After an entire season of wrestling in the state of California, we've finally come to the CIF Wrestling Championships. Below is a weight-by-weight preview of the best and final tournament of the season with school competition, complete with Top-8 predictions of who will be the best in the state when it's all said and done.

106 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Andre Gonzales (Poway)
• Raymond Lopez (Buchanan)
• Michael Torres (Oakdale)
• Beau Mantanona (Palm Desert)
• Isaiah Medina (Vacaville)
• Dominic Mendez (Righetti)
• Ethan Perryman (Temecula valley)
• Matt Terrence (Clovis)

Of the top contenders at this weight, Raymond Lopez has had the toughest season and by virtue of being undefeated at the weight (his lone loss of the season coming up at 120 pounds) has had the most impressive season as well.

Five of the 8 top seeds were at Doc B. A tournament won by Lopez, who managed head-to-head wins over Torres (by fall in the finals), Mantanona (in a blistering semifinals decision), and Mendez (by fall). The Buchanan junior is a combined 6-0 against the top 8 here. That makes him a solid favorite to advance to the finals. The fact that he has yet to face Andre Gonzales leaves quite a bit of intrigue and expectation for that Saturday night.

Speaking of Andre Gonzales, Poway didn't travel to either of the top two tournaments in the state, Zinkin and Doc B. He also competed most of the season up at 113. And that isn't to say he went without some tough competition of his own. He met Joey Cruz at Reno in a tight 1 point loss. He's also 4-0 against this top 8, certainly performing up to the standards expected of a top seed.

I would guess the seeding difference between Torres and Mantanona was due to Doc B placing. Both wrestlers lost to Lopez, but Torres beat Tyler Vasquez of Delbarton (New Jersey) while Mantanona took the loss to him in the match for 3rd. And it's set up for us to see them get a crack at each other head to head for 3rd in the state. As for the potential showdowns in the semis with the 1 and 2 seeds, both Gonzales and Lopez hold head-to-head wins over their likely opponent. However, Mantanona is the only freshman among these top 4 and just blitzed through the Southern Section with 5 falls and an Outstanding Wrestler award. He could very well be peaking at the right time of the year.

As for underdogs or dark horses to watch here, I really believe the top 4 has separated themselves from the rest of the state. It's possible the top 2 have separated themselves even further. However, if one of Gonzales or Lopez were to stumble, it's most likely to come from Torres and/or Mantanona. The rest of the top 8 is solid and should definitely be in some dogfights against each other and provide plenty of those high paced, packed with action matches the lightweights are known for. A name totally off the radar to watch here is John Fredrickson of Windsor. 

Predictions

(1) Andre Gonzales; (2) Raymond Lopez; (3) Beau Mantanona; (4) Michael Torres; (5) Isaiah Medina; (6) Matt Terrence; (7) Dominic Mendez; (8) Scotty Moore

113 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Richard Figueroa (Selma)
• Joey Cruz (Clovis North)
• Jack Gioffre (Buchanan)
• Zeth Romney (Chaminade)
• Dario Lemus (Clovis)
• Brock Bobzien (Poway)
• Brayden Abell (Oakdale)
• Zak Thompson (Palma)

This is what you came for. The top two at this weight in the state also happen to be the top two in the country. They also happen to have come up through the same youth program. They also have essentially divided the little town of Selma along a new faultline. 

The first time we saw these two against each other was in the Doc B finals. A match that certainly lived up to the billing and was the highlight of the state season to that point. Because they compete in the same section, they have since run into each other 2 more times. With all 3 results going the way of top seed Figueroa.

It should be mentioned that other than Cruz there isn't a wrestler in the state who is likely to push Figueroa to even the entire 6 minutes. If the trend is that he's separating himself from Cruz as well, then there's little to no hope for anyone and this is really just the coronation of an outstanding competitor.

While the rest of the weight class is looking up at those two, the battle for 3rd should be one of the best this weekend. Gioffre had solidified himself in that 3rd spot. And then he took a loss to Lemus. That could be a slight hiccup on his road to top 3, or it could be a sign of vulnerability. What it does create is the potential, or opportunity, for someone to step up. That could be Lemus, who has the recent win over Gioffre or Romney who fell at Zinkin 10-9. Bobzien and Abell deserve some mention as guys who could finish a couple spots higher than their seed. They are right there in that Romney, Lemus group.

Outside of the top 8, the wrestler to watch - not only because he could upset one of these folks but also because you've likely never seen him - is Salah Farukh from the Sacramento area. He qualified for Bakersfield last year and acquitted himself well. He belonged. Now, he has the chance to do a little more than that.

Predictions

(1) Richard Figueroa; (2) Joey Cruz; (3) Jack Gioffe; (4) Dario Lemus; (5) Zeth Romney; (6) Brayden Abell; (7) Brock Bobzien; (8) Salahdin Farukh

120 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Carlos Negrete (Buchanan)
• Tristan Lujan (Selma)
• Maxximus Martinez (St John Bosco)
• Richard Sandoval (Santa Ynez)
• Carter Bailey (Granada)
• George Rosas (Clovis)
• Izzy Tubera (Pitman)
• Laz Maldonado (Clovis West)

Similar to 113, this weight has been all about the top two. Rivals who know each other very well, competing in the Central Section.

Last year, Lujan and Negrete traded victories with Negrete winning the cowboy hat at Doc B and then Lujan taking home the state title. It looked like perhaps Lujan turned the corner, maybe he had Negrete's number, as he won a cowboy hat of his own this season, defeating Carlos in those finals. And then they met at Division 1 finals, "Valleys" as they're called. Negrete pulling out the 1-1 win in ultimate tie-breaker. A 30 second period where he rode Lujan out and picked up that win. That was followed by another 1 point victory for Negrete in the Section Finals.

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

So, once again the expectation was for two familiar foes to meet in the state finals, under the lights, Saturday Night. Only, to quote my pal Romeo (yes that one), "who dat is?" Dat - or that - is Maxximus Martinez. St John Bosco. Wrestling down at 113, with thoughts of even making 106, he's moved UP and finished the season here at 120. And he's looked every bit the freshman phenom that he was advertised to be. While Negrete and Lujan have been battling up in the Fresno area, Maxximus has just been handling business and stepping up as the Southern Section champion.

In those Section finals, he beat the 4 seed Castro-Sandoval and has to be considered a candidate to reach the finals. He gets a good draw as well, something wicked this way comes to Bakersfield. And it is the Martinez witching hour. As for Sandoval, he's capable of pushing - and beating - any of the top 3. Stylistically, he's probably the most aggressive of the top 4. The biggest challenge for his run to the semis will come in the quarters against Carter Bailey. He beat Bailey head-to-head at Doc B and deserves to be considered the favorite in a potential rematch. 

It's hard to call last year's 3rd place finisher, Izzy Tubera, a darkhorse but this weight is loaded to the point of dropping him to the 7th seed. He took the head-to-head loss to Rosas at Doc B, but I saw some clear home-cooking in that last decision. The point is, a top 4 finish again isn't out of the equation for him. Maldonado rounds out the top 8 and poses a unique threat in his own right. When he's not wrestling, he's mashing kids in the MMA octagon. In fact, he just won his debut fight in like 30 seconds. T-K-O. Of course, he can't be throwing haymakers in Bakersfield, he does, however, have a fighter's mentality and could push for a finish higher than his seed.

Predictions

(1) Max Martinez; (2) Carlos Negrete; (3) Tristan Lujan; (4) Carter Bailey; (5) Richard Sandoval; (6) Izzy Tubera; (7) Laz Maldonado; (8) Hayden Zinkin

126 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Maximo Renteria (Buchanan)
• Jason Miranda (Poway)
• Wayne Joint (Lemoore)
• Tim Levine (St John Bosco)
• Jayden Gomez (Gilroy)
• Damion Elliott (Del Oro)
• Kimo Leia (Selma)
• Justin Mouritsen (Clovis)

Now, we get to our first weight with the clearest cut favorite to bring home the state title. Max Renteria has more or less lapped the field this season.

It was a season marred by injury, with more discussion surrounding his health and return than his dominance. And yet, he still found ways to dominate. He's gone undefeated against CA competition, including a controlling performance in a win over current 2 seed, Jason Miranda, at the State Duals. He also added a solid win over Joey Cruz in their dual. His only losses were to Dylan Ragusin and Jake Rundell - both Illinois wrestlers so they'll be out of this tournament. 

The intrigue of this weight will be who gets to face Renteria in the finals, and of course the battle back for 3rd should be highly competitive. While Miranda is the favorite to pull off the former, I'm officially putting him on upset alert in the quarterfinals. That's where he'll run into 7 seed Kimo Leia. Maybe I'm biased toward the Central Section but I think he'll give Miranda all he can handle. As for 3rd, I think that battle between Gomez, Levine, and Joint will ultimately fall in place for Gilroy - that being Gomez.

The outcome of 126 really is Max Renteria and then pick someone on the other side to face him in the finals. A 3rd place finish is never something to discredit, but in this weight, especially for the guys with the misfortune of being paired in the upper half of the bracket, it's almost got to be THE goal. Could a Tim Levine or Gomez go back to back, win against each other, then upset Maximo? Sure. I wouldn't count on it. On a million abacuses. Or is the plural of abacus abaci? Either way it's abracadabra, Maximo magic.

If you're looking for a potential "bracket buster", keep an eye on Turlock's William Giron. He has some solid wins throughout the Sac-Joaquin schedule, the biggest being over Bailey (120). And if we're mentioning Giron, gotta throw a little love to Elliott from Del Oro. Being that he beat Giron to take the section crown. But a top 6 seed is hardly a "bracket buster". 

And if you want a way off the radar darkhorse just ever so carefully, watch Wyatt Bedrosian. He lost a close 3-1 bout against Giron and put up 9 points against Joint earlier this season. Of course he gave up 18 in that same match. But that's why he's not ranked higher. Just saying if you can put 9 points against a top 3 kid, you have some potential to do it when the stakes are highest and nerves have taken over some opponent.

Predictions

(1) Maximo Renteria; (2) Kimo Leia; (3) Jayden Gomez; (4) Tim Levine; (5) Wayne Joint; (6) Ryan Watts; (7) Damion Elliott; (8) William Giron

132 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds

• Aaron Nagao (Esperanza)*
• Hunter Leake (Buchanan)
• Ryan Franco (Clovis North)
• Nicco Ruiz (St John Bosco)
• Ryan Spangler (Sultana)
• Adrian Heras (Turlock)
• Sloan Swan (Clovis)
• Devin Murphy (Selma)

Similar to 126, the front runner at 132 is a clear favorite to win the whole thing. Aaron Nagao finished his junior season with a title last year and is set up to make it a repeat here.

Except that he is hurt off the section finals. If he's out, that definitely opens the door for the rest of the field. Perhaps that is Ryan Franco. Afterall, the kid has made the state finals twice in his first two seasons. Another appearance there would not be surprising at all.

The hottest of the group is Hunter Leake. He's defeated Ryan Franco twice over the last two weeks and also 2-0 against Murphy. His biggest obstacle this season seems to be Wayne Joint (0-2), but Joint is down at 126 this weekend.

In this mix of mostly Central Section and Northern California kids, two Southern Section wrestlers may be primed to disrupt the proceedings. Nicco Ruiz is certainly talented enough to bring home state gold. Ryan Spangler has been dealing with an illness lately but assuming he's past that, is set to end his career with a strong finish.

Sitting at #7, Sloan Swan is not to be taken lightly, and I'm sure no one will. Clovis always has a wrestler or two step up huge in big moments. If that's the freshman Swan, I wouldn't be surprised at all. He did recently beat Leake at their dual. The time is now. Maybe it's his.

Even though he comes in as the #8 seed, Devin Murphy is a senior from Selma who could absolutely find himself at the very top of the podium. Consistency might be his biggest question mark.

Predictions

(1) Aaron Nagao; (2) Hunter Leake; (3) Ryan Franco; (4) Devin Murphy; (5) Ryan Spangler; (6) Nicco Ruiz; (7) Sloan Swan; (8) Collin Hayes

138 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Alex Ramirez (Rowland)
• Isaac Salas (St John Bosco)
• Henry Porter (Gilroy)
• Josh Medina (Servite)
• Kyler Lake (Buchanan)
• Jon Viveros (Kingsberg)
• Cade Lucio (Bakersfield)
• Evan Ivaldi (Del Oro)

This season, there are two weights where the top kid in the state is not also ranked somewhere in the top 20 nationally. That doesn't mean top-seeded Alex Ramirez shouldn't be, it means his body of work is less known so far. Often kids are ranked to start the season and then there's a bias built in that makes it hard to move in and push one of those more familiar names out.

But Ramirez is doing everything in his power to change that narrative. To get that recognition, whether he cares about it or not. His only losses this season have been to Daniel Cardenas of Colorado, Teague Travis of Missouri, and Luka Wick here in CA up at 145 pounds. That last loss, to Wick, was 4-2 in the Battle for the Belt finals. And watching Wick this season, to take it the full 3 periods and keep the score that close is a feat in itself.

As for the rest of the field, Salas has two wins over Porter. But two losses against Ramirez. This makes for a pretty clear pecking order but also tells us that potential semis match between those two could be the best of the weekend. The most recent battle between them was a 3-2 win for Salas in overtime of the final at 5 Counties. If you're going to put Salas into the finals, do it in pencil and keep the eraser near.

The rest of the field is full of very solid guys, more likely capable of keeping matches with the top group close than pulling out the wins. Medina did get very close against Ramirez at the Southern Section Masters this past weekend. It took a clutch takedown with nearly no time left to get that win. They're set up to meet in the semis. Unless Kyler Lake has something to say about it.

As for the rest of the top 8, the Central Section has a pair of kids, Viveros and Lucio, who have all the potential in the world, just haven't seen the key result go in their favor... yet. This is the kind of stage where a huge performance by one of them is not out of the realm of possibility. 

Ivaldi is the wild card, the unknown. His season schedule hasn't really included the top guys in the state. That unfamiliarity could work in his favor. I also expect Fountain Valley youngster, Tim McDonnell to show up and show out. Perhaps even placing.

Predictions

(1) Alex Ramirez; (2) Isaac Salas; (3) Henry Porter; (4) Josh Medina; (5) Kyler Lake; (6) Cade Lucio; (7) Jon Viveros; (8) Tim McDonnell

145 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Jesse Vasquez (Excelsior)
• Aaron Gandara (Poway)
• Luka Wick (San Marino)*
• Jade Le (Rancho Bernardo)
• Luke Gayer (Calvary Chapel)
• Logan Gioffre (Buchanan)
• Ceasar Garza (Oakdale)
• Eli Blake (Del Oro)

Jesse Vasquez is not only going for history, 4 state titles, but he's also a huge favorite to do so. His losses in the state have been to Matt Olguin and Jaden Abas. Both graduated and no one remaining is quite to his level.

Because of that separation, he's taken a very "load management" approach to the season. He wrestled in two tournaments all year, neither of which is very notable for the level of competition. We didn't get to see him really compete until CIF. There he ran into Luka Wick in the finals. There he was pushed for the entire match, needing a late takedown to secure the 6-4 win. The stage was set for a rematch at Masters, where Vasquez won as Wick suffered a knee injury. I think JV wins that either way, but unfortunately we didn't get to see it play out. And we won't get to see them run it back as Wick is apparently out for the season finale. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.

With Wick out, the seeding here should change. Maybe move everyone up one and then the #9 wrestler, Oscar Aranda moves into 8th or it could be Central Section finalist Garrett Fletcher of Frontier High. The biggest beneficiary of this is probably Eli Blake. Moving to the bottom half, he would miss a Vasquez quarterfinal. We'll also get a likely San Diego Section semifinal with Gandara and Le. That was the section finals last weekend, where Gandara won. In fact, his only loss on the season was to Chase Saldate. A Vasquez vs Gandara final would be one of the best of the 14 Saturday night. Though, I like JV to prevail, in similar fashion to last year's win over Saldate.

I like to find those upset opportunities but it's tough to see it happening with someone as ahead of the curve as Vasquez. Gayer is live, and maybe against anyone else, could get it done. Just hard to see the win here. Coming back around for 3rd? Sure. I hope to see it. Ceasar Garza is a tough out and Buchanan kids are always competitive. In fact, a Garza vs Gioffre battle for 5th or 7th or wherever they meet would be one to watch.

To go outside the top 8, or 12, and find a longshot contender, I often turn to freshmen. Those with the ability to have it all finally click in a setting where they have less pressure than their upperclassmen opponents. In that case, 14th ranked Sergio Montoya could be right there in the mix. Making it to the bloodround and then it's just 6 minutes to place. 

Predictions

(1) Jesse Vasquez; (2) Aaron Gandara; (3) Luke Gayer; (4) Jaden Le; (5) Logan Gioffre; (6) Ceasar Garza; (7) Oscar Aranda; (8) Garrett Fletcher

152 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Chase Saldate (Gilroy)
• Sonny Santiago (St John Bosco)
• Tyler Badgett (Rancho Bernardo)
• Brandon Bollinger (Sultana)
• Rey Raiz (Buchanan)
• Noah Cortez (Dinuba)
• Rocky Raby (West Valley)
• Cole Sanchez (Northgate)

Imagine there being a weight class where both the finalists from a season ago return. And in that weight class, neither the champion nor the runner up are the likely champion this season. Because the new kid on the block in the weight is. Just. That. Good.

That kid is Chase Saldate and this is his time. Not much else to say about him. He's top in the country and is currently on another level. Those two finalists from last year are both ranked nationally as well. So, a semis bout between them is a treat in itself. I like Santiago to win but that will be a barn burner. 

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

After those top 3, the rest of the contenders all bring something different to the table. Bollinger had a shaky start to the season, going 1-2 at Doc B. He has a recent win over Cortez at Temecula Valley. Raiz was in and out of the line up with injuries. He also has a recent win over Cortez - as recent as this past weekend. Cortez has shown the ability to compete with the state's best, beating Raiz the week before. However, he has also shown a potential for losing focus once a result goes against him. Which is what happened against Bollinger I believe.

Then there's Rocky Raby. Who has seen him? Judging by his schedule, not many have. That presents its own set of challenges for kids. As the 7 seed, he could push Sonny in the quarters more than what is expected on paper.

As for real long shot contenders, there's no threat to Chase at the top. However, George Zuniga of Selma and Evan Almaguer of Clovis North might be greater threats than they're ranking indicates. I also like Joey Mora from Esperanza to place from outside the top 8.

Predictions

(1) Chase Saldate; (2) Sonny Santiago; (3) Tyler Badgett; (4) Noah Cortez; (5) Brandon Bollinger; (6) Rey Raiz; (7) Rocky Raby; (8) Joey Mora

160 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Cael Valencia (St John Bosco)
• Andrew Sparks (Calvary Chapel)
• Max Wilner (Fountain Valley)
• Rocco Contino (Buchanan)
• Kendall La Rosa (Pitman)
• Trent Silva (Windsor)
• Marcos Kimenez (Evergreen Valley)
• Will Kloster (Lemoore)

Cael Valencia came into this season carrying the weight of some hefty expectations. Those that his older brothers set and he himself as a state finalist last season. He came up short against senior Jaden Abas, though the match was a great display of a young kid holding his own against one of the best the state has seen over the last few years.

Now, he's up a couple weight classes and the gain in size hasn't stopped him at all. His junior season was highlighted by a dominating performance against one of the nation's best, Paddy Gallagher from Ohio. That win entrenched him within the nation's top 2 and he's been there ever since.

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

Andrew Sparks is the surprise kid on this list. Not that he's on it at all, rather that he's the 2 seed coming off a section championship. A section that included Max Wilner - himself a 3rd place finisher in the state last year. With Matt Olguin gone, it looked like Wilner was set to win his first title this season. A series of close matches, wins against Sparks and Contino as well as an OT loss to Petrucelli, meant that he was still right there near the top of the state, but it would be a battle regardless. Coming out of the section finals, Sparks and Wilner are 1-1 against each other.

The aforementioned Contino rode his 6th seed all the way to a finals appearance against Trey Munoz. He showed well on that Saturday night and a similar run this season is in the cards. Although, to reach the finals, he'll have to get through Valencia in the semis.

Kenall La Rosa is more of a threat to the consolation finals, finishing in a respectable 3rd in the state than he is to beat Contino and Valencia back to back to reach the finals. That's a tall order for anyone. Jimenez is another one of these wrestlers from schools that are off the radar and also don't go to the biggest tournaments. That means we shouldn't be surprised to see him knock someone off he isn't supposed to. In this case, that could be, Sparks. Kloster is a kid who consistently performs to his ranking. He has wins over the kids he should beat going in and losses to the kids ranked ahead of him. Difficult to see his path to the semifinals without Cael getting upset in spectacular fashion.

Tough to find a real dark horse to threaten the top 4 of this weight, but I might turn my attention to Ethan Aguiniga of Sultana. He went a respectable 3-2 at Doc B. Perhaps the draw works in his favor coming back around in consolations.

Predictions

(1) Cael Valencia; (2) Andrew Sparks; (3) Rocco Contino; (4) Max Wilner; (5) Trent Silva; (6) Marcos Jimenez; (7) Kendall La Rosa; (8) Will Kloster

170 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Giano Petrucelli (Clovis)
• Joseph Martin (Buchanan)
• JT Stinson (East Nicolaus)
• Jarad Priest (Bakersfield)
• Alex Hernandez (Poway)
• Valor Buck (Servite)
• Nick Zavala (Mission Oak)
• Tate Bossert (Las Lomas)

Giano Petrucelli jumped up a few weight classes from 138 to 170. And he seems to be handling that adjustment very well. Ever since his close win over Max Wilner, he's sat atop the state rankings and not looked back.

The only loss on the year for Petrucelli came in the Doc B finals against Gavin Kane of Georgia. Otherwise, he's been virtually un-score-on-able. That fact is best seen in the matches against the 2 seed, Joseph Martin. While the scores have been very close every time they've faced each other, it's been Giano with the ability to pull out the lone escape, or takedown, to secure the victory.

That isn't to say Martin, or one of the other contenders at 170, can't beat him - this is the state tournament where all sorts of surprises are known to happen. It is to say that to this point he has earned the right to be called the consensus favorite.

Martin was a top contender as a freshman at 145. Then he made his own big jump this season up to 182. Where he was again one of the biggest threats to the top seed. Settling in at 170, he's a little ahead of the rest of the bracket but it's really that potential 4th match against Giano that has to be weighing on his mind.

As for the rest of the field, JT Stinson took 5th at 152 last year and competed most of this season at 160. A real bulldog of a kid, up at 170, his shorter stature could pose some leverage problems for anyone. The seed means top 3 is viable. But his aspirations are even higher than that. To do so, he'll have to defeat Martin in the semis. I predict fireworks in that one.

Predictions

(1) Giano Petrucelli; (2) Joseph Martin; (3) JT Stinson; (4) Alex Hernandez; (5) Valor Buck; (6) Jarad Priest; (7) Tate Bossert; (8) Nick Zavala

182 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Nathan Haas (St John Bosco)
• Joe Curtis (La Costa Canyon)
• Javen Jovero (Rancho Bernardo)
• Tyler Avila (Porterville)
• Jadon Martin (Buchanan)
• Kodiak Stephens (Bret Harte)
• Travis Wuerth (Hemet)
• Joaquin Garcia (Villa Park)

For my money, Nathan Haas is the biggest favorite to bring home the state title. Fortunately, there's nowhere offering a betting line so I guess my money will stay with me. 

Other than a loss in the Doc B finals to Isaiah Salazar of Colorado, there's no one close to him as his career winds down. Even in the loss to Salazar, he didn't give up a single takedown. That might have been the best wrestling match within the state borders all season long.

If you're looking for good, competitive wrestling, turn your attention to the other round of 16 and quarterfinals. The possible San Diego Section semifinal showdown should be great. Curtis is coming off a win over Jovero in the section finals but that could easily flip here this weekend.

Avila is one of the best Central Section wrestlers coming from a school outside Division 1. He came through big time in the section finals against Martin. The quarters between them could really go either way. 

If the name Kodiak doesn't excite you, nothing will. I'm excited to see him, even if he probably comes up a little short against Jovero. He'll be live for 5th - maybe even 3rd.

I would point out Joaquin Garcia from the Southern Section as a contender to outperform his seeding. Dezi Johnson, formerly of Gilroy, is the kid to really watch out for. He's a top 10 seed so not a real "out-of-nowhere" type, but he's been relatively off the season radar as his school hasn't competed against the best.

Predictions

(1) Nathan Haas; (2) Joe Curtis; (3) Javen Jovero; (4) Kodiak Stephens; (5) Tyler Avila; (6) Jadon Martin; (7) Dezi Johnson; (8) Joaquin Garcia

195 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Guillermo Escobedo (Los Altos)
• Tyler Gianakopulos (Clovis)
• Tristen Wilson (Servite)
• Felipe Rodriguez (Clovis West)
• Josh Harkey (Dana Hills)
• Donivan Giangregorio (Calaveras)
• Trevor Tinker (Northview)
• Shane Hansen (Oceanside)

How often is a weight like 195 the toughest in the state? Not very. That's how. And it's still arguable with weights like 120 and 132 being among the toughest as well. Still, this weight full of big boys has proven to be worthy of the price of admission.

The good thing about this weight is that all the top wrestlers have faced each other. Escobedo has wins over all of them, except Gianakopulos. Gianakopulos, in turn, beat everyone but Wilson. Wilson and Harkey have split 1-1. Felipe Rodriguez has a split with Gianakopulos 1-1. And so the cycle goes.

The expectation is for any of the top 5 to reach the finals, and really of them could win the whole thing. And that isn't to say Giangregorio couldn't throw a wench into the whole operation. He's in that - way up out of the way - club of wrestlers who has yet to face a bulk of the contenders here.

On the outside of that top group, Tinker is a unique individual for sure. He has to be like 6 foot 9 and that kind of length is a problem for anyone. It hasn't worked to say an undefeated season, but he's sitting out there posing that threat.

If I had to find a wrestler outside this top 8 to be a problem, it would be Paul Sharp from Clovis North. He's younger than the rest and this could be a breakout chance for him.

Predictions

(1) Guillermo Escobedo; (2) Tyler Gianakopulos; (3) Josh Harkey; (4) Tristen Wilson; (5) Felipe Rodriguez; (6) Trevor Tinker; (7) Shane Hansen; (8) Donivan Giangregorio

220 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Jacob Christensen (Durham)
• Peter Ming (Elk Grove)
• Brandon Leon (Roosevelt)
• Justin Darter (Bakersfield)
• Gabe Carranza (Victor Valley)
• Juan Mora (Pitman)
• Mateo Morales (Clovis West)
• Jalen Peralta (Buchanan)

And here we may have our least known top seed in the entire state. At least along with Alex Ramirez. But in the case of Ramirez, he grew up with so many of the top wrestlers in the state he's certainly known by them. Christensen is at Durham High and those outside of the area may not even know where that is.

Peter Ming is up there in the Sacramento area and made the trip down to Doc B. He took 3rd there, losing only to PJ Casale from New Jersey. He and Christensen faced each other once. A 2-1 loss. 

Brandon Leon is rising fast and picked up a win this season over Bakersfield's Justin Darter. Darter for his part was in the top 2 in the state coming off a Doc B win. Then suffered the loss to Leon at Temecula Valley.

Gabe Carranza and Juan Mora have some nice wins through the season, but haven't quite cracked the nut of the very top. This would be a great weekend to do it.

Finding that diamond in the rough here is tough because all the guys sitting in that top 12-20 range have taken losses to the guys ahead of them. So it would be an act of sheer luck on my part to be able to guess which ones pull out the revenge this weekend.

Predictions

(1) Jacob Christensen; (2) Brandon Leon; (3) Peter Ming; (4) Justin Darter; (5) Mateo Morales; (6) Juan Mora; (7) Gabe Carranza; (8) Jalen Peralta

285 Pounds

Ranking | Top 8 Seeds:

• Josiah Hill (Bakersfield)
• Nick Villarreal (Gilroy)
• Chris Island (Vacaville)
• Malachi Lyles (Mayfair)
• Lucas Cook (Lincoln)
• Andrew Johnson (Poway)
• Kavier Martinez (Dinuba)
• Kade Campbell (Buchanan)

Heavyweight in the state has been a lot like 113 and 120. The same two guys going at it like every other week. They've split 3 matches, with Josiah Hill holding the 2-1 advantage.

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

If anyone outside of them upsets the apple cart, it's going to be Chris Island. He's a total beast of an athlete and already has a very close loss to Hill on his resume earlier this season. He could have made strides throughout the past couple months and be primed for the deep run to Saturday night.

Malachi Lyles has made an astronomical leap into the top 4 as he just completed a Southern Section championship. He's a two-sport athlete, with the prowess to do something like Kwabena Watson last year.

Andrew Johnson dealt with some injuries and had a season to kind of forget. But he could come to Bakersfield and make it a season to remember. He's capable of beating everyone here.

Kade Campbell may not finish on the top half of the podium, or he might. But what he will do is provide the additional team points to completely separate from the other contenders to the throne. He rounds out a Bears line up that expects to score and maybe medal at every weight.

Predictions

(1) Chris Island; (2) Josiah Hill; (3) Nick Villarreal; (4) Malachi Lyles; (5) Lucas Cook; (6) Andrew Johnson; (7) Jonah Schmidtke; (8) Ben Roe