How do you follow up one of the greatest days in the history of state wrestling tournament history?
Finish the job.
On the heels of its 10-for-10 performance in Friday’s quarterfinals, with only one loss all day, Poway captured its fifth state team title in Saturday’s State Championship Finals at Mechanics Bank Arena with 290.5 points.
“I was talking with Wayne Branstetter earlier and told him I think we can be the best team all-time in California history,” said Poway Coach John Meyers of his conversation with the legendary Titans coach. “I feel we’ve done that.”
First-day leaders Clovis Buchanan, winners of seven straight titles coming in, finished second with 255 points.
The Titans, who last won a state team title in 2009, set numerous records with their performance.
Even before the finals were staged, the Titans broke the team scoring record of 276.5 points set by Clovis in 2015.
They pushed through seven wrestlers into the finals, tying Bakersfield for the state record set in 2002.
Their 11 total medals tied them for the most individual medals in a state tournament, set by Buchanan in 2020 and tied by the Titans in 2022.
Leading the way for Poway were a trio of newly crowned state champions.
Earning the first state championship of the night for the Titans was 132-pound senior Elias Navida. His takedown with 1 second left in sudden victory over freshman Jesse Grajeda of St. John Bosco gave him the 6-4 decision.
“I feel I proved something to all the doubters,” said Navida, now a two-time medalist and first-time champion.
The second individual title claimed was by junior Angelo Posada at 175. His 5-1 decision over Turlock Pitman’s Mason Ontiveros gave him the title after finishing second a year ago.
“This was for my team,” said Posada, who improved to 31-0 on the season. “We’re a bunch of dogs and all want the same, to be the best. I just want to be a great wrestler. I’ll be back in the room Monday.”
Another section wrestler finishing unbeaten and with a state crown was Granite Hills’ Ryan Guffey. His 3-0 decision over Joseph Antonio of St. John Bosco improved his record to a perfect 51-0.
“All I could think of was getting back here after last year, that’s what motivated me,” said the 165-pound champion who finished second last year. “That was the saddest day.”
The third Poway champ came at 215 pounds, where Robert Platt (22-1) scored and escape in overtime to edge J.W. North’s Coby Merrill to avenge his only loss of the year.
Other finalists taking second for Poway included freshman Arseni Kikiniou at 106 (37-4), Edwin Sierra at 113 (36-3), Paul Kelly at 138 (37-3), and Laird Root at 150 (44-2),
Also medaling for the winners were: freshman Mario Carini (34-10) and Adam Farha (35-6), third place at 144 and 285 respectively, and junior Billy Townson (33-8), fifth at 126.
But it wasn’t all about the Titans. The section came up short of its record number of place-winners. They could only manage 14 medals, just short of the 15 set in 2003.
Granite Hills chipped in with a pair of medalists, Guffey at 165 and Abram Cline at 113. Cline (45-6) was beaten for the third straight week by Poway’s Sierra, 2-1 in the semifinals. The University of Maryland commit came back from that loss with a 3-1 decision over Del Oro’s Siraj Sidhu in the third-place match.
“It’s all been a learning experience for me,” said Cline of his history with Sierra. “I have nothing against Sierra. Of course, I would have liked a better result but he’s tough and he only makes me a better wrestler.”
Boys wrestling
CIF State Championships
Team: 1. Poway 290,5, 2. Buchanan 255, 3. Gilroy 207, 4. St. John Bosco 186, 5. Clovis 144; Others: 8. Granite Hills 100.5, 40. Rancho Bernardo 40, 63. Brawley 12, 65. Carlsbad 11, 68. La Costa Canyon 10.5.
Individuals:
Finals
106 – Aslikyan (Birmingham) dec Ar. Kikiniou (Pow) 6-3; 113 – Zinkin (Buchanan) dec Sierra (Pow) 2-1 UTB; 120 – Ramirez (Walnut) dec Carillo (St. John Bosco) 4-1;126 – Zinken (Clovis) dec Lopez (Clovis West) 3-0;132 – Navida (Pow) dec Grajeda (St. John Bosco) 6-4; 138 – Zepeda (Gilroy) dec Kelly (Pow) 6-2; 144 – Mirabel (Gilroy) dec Toscano 2-1; 150 – Mantanona (Palm Desert) dec Root (Pow) 5-4; 157 – Cholakyan (St. John Bosco) dec Barbosa (Palm Desert) 3-2 TB2;165 – Guffey (GH) dec Antonio (St. John Bosco) 3-0; 175 – Posada (Pow) dec Ontiveros (Pitman) 5-1; 190 – Kling (Canyon Springs) MD Borelli (Los Banos) 11-2;215 – Platt (Pow) dec Merrill (JW North) 2-1 TB2; 285 – Merrill (Gilroy) dec. Sahakian (St. John Bosco) 3-2.
Third place
113 – Cline (GH) dec Sidhu (Del Oro) 4-2;144 – Carini (Pow) dec Del Bosque (Clovis North) 5-4; 285 – Farha (Pow) dec Harrington (Buchanan) 3-1 SV.
Fifth Place
120 – Rodriguez (Los Gatos) dec Jones (Pow) 3-2;126 – Townson (Pow) def. Garcia (Walnut) FF; 165 – Clink (Chico) dec Al. Kikiniou (Pow) 5-1.
Semifinals
106 – Kikiniou (Pow) dec Garcia (Palma) 11-5;113 – Sierra (Pow) dec Cline (GH) 2-1; 126 – Zinkin (Clovis) dec Townson (Pow) 2-1; 132 – Navida (Pow) dec Guiterrez (Central Catholic) 3-1; 138 – Kelly (Pow) dec Bauder (Buchanan) 3-0; 144 – Mirabal (Gilroy) dec. Carini (Pow) 8-4; 150 – Root (Pow) dec Estrada (Frontier) 3-1 SV; 165 – Guffey (GH) MD Alonso (Palm Desert) 8-0; 175 – Posada (Pow) pin Buck (Clovis) :36; 215 – Platt (Pow) dec Murillo (Bakersfield) 5-4; 285 – Merrill (Gilroy) pin Farha (Pow) 2:27.
Consolation Semifinals
113 – Cline (GH) dec Lewis (Clovis) 2-0; 120 – Quintero (El Dorado) Def Jones (Pow) DQ; 126 – Besmer (Buchanan) dec Townson (Pow) 5-3 SV; 144 – Carini (Pow) dec French (Del Oro) 4-2; 165 –Manzo (Etiwanda) dec Kikiniou (Pow) 2-1 UTB; 285 –Farha (Pow) pin Chacon (Clovis West) 3:58 .
Consolation Round 5
120 – Jones (Pow) dec Sandoval (El Grove) 8-7 TB2; 165 – Al. Kikiniou (Pow) dec Johnson (Pitman) 4-3 TB2.
Consolation Round 4
120 – Jones (Pow) pin Hicks (Valencia) 1:05; 126 – Lucio (Fountain Valley) dec Suetos (GH) 9-4, Romero (St. John Bosco) MD Usmonov (MiM) 12-4; 144 – Priest (Bakersfield) dec Caro 2-1; 157 – Contino (Buchanan) dec Estevez 3-1; 165 – Kikiniou (Pow) dec Kitchen (Buchanan) 6-3; 190 – Calkins Jr. (Liberty) pin Guiterrez 1:58.
