The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Canyon Springs, Roosevelt win CIF-SS championships
Canyon Springs and Roosevelt were among the big winners at this weekend’s CIF Southern Section boys wrestling individual championship meets.
Canyon Springs captured the section’s Division 1 dualmeet title in late January, and the Cougars added a second piece of championship hardware for their trophy case by winning the team title at the Southern Division individual tournament at Great Oak High School. The section championships are the program’s first in each of the formats since 2002. The Cougars compiled 233.5 points over the weekend, 16 points ahead of Paloma Valley.
Roosevelt won the program’s first section championship last season, and the Mustangs defended their Central Division individual tournament crown in dominant fashion. Roosevelt amassed 272 points during the event’s two days at Yucaipa High School, which was 58.5 points better than Walnut.
Canyon Springs had five wrestlers win individual championships, the most by any Inland team at the six meets held throughout Southern California.
Richard Murillo and Sonny Kling each claimed their third section crowns. Xavier Manzo, Max Murillo and David Fletes all won for the first time.
Murillo pinned all four of his opponents in the first
Online: The list of Inland boys and girls who qualified for Masters. period and captured the 132-pound championship with a victory over Chaminade’s Michael Kase. Kling also pinned all four opponents in the first period and grabbed the 190-pound championship with a victory over Temecula Valley’s Noah Watkins.
Manzo pinned Bishop Amat’s Benicio Thome in the second period of the 106-pound championship match. Max Murillo won the 113-pound title with a 13-0 major decision over Paloma Valley’s Benji Ruiz. Fletes pinned Lakeside’s Erik Quintero in the opening period to claim the title at 126 pounds.
Paloma Valley’s Syruss Flores captured his second straight section championship, winning the Southern Division’s 120-pound title after he pinned Lakeside’s Chase Carrasco in the second period. Temecula Valley’s Kameron Phillips also won a championship for the second consecutive year, bringing home the Southern Division’s 165-pound crown after he pinned Paloma Valley’s Javon Major 31 seconds into overtime.
Other Inland wrestlers who won individual championships at the Southern Division tournament were Lakeside’s Axel Esparza (138), Temecula Valley’s
Gabriel Lemus (150) and North’s Coby Merrill (215).
Roosevelt had three wrestlers win championships at the Central Division meet. Brian Leon and Jason Saenz claimed titles for the second time in their careers, while Mike Trejo won his first. Leon pinned all four opponents and won the 157-pound championship with a victory over Centennial’s Jesse Jimenez. Saenz captured the 132-pound title with a 5-2 overtime win over Walnut’s Aaron Contreras. Trejo prevailed at 215 pounds following a 6-2 victory over Ayala’s Brandon Townsell.
Norco’s Bryce Gonzales and Bonita’s Tristan Fernandez won titles for the second straight season. Gonzales pulled out a 3-1 decision in overtime over King’s Paul Knapp to claim the 138-pound championship. Fernandez pinned all four of his opponents in 39 seconds or less and captured the 150-pound crown with a victory over Ayala’s Mason Eligio.
Other Inland wrestlers who won individual championships at the Central Division meet were Ayala’s Jayden Chan (106), Citrus Valley’s Mason Hernandez (165), Rim of the World’s Justus Stewart (175), Yucaipa’s Will Mchargue (190), and Norco’s Larry Hyland (285).
Etiwanda brought home the runner-up plaque from the Northern Division tournament at Sonora High School. The Eagles finished with 188 points, 34 points behind champion Mayfair, and had two individual champions. Jacob Bell and Evan Manzo claimed section titles for the second consecutive season. Bell pinned all five of his opponents and won the 138-pound championship when he pinned Eisenhower’s Mathius Garza in the final seconds of the match. Manzo also had five pinfall victories and captured the 165-pound title with a victory over Damien’s Anthony Cazo.
Rancho Cucamonga’s Jayden Espinoza (144) and Xingyu Chen of Los Osos (157) also won individual championship at the Northern Division meet.
Chino placed fourth in the team standings and had a pair of individual champions at the Coastal Division tournament at Westminster High School. Zachary Samano captured the 106-pound championship, and Michael Vassalle prevailed at 175 pounds.
A total of 140 Inland boys wrestlers qualified for the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Palm Springs High School. Wrestlers who finished fifth or better at their respective tournaments advanced. Two sixthplace wrestlers in each of the 14 weight classes also will advance to the Masters Meet. The weights and corresponding divisions for those at-large entries were selected at random prior to the individual meets.