The post-season is approaching for prep wrestling, and Sean Yamasaki of Dos Pueblos is preparing himself for a run to the CIF State Championships.
The senior earned another podium finish at a major tournament on Saturday, taking third place in the 132-pound weight class at the 66th annual California Invitational Tournament in Morro Bay.
The tournament featured a mix of the top wrestlers from southern and central California.
Yamasaki reached the semifinals, where he lost to Wayne Joint of Lemoore, the No. 2-ranked 132-pound wrestler in the state. He then battled through the consolation bracket and defeated Eli Blackwell of Tracy, 9-6, in the third-place match.
Yamasaki is now 30-3 and ranked eighth in the state. He took fifth place in the Battle of Belt Tournament and won titles at the Asics So Cal Championships, Silver Spring and Newbury Park Tournaments.
His next action will be at the final Channel League dual meet at Santa Barbara on Wednesday, when DP will be going for a sixth straight league title.
The following weeks are the CIF-SS Team Duals, the Channel League Individual Championships, the Southern Section Individual Finals and Masters Meet.
“I really think he’s going to turn it up to another level for this post season,” said DP coach Kenny Breaux.
At the Channel League finals on Feb. 8, Yamasaki will be seeking to become only the third wrestler in league history to win a fourth straight title, joining his father and DP alum Mike Yamasaki (1979-82) and Ron Wilson of Camarillo (1968-71).
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.