Wrestlers qualify for Masters; Hart wins CIF title
Mountain Wrestling ended their season on a high note when three wrestlers qualified for the CIF Masters Tournament. Levi Hart, Mark Nicholson Jr. and Celia Esquivel all had strong finishes in the CIF Central Section Division V and Area 2 championships to reach the prestigious event.
Hart qualified for the masters by winning his second-straight CIF title at the Division V tournament.
Capping off an impressive run in the CIF Central Section Division V bracket in the 154-pound weight class, Hart overtook Giovanni Ruiz from McFarland by major decision (17-7) in the championship bout. It is the second CIF title for Hart, having also won a CIF Central Section Division V title in 2022 in the 145-pound weight class. Nicholson
Jr. also had a strong finish in the 172-pound weight class, reaching the Division V championship final and taking runner-up honors. Overall, Tehachapi finished the tournament with 50.5 team points and an 11th place finish overall.
In girls wrestling, Esquivel finished in third place in the 103-pound weight class at the Area 2 Tournament in Bakersfield, helping the Lady Warriors to 25 team points.
At the Masters, the Warriors finished with seven team points after two victories from Hart, who went 2-2 overall. Hart defeated an opponent from Paso Robles by fall (0:23) and an opponent from Selma by decision (7-2).
ORELLANA SIGNS LETTER OF INTENT WITH UC-MERCED
Student-athlete Michelle Orellana was recently honored in a special ceremony at Tehachapi High School, signing her official letter of intent to play basketball for
UC Merced next season.
Orellana’s full athletic-academic scholarship was offered because of the standout’s accomplishments in the classroom and on the court.
“I would like to thank God for this opportunity. Also my past and present coaches, each one has furthered my knowledge of the game for the better,” said Orellana.
Academically, Orellana is at the top of her senior class and is in the running to be this year’s valedictorian. She currently has a 4.5 grade point average and will be pursuing a degree in psychology, with aspirations to enter the healthcare or criminal justice field after earning her degree.
Athletically, Orellana finished her junior season with 259 points, 87 rebounds, 37 steals and 34 assists and this season has already amassed 290 points, 70 rebounds, 59 assists and 58 steals.
“I want to thank my parents (Danny and Jennifer) for constantly pushing me past my limits to reach my full potential and the sacrifices they made to get me here,” Orellana added. “I would also like to thank my teammates for having heart and playing alongside me. This is a team I will not forget.”
SOCCER FALLS TO BAKERSFIELD IN CIF CENTRAL SECTION PLAYOFFS
The Lady Warriors soccer squad participated in the CIF Central Section Division 3 playoffs as the no. 10 seed this past week and fell in a high-scoring game with the no. 7 seed Bakersfield Drillers, 5-4.
Taitlyn Kingsbury, Kailey Kolesar, Bethany Sierra and Hannah Tyree all scored goals for Tehachapi (18-52). Sierra, Tyree and Kolesar were all credited with
assists. Marissa Grier and Makenna Paxton both had two saves each at keeper.
BASEBALL OFFENSE IMPRESSIVE AGAINST PALMDALE-HIGHLAND
The Warriors opened their season on fire at the plate, scoring eight runs in the first four innings and finishing with 10 runs overall in a 14-10 shootout loss against Palmdale-Highland.
Cyler Hoofard finished 2-2 with three runs scored and Matthew Hughes went 2-3 with a double, two runs scored and three RBIs to lead the way. Christopher Turpin also had a double for the Warriors.
Playing on the varsity team this season will be seniors Kamron Westerby, Dillon Kerr, Kamron Sanchez, Turtle Thomson, Matthew Hughes, Reed Segale, Cole Nicholas, Ryan Wilson and Ben Mayorga, juniors
Christopher Turpin, Samuel Ciaccio, Brevin Skaggs and Colton Christy, sophomores Bryce Seagle, Wade Brooks, Rian Grell and Cyler Hoofard, and freshmen Andrew Widders and Noah Schneir.
Tehachapi also participated in the Terrio Tournament this past weekend against Foothill and Ridgeview and will continue with another game at home against Rosamond this Tuesday at 3 p.m. Full results of the Terrio Tourney will be highlighted in next week’s Tehachapi News.
BOYS TENNIS DEFEATS MIRA MONTE TO OPEN SEASON
Mountain Tennis opened up their season with convincing 7-2 victory over Mira Monte.
Winning singles matches for Tehachapi were Calvin Hibbard (6-2, 6-0), Donovan Russell (6-4, 6-4), James Adamson (6-2, 6-3), Osiel
Bahena (6-4, 4-6, 11-9) and Isaac Read (6-2, 6-0). Winning in doubles were Russell/Adamson (8-6) and Isaac Read/Hunter Church (8-6).
The Warriors also had a match against the Bakersfield Drillers later in the week, falling 8-1. Hibbard (6-4, 6-2) provided the lone match victory at first singles.
Up next for Tehachapi is a match on the road at Foothill this Wednesday. First serve will start at 3:30 p.m.