’s San Diego Masters state-qualifying tournament at Olympian High School following last weekend’s showing at the section divisional tournaments.
Wrestlers from 12 of the 13 Metro Conference schools will be represented at this weekend’s showcase section tournament based on place-finish in last weekend’s divisional field.
Each weight class at the Masters tournament will feature 24 qualifiers from the four divisional tournaments. The top four individual place-winners in each weight class at Masters advance to the state championship tournament March 2-3 in Bakersfield.
By the numbers
A total of 13 South County mat men reached the finals at last weekend’s divisionals.
Three won individual weight class championships:
- Eastlake’s Benjamin Martinez at 128 pounds (Division I).
- Olympian’s Ethan Ramos at 134 pounds (Division I).
- Mater Dei Catholic’s Thomas Schmitt at 197 pounds (Division IV).
There was more to brag about: Mesa League champion Olympian finished just 10.5 points from capturing the team championship in settling for a second place finish at the Division I tournament at Canyon Crest Academy.
The Metro Conference champion Eagles finished with seven finalists, one weight class champion, six runner-up finishers and 11 Masters qualifiers overall.
The Eagles led eventual team champion San Marcos throughout the tournament until being overtaken in the championship round.
It was the highest place-finisher for a South County team at a divisional tournament since Hilltop won the Division II title in 2006 and then placed runner-up at the Division II finals in 2009, according to information published in the section record book.
“The day proved to be challenging with the amount of talent and amazing wrestlers in Division I,” Olympian coach Myron Griffin recounted.
“We wrestled hard throughout the day. With the first round, all our wrestlers took the first match with a win. We continued throughout the day fighting and it was the wrestlers in the consolation brackets who made the difference in our points going into the finals.
“We finished strong as the CIF runner-up which would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all our wrestlers. As a coach, I couldn’t be more proud of their performances. It’s not always about the wins or losses, but about their defining moments that builds their character and their relationships.”
Olympian advanced seven wrestlers to the finals but won just one of those matches while San Marcos placed seven wrestlers in the finals and won six of those matches.
The Knights bested the Eagles in both head-to-head matchups in the championship round to top the scoreboard with 235.5 points. Olympian finished with 225 points.
“We entered the finals ahead of the game, but San Marcos showed up and did a stellar job,” Griffin said.
Soaring Eagles
Division I finalists for Olympian included sophomore Zachary Ikaika Ramos (108), seniors Ethan Ramos (134), Ethan Ryan Deguzman (147) and Luciano Parra (154), and juniors Tyshawn Anderson (162), Rylen Gregorio (184) and Luis Castro (287).
Ethan Ramos defeated Sweetwater’s Joseph Fonseca by an 11-1 major decision to capture the Division I title.
The remaining six finalists all placed runner-up in their weights.
Zachary Ramos dropped a tight 1-0 decision to Mira Mesa’s Calel Velasco while Deguzman lost by a 1:20 pin to San Marcos’ Kymani Yambao.
Parra lost by a 5:34 pin to Mira Mesa’ Joshua Bringhurst while Anderson lost by a 3-2 decision to Helix’s Joshua Kopmeyer.
Gregorio lost by a 3:44 pin to Mission Hills’ Jonathan Gomez while Castro lost by a 12-3 major decision to San Marcos’ Enrique Galicia.
Olympian’s other four Masters qualifiers include senior Raphael Sanvictores (third, 128), sophomore Diego Sanchez (fourth, 222), junior Jaydon Caoile (fifth, 122) and senior German Corea (sixth, 172).
The Eagles also have one alternate: sophomore Mico Gonzalez (eighth, 140).
Griffin said his team’s showing in the consolation wrestle-backs was a key to lifting his team in the points standings.
“I could tell that their spirits were depleted going into the consolation rounds, so we had to remind them they had to work just as hard as every other wrestler and they were just as good if not better … That this was their moment and to embrace it, win or lose they all deserved to be there,” the Olympian coach said.
Big men on campus
The top seven place-finishers in each weight class at the Division I and Division II finals, plus the six place-winners at the Division III finals and the top four place-finishers in the Division IV finals qualified to compete at this weekend’s Masters event.
Of the Metro’s three CIF individual champions this year, Eastlake’s Ben Martinez and Olympian’s Ramos are both returning state qualifiers.
Mater Dei Catholic’s Schmitt finished fifth at last year’s Masters tournament.
Martinez (26-5) became a two-time divisional champion after recording an 8-2 decision over San Marcos’s Christian Navida at last weekend’s Division I finals.
The Eastlake senior, who finished second at 122 pounds at last year’s Masters, earned the top seed in his weight class. He pinned Otay Ranch’s Andres Beltran in 3:23 in the quarterfinals and recorded a 13-0 major decision over Olympian’s Raphael Sanvictores in the semifinals.
Navida, the second-seeded wrestler in the weight, advanced to the finals on the strength of three consecutive pins.
Martinez, a four-time divisional finalist, two-time league champion and two-time Masters placer, previously won a weight class championship as a freshman and placed runner-up in his weight class both as a sophomore and a junior.
His career record stands at 126-30 entering this weekend’s Masters tournament.
Ramos (33-5 with 16 pins and six major decisions) qualified for last year’s state meet after pulling off a fourth-place Masters finish at 128 pounds.
The Olympian wrestler, seeded first in his weight, used pins of 43 seconds in the quarterfinals and 1:35 in the semifinals to reach the Division I championship match.
Schmitt (30-10) pinned Ramona’s Jesus Flores in 1:07 to claim his weight class championship. He breezed through his three tournament matches with just more than three minutes of total time wrestled on the mat.
Schmitt, who is ranked third in the section and 13th in the state in his weight class, pinned Army-Navy Academy’s Issac Armstrong in 1:42 in the quarterfinals and took just 27 seconds to pin Holtville’s David Ascencio in the semifinals at the Division IV tournament at Mater Dei Catholic High School.
“I just go out there to wrestle free and have fun,” explained Schmitt, who finished second at the divisionals last season.
“Thomas is really starting to look comfortable in his groove and I’m excited to see how his post- season finishes out,” MDCHS coach Brett Sanchez said. “I believe he can be one of the favorites to win Masters if he goes out and wrestles the way I know he can.
“I believe he can put it together at state, too, and make some noise but we will just wait and see and take it one match at a time. I’m so proud of his development when he started training with me his eighth grade year.”
Uriel Beristain, a two-time state meet qualifier and 2017 Masters champion, was unable to compete for Mater Dei Catholic after suffering a knee injury at January’s Battle for the Belt in Temecula.
He was ticketed for another trip to the state meet this season.
“There was a lot of excitement in the beginning of the year as a team but things happen you can’t control,” Sanchez said.
Silver linings
Sweetwater’s Fonseca, seeded third, started his journey to the Division I final with a pair of first-period pins before recording a 3-2 upset win over Vista’s Daniel Medrano in the semifinals.
Mar Vista’s Matthew Frith (172) and Montgomery’s Andrew Villagomez (222) both finished runner-up at the Division III tournament at Montgomery High School.
Mater Dei Catholic’s Anthony Ching (122) and Christian Silva (162) both finished second in their respective weights.
Both Frith and Villagomez lost to Brawley wrestlers in the Division III finals.
Jesus Trujillo, seeded third, recorded a 10-2 major decision over Frith, the fifth seed, after both grapplers upset higher-seeded wrestlers along the way.
Frith pinned foruth-seeded Jake Maheu of West Hills in 2:56 in the quarterfinals and pinned top-seeded Dylan Winston of La Costa Canyon in 5:00 in the semifinals.
Trujillo (28-10) pinned second-seeded Eduardo Roa of University City in 1:25 in the semifinals.
Villagomez (24-7) was seeded second in his weight class. He advanced to the championship round with two pins and a 13-4 major decision. He pinned Serra’s Ansel Figueroa in 1:40 in the semifinals.
But the Aztec mat man could not get past Brawley’s Dane Martinez, the top-seeded wrestler in the weight class, in the finals as Martinez (44-3) registered a convincing win by a 16-1 technical fall.
Montgomery coach David Jaraumayan said Villagomez made wrestling a year-round sport this past season. “After watching his teammate (Chase Riegg) qualify for state last year, he was determined to get there as well,” the Aztec coach said.
Ching, a freshman, dropped a tight 6-4 decision to Ramona’s Nathan Kiddoo at the Division IV finals while Silva lost by a 3:04 pin to Mount Miguel’s Craig Smith.
Ching (29-10) entered postseason competition ranked fourth in the section with an honorable mention nod in the state rankings. He was seeded second to Kiddoo at last weekend’s divisional and advanced to the title match with a 16-1 technical fall and 10-3 decision over wrestlers from Valley Center and Mountain Empire, respectively.
Kiddoo pinned his way to the finals before meeting the Crusaders’ frosh standout.
“Ching had a really good match with three-time CIF champ Nathan Kiddoo from Ramona,” Sanchez related. “I love watching these two compete against each other and Kiddoo has his number right now. We feel Ching can put it together and wrestle his style each match at Masters and become a state qualifier.”
Silva shocked the field last weekend with upset wins over second-seeded Antonio Naya of Ramona in the quarterfinals and Valley Center’s Michael Hernandez in the semifinals.
Silva pinned Naya in 3:30 and pinned Hernandez in 5:29 to advance to the final round.
“Christian is starting to have a postseason run for himself after receiving his varsity medal at the Metro tournament (conference championships) two weeks ago while placing third,” Sanchez explained. “He has been wrestling for two years now and has never placed at a varsity tournament and he’s put some work in the offseason two years now and made his way to the CIF finals this year.
“Watching him pin his way to the semis was amazing for all of us on the team. We are excited to see his growth this weekend and next season.”
South Bay League champion Mar Vista makes CIF statement
Prior to last weekend’s individual tournament, South Bay League champion Mar Vista participated in the San Diego Section Division III dual meet championships Feb. 10 at Rancho Bernardo High School. The Mariners placed fourth following losses to top-seeded Brawley and third-seeded Monte Vista, the Grossmont Valley League champion.
Brawley, which would go on to win the team title at last weekend’s individual divisional tournament, defeated University City, 67-12, in the championship round.
Mar Vista finished 5-0 in league dual meets to win its second consecutive league title. Head coach Julio Garcia called it an honor to be included among the top four dual meet teams in the division.
“It was amazing to get there, to be invited to compete,” Garcia said. “The wrestlers worked hard all season to make it click. They wrestled their butts off. I’m proud of every single one.”
The Mariners had one finalist and two bronze medalists at last weekend’s divisional tournament at Montgomery High School. Matthew Frith was second in his 172-pound weight class. Julian Winnie (115 pounds) and Roy Figueroa (128 pounds) both finished in third place to also secure Masters tournament qualifying berths.
Mar Vista, which finished eighth in the team standings, also netted one Masters alternate: Enrique Diaz (seventh place, 134 pounds).
Winnie and Figueroa have both posted more than 25 wins this season. Both advanced to last weekend’s semifinals; both recorded three pins on the day.
Mat attack
Mater Dei Catholic started the season with 11 wrestlers but injuries and other factors reduced the team’s roster to seven wrestlers for last weekend’s Division IV tournament.
The Crusaders still more than proved competitive by advancing four grapplers to the semifinals and three to the finals at last weekend’s Division IV tournament. Mater Dei Catholic had three Masters qualifiers and one alternate: freshman Jason Harlan (fifth, 128).
“We feel good going into Masters with what we got and hope to come out with a couple state qualifiers,” Mater Dei Catholic coach Brett Sanchez explained. “Our mission and message all year is the weekend of state. Anything before that is extra gravy; we want an opportunity to punch our ticket in the state meet to become a state medalist.
“That’s what we train year round for at Mater Dei. Each week we try to polish up our wrestling to prepare for that weekend of state.”
This weekend’s event will feature stiff competition.
Division II team champion Poway advanced all 14 of its wrestlers to this weekend’s Masters tournament, including 10 weight class champions.
Brawley won double CIF gold by capturing the Division III individual tournament championship after winning the dual team title two weeks ago. Valley Center won last weekend’s Division IV title.
Brawley has 13 qualifiers headed to Masters, including six Division III individual champions.
Wrestling is slated to start Friday at 10 a.m. and Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at this weekend’s Masters. Finals are scheduled Saturday at 4 p.m.
To view live results, copy and paste the following link into your web browser:
http://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/opentournaments/MainFrame.jsp?newSession=false&sport=wrestling&TIM=1519426391983&pageName=&ie=false&frameSize=695
