By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
The showdown for the CIF state wrestling championship is set this weekend at Bakersfield’s Rabobank Center with Poway, Clovis, Buchanan, Temecula Valley, Gilroy and defending champion Vacaville all staking their claim to a possible state championship.
The Poway Titans have the most qualifiers after finishing with 12 placewinners at the San Diego Section meet. The Titans scored 318.5 points to distance themselves from second-place Las Costa Canyon, which had 195.
The Titans had seven champions, including Nick Shavrien (112), Mike Hernandez (119), Henry Yorba (130), Timmy Boone (135), Ian Daube (171), Matt Herman (189) and Chris Crosthwaite (215). La Costa Canyon had three champs in Bryan Grubbs (103), Tim Randall (145) and Dustin Hernandez (140).
At the Central Section meet, Clovis qualified 10 wrestlers and had three champions in Scott Sakaguchi (140), Tommy Burriel (171) and Jonathen Zamora (285). The Cougars had six reach the finals with Stephen Weimer falling to Buchanan’s Justin Arredondo (130) and Josh Esparza falling 1-0 to Buchanan’s Stephen West. Brett Sanchez lost to Josh Boger of Coalinga at 215 pounds.
Buchanan also finished with 10 qualifiers for this week’s state finals with Arredondo and West the Bears’ only champions.
Clovis won the meet with 181 points while Buchanan had 135 points and Selma finished with 130. Selma will send nine wrestlers to the state meet this year.
Behind the performance of Kody Klaus and Michael Kent, the Vacaville Bulldogs captured the school’s 11th Sac-Joaquin Section wrestling title, the most in section history. Vacaville scored 191.5 points to edge out Central Catholic, which had 174. The Bulldogs advance eight wrestlers to the state finals.
Central Catholic was led by Louis Bland, Dominic Galas and Steven Vasquez, each of whom won section titles. For Bland, the title was his third in four years. He will also attempt to be a four-time state finalist this weekend.
Temecula Valley qualified eight wrestlers for the state finals including two champions in Eric Reyes (103) and Jake Meredith (171). TV scored 178 points to easily outdistance Calvary Chapel, which had 114 points, to win the Southern Section masters.
In the Central Coast Section, Gilroy won the tournament by nearly 100 points, scoring 249.5 to second place San Benito’s 151. Hunter Collins led the way for Gilroy after dropping to 171 pounds, winning his fourth section title.
Liberty edged De La Salle for the North Coast Section championship. Liberty had eight placewinners and four finalists to score 177 points to the Spartans’ 134.5. De La Salle edged College Park for second place by half a point.
The North Coast Section likely won’t have a team competing for the overall team title at the state meet, but several wrestlers could win state titles, including Arcata’s Trent Stevenson at 140 pounds, De La Salle’s Tito Pica at 171 pounds, Del Norte’s Roger McCovey at heavyweight and the nation’s top-ranked wrestler, Las Lomas senior Jason Welch at 160 pounds.
Red Bluff won its fourth Northern Section title in five years and qualified five wrestlers for the state meet. The Spartans scored 184 points while second-place Chico had 155.5.
Brackets for the state tournament can be found here. Wrestling beings 9 a.m. with 10 mats at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield on Feb. 29.