Canyon Springs’ Kling wins crown at 190 pounds

There was no heart-wrenching ending for Canyon Springs standout boys wrestler Sonny Kling this season.

After back-to-back runner-up finishes at the CIF State Championships, Kling reached the top of the podium Saturday evening, when he capped his phenomenal high school career by claiming the 190-pound title at Mechanics Bank

Arena in Bakersfield.

Kling became just the sixth wrestler in the program’s illustrious history to capture a state championship, joining Norman Abas (1994), Stephen Abas (1994), Carlos Blanco (1996 and 1997), Luis Blanco (1996) and John Rojas (2003).

In 2022, while wrestling for Palm Desert, Kling reached the state finals at 195 pounds but lost a 5-0 decision to Gilroy’s Cody Merrill. He transferred to Canyon Springs for his junior season and advanced to the 182-pound final. Kling had a 4-3 lead in that match, but Fountain Valley’s Timothy “TJ” Mcdonnell scored on a reversal with eight seconds remaining to prevail 5-4.

After a scoreless first period Saturday night, Kling took a 7-1 lead on Brokton Borelli of Los Banos during the second period, as he scored points with a reversal, takedown and near-fall. Kling scored two more takedowns during the third and posted an 11-2 major decision to secure the title. Kling never trailed during his five state matches this season.

North sophomore Coby Merrill was the only other Inland boys wrestler to advance to the championship round this season, but Merrill fell 2-1 in overtime to Poway’s Robert Platt in the 215-pound championship match. There was no score after one period, and each wrestler scored a point on escapes during regulation. Merrill was unable to break free of Platt’s hold in the first overtime period, and Platt escaped in the second overtime and held on for

Kling