Canoga Park siblings persevere, win
Escobar, Miranda each bring home L.A. City Section championships
Adrian Escobar raced around the Roybal Learning Center gym to chase down his sister, Valeria Miranda. He wrapped his arms around her and the tears came as the two nearly fell to the ground with emotion.
The Canoga Park wrestlers had both just won CIF Los Angeles City Section championships. Escobar won his third straight title at 113 pounds and Miranda, a 105-pound freshman, became the first Canoga Park girls wrestler to win a championship.
“He's my whole reason why. I strive to be like him,” Miranda said. “Growing up, I didn't have a father, so he was like a father figure to me.”
Wrestling has given the siblings opportunities to succeed in a life that otherwise seems to have shorted them. Escobar, Miranda and their three younger sisters were raised by a single mother. She couldn't afford childcare, Escobar said, so she put him in Beat the Streets Topanga wrestling club when he was 8 years old.
Beat the Streets was founded in 2012 and offers accessible wrestling programs to Los Angeles youth, providing coaching, clinics and equipment.
“Wrestling has always helped me stay in check,” Escobar said. “There's a lot of other kids doing notso-good stuff and for me, I've always wanted my best results in wrestling. And what that means is
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you have to sacrifice a lot of your pleasure for your purpose.”
Miranda followed her brother in wrestling when she was 7 years old. She started off taking dance lessons but wanted to get involved in the sport when she saw her brother bringing home medals.
She was timid when she began, Miranda said, but wrestling forced her to become fearless. She lost many matches before she had a breakthrough moment during a dual meet.
“This girl just beat me up,” Miranda said. “And then ever since that day, I decided that I was never gonna let anyone touch me like that ever again.”
She beat Birmingham's Diana Barone by a 10-6 decision in the finals Saturday after gaining a 7-6 advantage on a reversal with 1:36 remaining in the third quarter.
Escobar won his finals match 13-2 and only gave up one point on an escape throughout the first two periods.
His fast-paced, constantly-moving style of wrestling made him difficult to take down. He became more aggressive when it came to shooting as his high school wrestling career went on.
“I wouldn't believe in myself,” Escobar said. “I wouldn't believe in my strength but little by little, as I entered high school, I knew if you wanted it more, you'd have to take the opportunity and shoot.”
Miranda and Escobar move on to the CIF State championships, which are slated for Feb. 22-24 at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield. Their goals extend beyond the state championships and include national titles and college scholarships.
“Dreams really do come true,” Miranda said. “You just have to be willing to work for it. You have to be willing to put in the time and effort and win or lose, just keep moving forward.”
RESULTS
Finals results from the City Section wrestling championships:
BOYS FINALS
106: Henry Aslikyan (Birmingham) won by fall over Matthew Gonzales (San Fernando)
113: Adrian Escobar (Canoga Park) won by 13-2 major decision over Aiden Martinez (Birmingham) 120: Arno Vardanyan (Birmingham) won by fall over Jose Hernandez (Canoga Park)
126: James Van Wagenen (Palisades) won by 9-6 decision over Roamn Arakelyan (Birmingham)
132: Draven Lukata (Birmingham) won by 9-5 decision over Jay Arana (San Fernando)
138: John Alvarez (San Fernando) won by fall over Manuel Sandoval (San Pedro)
144: Greg Torosian (Birmingham) won by 18-7 major decision over Daniel Mercado (San Fernando) 150: Ka`ena Kekauoha
(San Pedro) won by 6-2 decision over Luis Marrero (San Fernando)
157: Nikita Smatov (Birmingham) won by fall over Leonard Martinez (Franklin)
165: Daniel Benavidez (San Fernando) won by major decision over Angel Castrellon (Birmingham)
175: Oluwaforanmi Okelola (Cleveland) won by fall over Brandon Arana (San Fernando)
190: Daniel Antikyan (Granada Hills) won by 9-4 decision over Abtin Rostama (El Camino Real)
215: Will Gleetner (Hamilton) won by fall over Joel Gomez (Franklin) 285: Abraham Datte (Monroe) won by fall over Giovanni Yandall (Banning)
GIRLS FINALS
100: Marlene Garcia (Sylmar) won by 8-2 decision over Marissa Alvarez (Banning)
105: Valeria Miranda (Canoga Park) won by 10-6 decision over Diana Barone (Birmingham)
110: Avy Perez (Birmingham) won by fall over Hailee Moreno (San Fernando) 115: Bowie Hernandez (San Pedro) won by 8-1 decision over Savannah Sequeira (Birmingham)
120: Kayla Vasquez (Monroe) won by fall over Jimena Reyes (Birmingham)
125: Haely Lemus (Franklin) won by fall over Alexa Calleja (San Pedro)
130: Monica Vasquez (Birmingham) won by fall over Jocelyn Rojas (Franklin) 135: Emily Escobar (San Fernando) won in sudden victory over Priscilla Monson (San Pedro)
140: Daniela Lopez (Sylmar) won by fall over Bailey Gutierrez (Birmingham) 145: Adeliada Fernandez (Birmingham) won by fall over Leslie Garcia (Bell) 155: Elizabeth Reyes (Birmingham) won by 13-8 decision over Maya Magana (Granada Hills)
170: Genesis Rivera (Bell) won by 5-4 decision over Melissa Guerrero (Banning) 190: Kimberly Vallejo (San Fernando) won by fall over Emma Medina (Birmingham)
235: Eenni Alay (Fremont) won by fall over Keiry Mazariegos (Birmingham)