Five points from perfection.
That was all that prevented the Poway High School’s boys wrestling team a first-ever perfect sweep of the San Diego Section Division 1 title Saturday at Olympian High School.
The Titans, ranked No. 3 in the state, advanced all 14 wrestlers to the finals, winning 13. Poway ed 43 pins, five tech falls and won three decisions to amass 425.5 team points, well ahead of second place Granite Hills with 319.5.
One of those three decisions was the best match of the tournament.
Trailing Granite Hills’ Junior Bumanglag 8-1 in the first period, Titan senior 165-pounder Gunnar Neal, refused to quit. His persistence and conditioning turned the tide and he scored a thrilling 14-9 victory over the top-seeded Bumanglag.
“I think I’ve proven I can turn almost anyone,” said the son of former New England Patriot and world championship wrestler Stephen Neal. “Even though I was down, I had faith I could still do it.”
“When he was behind, all I wanted was for him to get one takedown to get things going. He did that and more,” said Poway coach John Meyers. “That’s what you need to do to win state. What was great was all his teammates were watching. They know anybody can do it.”
The finals were like a Poway-Granite Hills dual meet, with 10 of the 14 matches between those two. Granite Hills’ Ames-Michael Hoevker came from behind to score a 14-9 decision over the Titans’ Matthew Orbeta at 138 pounds.
“Honestly, I expect to be a state champion,” said Hoevker, who sat out last year after transferring to Granite Hills from Helix. “It was hard because I was watching guys I knew I was better than during that time.”
Senior Robert Jones spent the least time of all Titans on the mat, winning four matches by first-period pin.
Other Poway wrestlers pinning their way to titles were Rene Cordero (113), Arseni Kikiniou (144), Mario Carini (165), Dominic Dotson (190), Angelo Posada (215) and Daniel Moylan (285). Rounding out the Titan champs were Julius Villamil (106), Edwin Sierra (120), Billy Townson (132), Carlos Valdiviezo (150), and Bailey Holman (157).
— KEVIN J. FARMER
In program first, Bonita Vista wins Division 2 title
When Josue Garcia took the mat for the 126-pound final at Orange Glen High School, there was plenty at stake.
The Bonita Vista High senior was not only looking to repeat as a section champion, he was also in position to garner key points for his school.
A hard-fought 3-2 decision over Daniel Guerro of Central Union gave Garcia his second individual section crown and helped send Bonita Vista to its first team section championship.
“I knew there was a lot riding on it,” Garcia said of his final-round match. “I’m always fighting not to lose, and that was really my mindset. I wanted to ice it for the team.”
Garcia, who won the 120-pound class last year, followed a scoreless first period with a late takedown in the second period to take a 3-1 lead into the final period before holding on for the win as the top seed at 126.
Bonita Vista scored 237½ points to edge Valhalla for the team title. The Norsemen placed second with 230 points, and Mt. Carmel was a close third with 222.
“We have a real resilient group of guys,” said Bonita Vista coach Joe Marcotte, now in his sixth year at the helm. “We needed every win that we got today.”
The Barons jumped to the top spot this year after winning their second straight Metro League title.
“I’m super proud of these guys,” Marcotte said.
Bonita Vista also had a champion in Edwin Flores at 120, and the Barons had two runner-up finishers in the finals.
Valhalla senior Victor Gosswiller, the 190-pound champ last year, also repeated as section champion when he claimed the 215-pound title with a pin of Ryan Stadtherr of Scripps Ranch. Gosswiller led by just 2-1 after one period, but a takedown led to a 15-4 lead before the pin came at 5:14.
“I was locked in after that takedown,” said Gosswiller. “I put a lot of work in the offseason, and I have some great coaching.”
Mt. Carmel senior Iyland Calvo repeated as the 175-pound champ when he made quick work of Adrian Garcia of San Diego in the final, winning by fall in 1:21.
Valhalla junior Marcelino Nona also needed little time in the 165-pound final as he added a second crown after winning at 157 last year. The top seed pinned Hilltop’s Ricardo De La Torre in 51 seconds.
Central Union’s Gabriel Pacheco, the 138-pound champ last year, dropped down to 132 and claimed another title with a 20-7 major decision over Ivan Rivers of Valhalla.
— RICK HOFF
Brawley dominates in Division 3
RAMONA — All you need to know about Brawley High School’s domination was there are 14 weight classes. On a day that featured 193 wrestlers arriving at Ramona High by 6:30 a.m., the Wildcats placed nine wrestlers in the finals, which started at 6:30 p.m. Eight of them had their arms raised in the championship matches. Three won by pins, another by forfeit.
As a result, Brawley won its fourth straight section championship and 12th in the past 13 years, compiling 335 points. La Costa Canyon finished second with 250 points.
“We’re like a close-knit family,” said Wildcats senior Evan Velez, who scored a 16-0 technical fall in the finals, earning his fourth section title. “We wrestle hard every single day. We try to bring each other up every practice.”
Velez was dominant all day, winning all four matches by technical fall without giving up a point. Asked why he didn’t mix in any pins, Velez said, “I’m just trying to get my technique down, keep my intensity up.”
As for winning a fourth straight section title, Velez said: “It’s a surreal feeling. I started this journey my freshman year.”
Brawley’s other champions were: Ricardo Ortiz at 120 (finals pin in 1 minute, 4 seconds); Justin Torres at 126 (18-3 technical fall); Diego Arias at 132 (forfeit); Nathan Torres at 144 (8-6 decision); Daryn Leon at 157 (7-2 decision); Adam Avila at 175 (1:30 pin); Matthew Gutierrez at 190 (4:33 pin). The section title was Gutierrez’s third straight.
Asked the key to Velez’s success, Brawley coach Sawyer Smith said: “He’s super dedicated. He wrestles year-round. You ask him to do something, he says, ‘How high do you want me to jump?’”
Smith, 31, is in his second year as the Wildcats’ head coach. He served as an assistant for another six years. He won two CIF titles when he wrestled at the school. Now he teaches history and molds wrestlers.
As for why Brawley wrestlers have been so good dominating their D3 opponents, Smith said: “It’s a small community. If you’re not wrestling, there probably isn’t a lot to do down in Brawley.
“And our kids have some high goals. They want to win CIF. A lot want to wrestle in college. And some are crazy, wanting to wrestle at the world level, freestyle or Greco Roman. I don’t think kids have those expectations without the impact of coaches and wrestlers that came before them.”
— DON NORCROSS
Imperial wins in Division 4
The Division 4 boys wrestling championships featured nearly two dozen schools from all parts of the section making their way to Mar Vista High School.
Imperial took down the field with 263.5 points, which included four individual champions, to win their second straight Division 4 title and fourth in the last seven years.
“It feels great, not only me, but I’m proud of my whole team,” said Tigers junior Landon Bernal, who was the 120-pound individual champion. “I’m just proud of everyone.”
Imperial had eight wrestlers make the finals: Quirin Hoepfl, Landon Bernal, Diego Harman, Kevin Alvarez, Izak Barragan, Danny Esquivez, Levi Mincher and Noah Larios.
“It was just a team effort, and that core group of kids came together,” Imperial coach Jerry Barragan said. “I would have loved to punch all of them through the Masters, but we got 11 through. So, it’s still a good effort.”
In addition, all five reigning champions – Larios, Tri City Christian’s Cade Johnson, Madison’s Gavin Mitchell and Holtville’s Anthony Strahm and Mason Navarro – were individual winners once again.
Strahm repeated as a section individual champion in the 113-pound weight class against Hoepfl. Johnson repeated in a fall against Harman in 126 pounds. Mitchell also repeated at 132 pounds, taking down Alvarez.
Navarro won by medical forfeit against Barragan in 150 pounds and Larios was victorious in a fall against Palo Verde Valley’s Victor Coda.
Holtville, who won three straight section titles from 2021-23, finished as the runners-up for a second straight year with 187.5 points. Palo Verde Valley, Christian and Mar Vista rounded out the top five with 119.0, 108.5 and 99.5 points, respectively.
Due to CIF rules, the third-place match in the 150-pound weight class will take place next week at Christian.
— BREVEN HONDA
