CIF State Wrestling Championships: Top contenders
By The Bakersfield Californian
TOP CONTENDERS
Returning champions
113: Zahid Valencia, soph, Bellflower-St. John Bosco (106)
120: Isaiah Locsin, jr, Live Oak (113)
138: Nikko Villarreal, jr, Gilroy (132)
145: Anthony Valencia, soph, St. John Bosco (126)
160: Isaiah Martinez, sr, Lemoore (152 last year, 140 in 2011)
HWT: Nick Nevills, jr, Clovis (HWT in 2011)
Top of the class
The top three wrestlers at each class, as ranked by The California Wrestler website:
106: 1. Gionn Peralta, jr, Vacaville; 2. Adrian Camposano, jr, Fresno-Central; 3. Vincent Elizalde, jr, Brawley.
Note: Eight of the top 15 come out of the Central Section.
113: 1. Zahid Valencia, soph, Bellflower-St. John Bosco; 2. Israel Saavedra, fr, Modesto; 3. Sean Williams, sr, Lemoore.
Note: Intermat ranks Valencia No. 1 nationally; he beat Saavedra 9-2 at the Doc B.
120: 1. Mason Pengilly, jr, Porterville; 2. Isaiah Locsin, jr, Live Oak; 3. Micah Perez, sr, El Centro-Central Union.
Note: Locsin has been to state finals, but lost to Pengilly in overtime earlier this season.
126: 1. Vincent Gomez, sr, Frontier; 2. Michael Knoblauch, jr, Clovis West; 3. Victor Trujillo, sr, Fair Oaks-Bella Vista.
Note: Gomez won two of three meetings with Knoblauch; Trujillo hasn't wrestled either.
132: 1. Aaron Pico, fr, St. John Bosco; 2. Javier Gasca III, sr, Kingsburg; 3. Paul Fox, jr, Gilroy.
Note: Pico's closest match was 10-4 over Gasca; some consider him the best pound-for-pound high school wrestler nationally.
138: 1. Nikko Villarreal, jr, Gilroy; 2. Elijah Davis, sr, San Francisco-Archbishop Riordan; 3. Daniel Valles, sr, Covina-Northview.
Note: Villarreal's late five-point move stunned three-time champ Alex Cisneros of Selma late in 132 final last year.
145: 1. Victor Lopez, sr, Poway; 2. Anthony Valencia, soph, St. John Bosco; 3. Christian Pagdilao, sr, Corona-Santiago.
Note: Valencia was national champion at 126 last year but has lost 15-6 to Lopez.
152: 1. Shayne Tucker, sr, Bella Vista; 2. Luke Wilson, sr, Santa Maria-Righetti; 3. Kyle Perreault, sr, Clovis East.
Note: Bakersfield High's No. 4 Coleman Hammond beat Wilson but lost two to Perreault.
160: 1. Isaiah Martinez, sr, Lemoore; 2. Nick Fiegener, sr, Folsom; 3. Ray Lomas, sr, Modesto-Central Catholic.
Note: Martinez has won all of his matches but one by either pin or technical fall.
170: 1. Corey Griego, jr, Hesperia-Sultana; 2. Peter Santos, sr, Roseville-Oakmont; 3. Keaton Subjeck, sr, El Dorado Hills-Oak Ridge.
Note: Four wrestlers at 170 are ranked in the national top 20 by Intermat.
182: 1. Adrian Salas, sr, Clovis; 2. Immanuel Barber, sr, Moreno Valley-Canyon Springs; 3. Sohrab Movahedi, sr, Granada Hills.
Note: Bakersfield High's Kyle Pope, ranked No. 4, finished second last year.
195: 1. Jeramy Sweany, jr, Vacaville; 2. Mason Kumashiro, sr, Los Alamitos; 3. Trevor Smith, sr, Ripon.
Note: No wrestler at this weight in this year's bracket has ever finished higher than sixth at state.
220: 1. Sean Medley, sr, Wasco; 2. Derrick Jones, jr, Bloomington; 3. Jordan Sepeda, sr, Sacramento-Natomas.
Note: Neither Medley nor Jones has lost to a California opponent this season.
HWT: 1. Nick Nevills, jr, Clovis; 2. Nour Andullatif, jr, Eastvale-Roosevelt; 3. Chance Eskam, jr, Carlsbad.
Note: Nevills, ranked No. 3 nationally, was first freshman to win heavyweight title in 2011.
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