Monache just misses Valley title
Ortega, Kouyoumtjian take girls titles
Monache’s Charlotte Kouyoumtjian and Ramona Ortega each placed first at the CIF Central Section Southeast Area Championship tournament Saturday at Mission Oak High School.
Their wins helped the Monache girls wrestling team to a seventh-place finish with 131.5 points, putting them one place ahead of eighth-place Porterville (101).
After matches on Friday, Kouyoumtjian (118 pounds), Ortega (191) and Rhiannon Cabutotan (123) made it to the semifinal round while Alyssa Mendiola (103) began Saturday’s matches in the consolation rounds.
In the semifinals, Kouyoumtjian defeated Redwood’s Melody Hernandez by a 6-1 decision then Foothill’s Ariana Juarez in a 15-0 technical fall for another Area title. In her semifinal match, Ortega pinned Kennedy’s Dezirae Alejandro in 3 minutes, 45 seconds. For the title, Ortega won by a 3:11 fall against Centennial’s Gracie Lane.
Cabutotan lost her semifinal match but
pinned her way to a third-place finish with a 3:41 fall against South’s Lilmary Cobbins. Mendiola placed fifth with a 1:07-pin of Mira Monte’s Katarina Alvarado.
Reaching the championship rounds for Porterville was Sequoia Cook (162). Cook pinned Ridgeview’s Camilla Caggianelli in 4:37 in the semifinal match but was pinned in 48 seconds by Stockdale’s Ehireme Ohens for second place.
Also for the Panthers, Camila Palomares (103) placed seventh, Evelyn Guzman (108) sixth, Samantha
Pina (126) fifth, Melissa Abarca (139) ninth and Alma Saldana (172) eighth.
For the CIF Central Section Girls Masters Championship tournament Feb. 21-22 at East Bakersfield High School, both Kouyoumtjian and Ortega earned the No. 1 seeds, while Cook earned No. 4, in their respective weights
The top eight placers advance to Masters, which means Cabutotan and Mendiola from Monache, as well as, Guzman, Pina, Saldana and Palomares from Porterville, are also Mastersbound. The Panthers’ Abarca is an alternate.
WOMEN’S TENNIS Cosumnes River 5 Porterville 4
Porterville College women’s tennis had a tough 5-4 loss to Cosumnes River in Saturday’s Big 8 South Conference match on the road. PC head coach Kurt Nielsen noted the Pirates won at Cosumnes River 6-3 last season.
Saturday in singles, No. 1 Claire Nuno won 6-0, 6-0. No. 3 Raquel Calo won her match but it was retired early. In doubles, No. 1 Nuno and Eileen Rooney won 8-0 and No. 2 Calo and Zoe Vasquez won 8-4.
The Pirates next match is Tuesday at Reedley College.