Dos Pueblos, San Marcos and Santa Barbara High wrestling competed in the CIF-SS Eastern Division Championships on Saturday at Canyon Springs High and Roosevelt High.
The Charger boys were the top Channel League team at the meet, finishing seventh out of 50 teams, while their girls squad placed 35th out of 72.
Individually, Dos Pueblos had four wrestlers qualify for the Masters Meet, headlined by the 215-pound CIF-SS East champion Ethan Ono.
“The girls and boys teams wrestled with some real grit and performed phenomenally,” Dos Pueblos head coach Matthew Bernard said. “They battled some sickness that ran through the team this past week, battled some adversity on the mat, and each of them brought everything they had to every match this weekend.”
Meanwhile, San Marcos’ Angelique Silva was the lone Royal to extend her season into next week’s Masters Meet at Sonora High.
Dos Pueblos
Ono dominated the 215-pound weight class, rattling off five straight wins capped off by a first-period pin victory in the championship matchup to claim first place.
Brandon Velasquez also shined for the Chargers at 157 pounds, going 4-1 and finishing as the division’s runner-up to punch his ticket to the Masters meet.
“Ethan and Brandon dominated their competition en route to the finals. Ethan made quick work of his final opponent, pinning him in the first period,” Bernard said.
“Brandon wrestled a balanced, smart, and physical match against a very tough opponent. Things started opening up in the third period, going a little back-and-forth.
“Unfortunately, Brandon came out on the bottom side of the exchange, losing a 3-2 decision this time around. He’s already looking to get back at it this week in preparation for the Masters Meet.”
Andrew Gilligan rounded out the Dos Pueblos wrestlers heading to the Masters Meet, as he went 6-1 and placed third in the 132-pound weight class.
“Andrew pulled together a nice string of victories en route to his third-place match, which ended anti-climatically when his opponent medically forfeited,” Bernard said.
Seamus Fergus was the only other Charger to place in their weight class, taking eighth place at 150 pounds.
On the girls side, Dos Pueblos had all three wrestlers advance to day two, with Ariana Valladares earning a spot in the Masters Meet by going 5-2 in the 100-pound weight class.
“Ari put together a string of victories against some tough competition this weekend,” Bernard said. “Her only losses came from some of the best in the state, and even against them, Ari placed herself in great positions and nearly capitalized.
“She gets better with each outing, we’re excited and look forward to seeing her compete at the Masters meet.”
San Marcos
Silva bounced back from losing her first match of the weekend and went on a run to take sixth place after medically forfeiting the fifth-place matchup. She will continue her season at the Masters Meet.
Ingrid Vargas also competed for the San Marcos girls, advancing to the second day of competition.
“These two are all heart,” San Marcos head coach Jesus Romero said. “ I was very impressed at how they were both able to shake off that first bump in the road and wrestled their best matches of the year.
“They both started trusting in and shooting their single-leg shots and used it to execute some well-timed takedowns.”
As for the boys, Leon Fox and Liam Fewell represented the Royals as Anthony Leal was unable to compete due to a knee injury in the Channel League championship.
“I am very proud of our young team. It’s been a pleasure and a joy to coach this group of amazing athletes,” Romero said.
Santa Barbara High
The Dons had four wrestlers round out their seasons in this weekend’s tournament.
Lucas Blessing led the way and fell just short of a Masters Meet qualification, taking eighth place in the 215-pound weight class.
“The loss of our seniors will have an impact on our room, but they have continued to lay the foundation for the success of our team in the upcoming season.,” Santa Barbara High head coach Chris Hamman said.