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Mustang Wrestlers Shine At CIF Sac-Joaquin Masters Meet
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Wrapping up her opponent, Oakdale’s Valerie Osborne defeated Modoc’s Yawnah Brown, 9-2. Osborne won the championship at 170 pounds on Saturday and is headed to the state meet. Leader Photo By Dave Campbell

A successful trip to Stockton has set the stage and now the time has come.

The biggest high school wrestling tournament of the year is just around the corner. This weekend the 2019-2020 CIF State Championship will be held in Bakersfield and Oakdale High School will be well represented. Seven Mustang grapplers will be making the trip as those individuals qualified at this past weekend’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Meet.

Masters was hosted at Stockton Arena both Friday and Saturday and at the end of the evening on Saturday, Oakdale had earned second place overall as a team. Individually, more than a half dozen wrestlers stood on the podium and solidified their spots in this upcoming weekend’s championship. Five champions, a second place showing and a third place finisher rounded out the effort for the Mustangs. A total of 89 teams took part in the Masters Meet, traveling to Stockton Arena, with Vacaville nailing down first place with a team total of 183.0 points. Oakdale finished just six points behind them with 177.0 and Del Oro was third with 158.0 points.

For the Mustangs, the following grapplers will continue their seasons in Bakersfield.

Sophomore Michael Torres earned a trip to state and stood on top of the podium in the 106 pound weight class. Torres defeated Shawn Ketsavong (Sheldon); Ethan Ward (Turlock); Joseph (JW) Mills (Escalon); and in the finals he defeated Jonathan Nguyen of Tokay by a 9-4 decision.

Junior Brayden Abell was crowned champion at 113 pounds. Abell put away George Cuadra (Sheldon); Silverio Godin (Lincoln of Stockton); Jack James (Oak Ridge); Logan Valledor (Vacaville) and in the finals he defeated Salahdin Farukh of Valley 5-0.

Freshman Jonathan Hernandez knocked off Owen Benson (Folsom); Dylan Marlowe (Lincoln Stockton); Elijah Montez (Gregori); Dylan Maples (Bella Vista); and in the finals he won via injury forfeit over Izzy Tubera (Pitman) to capture the 120 pound championship.

Sophomore Ceasar Garza defeated Peter Sims (Tokay); Hezikiah Endsley (Elk Grove); Austin Morgan (Vacaville); Vince Olivera (Bella Vista); and in the finals he defeated Eli Blake of Del Oro to capture the championship at 145 pounds.

The final champion that was crowned for Oakdale was senior Valerie Osborne. She won the women’s championship at 170 pounds. She won her first match via fall, her second match via fall, her third match 9-2 and in the finals she won via fall.

Taking second place at 152 pounds and earning a trip to Bakersfield was junior Seth Borba. He faced four seniors in the preliminary rounds and defeated them all. He put away Noah Ruiz (Franklin Elk Grove); Angelo Acia (Woodland); Isaiah Rayrao (Rodriguez); and in the semifinals he defeated Isaiah Ontiveros of Pitman. In the finals Borba fell to junior Jed Campos of Del Oro by a 2-0 decision.

Claiming third at 126 pounds was Mustang junior Clayton Bashor. He started the tournament off strong, putting away Garrett Solso (Roseville); Gabe Jensen (Granite Bay); and Julias Serrano-Aguayo of Lincoln Stockton. However, Bashor fell to senior William Giron of Turlock in the semifinals 3-1. Giron placed second overall. In the consolation bracket Bashor placed third overall with wins over Carson Prim (Grace Davis) and Eric Almarinez (Vacaville) to secure his spot in the state meet.

Others who made the trip to Masters but ultimately saw their seasons come to an end were Spencer Von Savoye (freshman 132); Jordan VanRys (sophomore 160); Brock Osmundson (freshman 170); Garrison Gerber (freshman 182); Ben Molina (senior 195); Geno Sarale (junior 220) and Jordan Garcia (junior 285).

The CIF State Championship will be staged at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28 and 29.

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In overtime of the 145-pound championship match, Oakdale’s Ceasar Garza pulls Del Oro’s Eli Blake back in before getting a takedown for the 3-1 sudden victory on Saturday. Leader Photo By Dave Campbell