GABRIEL RIZK
What could be sweeter than winning a CIF championship? For Temecula Valley senior Josh Cortez, being able to claim the 138-pound title at the CIFSS Inland Division Individual Wrestling Championships in his home gym on Saturday was the icing on the cake. “It’s always good to do it in front of your hometown, your friends and family who come down to watch you,” said Cortez, who won his second section title in the last three years. “It feels great to accomplish what I’ve wanted to so far. Now it’s on to Masters and state.” While not on their home floor, two other Inland area wrestlers felt the thrill of winning titles in front of a friendly crowd, as Riverside Hillcrest’s Jacob Ruvalcaba (113) and River- side La Sierra’s Johnny Arreola (120) both came up champions. “It feels great,” said Ruvalcaba, who won his first CIF title with a pin of Anaheim Servite’s Matt Rodriguez at the 1:31 mark. “I worked all season. I was 120 all season, and I finally decided to cut down and I think it was the right choice for me.” Arreola scored a takedown of Murrieta Mesa’s Dylan Todd in the closing seconds of the second period of the finals to carry a 6-4 lead into the third. The Eagles senior, who failed to make weight for last year’s tournament, doubled his lead on a reversal and sealed the 8-4 win for his CIF title. “It was a little bit what I expected, and I’m just glad I came out with the win,” Arreola said. “All this work and I finally get the reward.” Cortez’s match against Santa Ana Mater Dei’s Trevor Perez was tied at 1-1 after three periods, but Cortez needed just seconds of overtime to claim the sudden-death win on a slick duck-and-under maneuver for a takedown. Temecula Valley (178 points) placed third in the team standings behind Servite (305) and Bellflower St. John Bosco (197.5). Vista Murrieta, which had Anthony Orozco finish runner-up at 145 pounds, placed sixth (114.5). Temecula Great Oak’s Mike Colello (195) and Temecula Chaparral’s Garrett Strang (160) also placed second. Hemet was able to hold on to its lead from Friday in the Eastern Division at Chino Hills Ayala High and edge Sunbelt League rival Perris Citrus Hill for the team title. Caleb Wilson (160) and Tristin Sutton (195) both captured individual titles for Hemet. “It’s a real good accomplishment for the kids,” Bulldogs coach Chris Santana said. “A lot of them learned big lessons about battling through and what it means to pull together as a team and put something together. I’m just really happy that the kids were able to get that for themselves.” Citrus Hill’s Joel Villa (170) and Damien Bacajol (285) were both champions and Alex Hernandez won the 145 title for Hemet West Valley. Bloomington also emerged triumphant at its divisional, racking up 215.5 points to easily outpace runner-up Yorba Linda (177.5) in the Central Division at Grand Terrace High. Ismael Carbajal (120), Julian Melecio (126) and Robert Castro (195) claimed individual titles for the Bruins, who placed second in the Central Division dual playoffs on Feb. 7. In the Coastal Division finals at Lake Elsinore Lakeside High, Eastvale Roosevelt enjoyed the highest area team finish at third with 152 points behind San Marino (242.5) and Victor Valley (193). Derek Abeln captured the 182-pound title for the Mustangs and was also chosen Upper Weight MVP. Adrian Salgado (120) and Sean Kain (170) both brought home titles for Riverside King, which placed fifth with 148 points, while Big VIII League compatriots Corona Santiago (seventh, 128.5) and Corona Centennial (ninth, 105) each picked up a title courtesy of Justin Thomas (152) and David VanWeems (220), respectively. David Eubanks won the heavyweight title to help Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon (151.5 points) place fourth, and Moreno Valley Canyon Springs (133) took sixth behind runner-up finishes from Rudy Ruiz (132), Jeremy Carroll (160) and Travis Shumway (170). Yucaipa was the top area team in the Northern Division, placing seventh with 114 points with Cajon right behind at eighth with 107.5. Yucaipa’s Eric Reyes (126) finished runner-up, as did Cajon’s Christian Cardenas (170). Carter’s Juan Heredia captured the 138-pound title. CONTACT THE WRITER: [email protected] Temecula Valley’s Ascension Rodriguez can’t get free from Servite’s Noah Blakiey during the 126-pound final on Saturday. Rodriguez dropped a 7-4 decision.
Vista Murrieta’s Anthony Orozco, right, tries to break free from Servite’s JJ Reed during the 145-pound final at Temecula Valley. Reed won the title.