Six local wrestlers win CIF-Southern Section individual titles

Six area wrestlers — three boys and three girls — claimed titles at the CIF-Southern Section Individual Championships on Saturday.

Rio Mesa High's Anthony Garcia took the heavyweight championship at the Coastal Division boys finals at Westminster High.

Garcia, who starred at center and nose tackle for the football team, defeated Oskar Madrigal of Servite in the final match, 2-1 in a tiebreaker, to finish 5-0 in the tournament.

The senior, who won the Channel League individual title while helping the Spartans earn a share of the league team championship, improved to 38-2 for the season.

Two Camarillo High boys wrestlers secured CIF-SS titles at the Eastern Division finals at Capistrano Valley High.

Freshman Joshua Requena defeated Vincenzo Benenati of Aliso Niguel by fall in 3:12 to capture the 126-pound crown.

Senior Daniel Gurovich won by fall over Diego Morales of Palm Desert in 2:38 to secure the 195-pound championship.

Requena, who is 50-6 on the season, and Gurovich both won Coastal Canyon League titles while leading the Scorpions to the team championship.

Hueneme High senior Audrey Diaz won five matches by pin, including the championship match against Giulianni Garcia of Alta Loma, to capture the 137-pound title at the Southern Division girls finals at Corona High. Diaz was named the Upper Weight MVP for the entire tournament while improving to 35-1 this season and 98-16 for her career.

Diaz, who won a Citrus Coast League title for the second straight season, finished third in CIF last season and was one of just three area girls wrestlers to reach the state tournament. She is the second straight Hueneme girls wrestler to win a CIF-SS title, following teammate Angelina Renteria, who won the 170-pound title last year.

Ventura High junior Bela Smith defeated Mia Garcia of Sultan by decision, 3-1, in the championship match of the 143-pound division at the Central Division girls finals at Canyon Spring High.

Smith won an individual Channel League title and helped the Cougars capture the Division 2 team championship for the program's first CIF-SS team title.

Royal High senior Ireland Donnelly won her first CIF-SS individual title, defeating Jenna Park of Sunny Hills by fall in 1:13 in the 111-pound final at the Northern Division girls finals at San Dimas High.

Donnelly, who reached a CIF-SS final last season at 116, is a three-time Coastal Canyon League champion and improved to 16-5 on the season.

All six CIF-SS champions qualified for the CIF-SS Masters meets, to be held this Friday and Saturday at Palm Springs High, with the hopes of advancing to the CIF State Tournament, to be held Feb. 23-25 at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield.

There were a plethora of other local wrestlers qualified for the Masters meets and reached the podium at CIF-SS finals Saturday.

BOYS

Five local wrestlers automatically qualified for the Masters meet by finishing in the top 5 of their respective divisions at the Coastal Division finals at Westminster High.

Thousand Oaks High's Robert Svitek, who was a Marmonte League champion, finished second in the 195-pound division.

Buena's Rylan Pedroza, who won a Channel League title, took third place in the 120-pound division. Buena's Jon Miller, who won a Channel League title this season and was the only area boys wrestler to win a CIF-SS title last season, finished fourth in the 170-pound division.

Ventura's Daniel Rundle, who was a Channel League champion, took fifth in the 138-pound class. Oxnard's Hector Medina, who won a Channel League title, placed fifth in the 152-pound division.

William Ramos of Thousand Oaks, who won a Marmonte League title, finished sixth in the 132-pound division and Joshua Godinez of Oxnard took sixth in the 195-pound class as both will head to the Masters as alternates.

Earning top-8 placements were Ventura's Jayden Tate (7th, 113); Westlake's Aidan Vazquez (8th, 120); Oxnard's Cervando Tapia (8th, 126); Thousand Oaks' Matthew Siegel (8th, 138); Calabasas' Georgii Guledani (8th, 145); Thousand Oaks' Tanner Cardenas (8th, 160); Thousand Oaks' James Rocha (7th, 182); Buena's Matthew Homan (8th, 182); and Rio Mesa's David Perez (8th, 220).

Eight local wrestlers automatically qualified for the Masters meet by finishing in the top 5 of their respective divisions at the Eastern Division finals at Capistrano Valley High. All eight reached the CIF finals by winning Coastal Canyon League titles.

Mason Carrillo of Royal took second place in the 113-pound division; Logan Andrews of Moorpark finished second in the 120-pound division; Emilio Medina of Camarillo placed second in the 132-pound division; Daniel Simons of Camarillo was third in the 138-pound class; Peter Fulgentes of Royal was third in the 220-pound class; Logan Hansen of Royal was fourth in the 106-pound class; Benjamin Kirk of Royal took fourth in the 152-pound division; and Nicholas Madrigal of Royal placed fifth in the 170-pound division.

Arturo Alfaro of Camarillo took sixth at 120 to qualify as a Masters alternate.

Earning top-8 placements were Camarillo's Salvador Ardon (7th, 113); Royal's Tomas Fulgentes (8th, 145); Simi Valley's Nero Neri (8th, 160); Moorpark's Brett Williamson (7th, 182); and Royal's Calvin Velasco (8th, 195).

Timothy Burke of Channel Islands, who a Citrus Coast League title, took fifth place in the 145-pound division at the Central Division finals at Yucaipa High to qualify for the Masters.

Robert Maria of Hueneme, also a Citrus Coast League champion, finished sixth in the 152-pound division to qualify as a Masters alternate.

Nordhoff's Sol McGarey reached the podium by placing seventh at 145.

GIRLS

Twenty-five girls wrestlers, including the three champions, qualified for the Masters meet at three different CIF-SS finals.

Sixteen qualified with top-eight finishes at Central Division finals at Canyon Springs High.

CIF-SS Division 2 team champion Ventura had four wrestlers besides champion Bela Smith make it to Masters.

Ava Ramos was fourth in the 126-pound class, Haley Padilla placed fifth at 130-pound division, Hannah Benson took eighth in the 111-pound class, and Haven Kenoss was eighth in the 170-pound division. All three were Channel League champions.

Buena had three qualifiers: Lily Bossoletti took seventh at 121, Sofia Kawano was eighth at 101, and Yulisa Banderas finished eighth at 121.

Pacifica had four qualifiers: Channel League champion Lourdes Lazo finished third at 189, Ashley McCullum placed fourth at 131, Leilauni Gutierrez-Mitchell was fourth at 170 and Destiny Rodriquez took seventh at 137.

For Thousand Oaks, Marmonte League champions Talia Smith finished fifth at 111 and Cherish Hall-Taoai took eighth at 235.

Marmonte League champion Mackenzie English of Westlake finished second at 126.

Brooklyn Bittner of Rio Mesa placed fourth at 126 and Aaliyah Rios of Oxnard took seventh at 131.

Three Camarillo wrestlers qualified for the Masters at the Northern Division finals at San Dimas High.

Makensey Schlimgen was third at 189, Trinity Tipton took fourth at 170, and Cali Santoy was eighth at 111. Schlimgen and Tipton were Coastal Canyon League champions.

Four local wrestlers advanced to the Masters with top finishes at the Southern Division finals at Corona High.

Citrus Coast League champion Mia Hernandez of Channel Islands was fourth in the 143-pound division, Emily Rimkus of Nordhoff took seventh at 189, Ana Rodriguez of Channel Islands placed eighth at 106, and Jayleen Garrett of Nordhoff was eighth at 126. All four were Citrus Coast League champions.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Six local wrestlers win CIF-Southern Section individual titles