Boys: Gilroy’s depth pays off
Gilroy was missing three of its top wrestlers for the CCS Championship Masters Meet, including Cody Merrill, the defending state champion in the 195-pound division who is out for the season with a hip flexor injury, according to Gilroy coach Daniel Cormier. But Gilroy’s depth was impressive Saturday at Watsonville. The perennial powerhouse qualified 10 of its 11 wrestlers for the California Interscholastic Federation state championships Thursday through Saturday in Bakersfield, and the Mustangs won their jaw-dropping 20th straight CCS championship team title with a score of 279. “They are so committed to keeping that record,” Cormier said about his squad’s CCS championship streak. “It feels really good when you wrestle 11 kids and 10 are in the finals. They want to win.” Gilroy had six weight division champions. The top three placers in each division advanced to the state championships. … One of the best matches in the tournament was in the 126-pound final. Gilroy’s Elijah Cortez, ranked No. 1 in the state in his weight division by thecaliforniawrestler.com, faced St. Francis’ Bryce Luna, ranked fourth in the state. Cortez edged Luna 2-1 in triple overtime. “He is so tough mentally,” Cormier said about Cortez, whose twin brother Isaiah won the 120-pound title. He is also ranked No. 1 in the state in his division. Other championship wins by Gilroy were achieved by Moses Mirabal (138), Maxximus Martinez (152), Micah Doug Porter (170) and freshman Coby Merrill (195), Cody’s brother. … Another outstanding final pitted the state’s No. 1 ranked wrestler at 132 pounds (Sobrato’s Aden Valencia) against the state’s second-ranked Daniel Zapeda of Gilroy. Valencia used a second-period escape to edge Zapeda 1-0. … Los Gatos had a school-record three division champions and qualified nine wrestlers for the CIF state championships. The Wildcats also finished second as a team with 228.5 points, the closest margin a team has managed against Gilroy (50.5 points) in the CCS championships since 2009. “I’m so proud of these kids,” Los Gatos coach Greg Varela said. “They really stepped up.” Division championships were achieved by Los Gatos’ Antonio Rodriguez (113), EJ Parco (145) and Dylan Pile (160). … Another local division winner was Branham’s Clarence Moore in the 106-pound division.
PHOTOS: More images below Girls: Evergreen Valley makes it two in a row
After winning its first girls wrestling section team title last year, Evergreen Valley repeated as champion with a score of 213 at the CCS Championship Masters Meet on Saturday at Watsonville. Sabrina Tran defended her 106-pound title, and teammate Katianna Martinez added a title at 189. The Cougars had finalists in seven weight divisions. … Gilroy was the team runner-up with 133 points, but it had the most division champions with four. Tamara Grace (126), Mary Jane Porter (131), Valerie Glenn (137) and Kaiulani Garcia (150) all won titles. … Other local division winners were Presentation’s Abbeygael Cabuag (101), Menlo-Atherton’s Kiely Tabaldo (111) and Wilcox’s Perla Hernandez (160). … The top four placers in each division qualified for the CIF state championships this Thursday through Saturday in Bakersfield.
Team standings (top five)
Gilroy 279, Los Gatos 228.5, St. Francis 109.5, Palma 96, Fremont 91.
Championship results
106: Clarence Moore (Branham) d. Dominic Bozanic (Gilroy) 4-2
113: Antonio Rodriguez (Los Gatos) d. Hayden Ancheta (Monta Vista) 4-0
120: Isaia Cortez (Gilroy) d. Mark Justin Ramirez (Fremont) 8-0
126: Elijah Cortez (Gilroy) d. Bryce Luna (St. Francis) 2-1, 3 OT
132: Aden Valencia (Sobrato) d. Daniel Zepeda (Gilroy) 1-0
138: Moses Mirabal (Gilroy) d. Matthew Luna (St. Francis) 5-0
145: EJ Parco (Los Gatos) d. Ethan Gonzales (Palma) 13-4.
152: Maxximus Martinez (Gilroy) d. Jojo Andrade (Palma) 8-2.
160: Dylan Pile (Los Gatos) d. Travis Grace (Gilroy) 4-2
170: Micah Doug Porter (Gilroy) d. Diego Robles (Bellarmine) 15-0 TF
182: JC Escutia (Palma) d. Juan Carlos Puga (Gilroy) 3-1 OT
195: Coby Merrill (Gilroy) d. Sasha Nyzhnyk (Los Gatos) 15-5
220: Marco Silva (Greenfield) p. Joseph Wynn-Wilson (Terra Nova) 1:00
285: Josaiah Escalante-Aranda (San Benito) d. Hung Vo (Silver Creek) 7-4
Team scores (top five)
Evergreen Valley 213, Gilroy 133, Salinas 124, Alisal 92, Wilcox 82.
Championship results
101: Abbeygael Cabuag (Presentation) d. Madison Heinzer (Evergreen Valley) 7-6
106: Sabrina Tran (Evergreen Valley) p. Mia Gonzalez (Cupertino), 2:41
111: Kiely Tabaldo (Menlo-Atherton) d. Ailynne Acosta (Salinas) 9-0
116: Isabel Garcia (Alisal) p. Mikayla Putich (Evergreen Valley) 2:58
121: Danica Kelley (Scotts Valley) p. Helene Jose (Gunn) 2:00
126: Tamara Grace (Gilroy) d. Janie Houser (Aptos) 9-2
131: Mary Jane Porter (Gilroy) d. Ella Myers (Monterey) 2-0
137: Valerie Glenn (Gilroy) d. Ariana Mercado (Soledad) 4-3
143: Joselin Hernandez (Alisal) p. Madeline Lazo (Evergreen Valley) 2:20
150: Kaiulani Garcia (Gilroy) p. An Nguyen (Evergreen Valley) 5:58
160: Perla Hernandez (Wilcox) d. Andrea Garcia (Evergreen Valley) 4-3
170: Mariela Rodriguez (Salinas) p. Kimora Teo (Wilcox) 1:32
189: Katianna Martinez (Evergreen Valley) p. Destiny Gil (Salinas) 1:18
235: Estrella Vasquez-Gutierrez (Greenfield) p. Yanette Tran (Lowell-San Francisco) 3:12
