NorCal Issue 215, December 2022

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A Tip Of The Pirate Hat

As someone who has written about high school sports for nearly two and a half decades, I’ve met hundreds of people who have devoted careers to the pursuit of educational athletics. I’ve come to appreciate my relationships with so many of them. One of the longest relationships to this point has been with Pittsburg High football coach Victor Galli. And it just so happens that there’s a feature in this issue about the man who will replace him.

Coach Galli announced in early November that he’d be hanging up his whistle after 21 seasons. In the immediate aftermath of his announcement, I shared some of my personal thoughts on the news as part of our 7 Friday Night podcast.

But for those who aren’t regular listeners, I thought I’d write out some of those thoughts too.

Coach Galli could be considered a bit of a unicorn when it comes to high school football coaches in the Bay Area. Just based on longevity alone. If you attempted to count up current Bay Area football coaches who have run their program for more than two decades all at the same school, you likely wouldn’t need more than one hand.

Of all the things Galli gave to Pittsburg Football, first and foremost it was consistency and culture. With a loaded staff of dedicated assistants, Galli helped build upon a historic foundation to elevate Pittsburg to arguably the most renowned program in the East Bay not named De La Salle-Concord.

Galli’s first season with Pittsburg was also my first covering Bay Area football. And East Contra Costa County was the location of my first regional newspaper bureau. I feel pretty safe in saying that I’ve covered more of Coach Galli’s games than any other Bay Area journalist these past two decades.

I’ve never been shy in touting Pirates Stadium as my favorite high school venue. And Galli played a massive part in building upon the spectacle. The atmosphere was great. And the football never failed to match it.

Galli won’t ever go down as my best postgame quote (though the off-the-record stuff was among my favorites), and he wasn’t always the easiest to get a hold of. But when I arrived at games, he was always one of the first to shake my hand. And I’ll always remember and appreciate the postgame chats that lasted far beyond the recorder being turned off.

And finally, when I started this column I mentioned “people who devoted careers to the pursuit of educational athletics.” Galli believed in that. He wasn’t just a coach; he was also a mentor to many kids who passed through the Pittsburg halls. He’s the reason some stayed in school. And a reason others continued their education after graduation.

If you don’t think the players love playing for him, just look at the photo on this page.

His successor, Charlie Ramirez, is a man cut from the same cloth. I enjoyed writing the feature on his promotion, and I have no doubt he’ll continue the program’s success on and off the field.

Until then, I wish both Ramirez and Galli the best of luck. ✪

YOUR TICKET TO CALIFORNIA SPORTS ADMIT ONE; RAIN OR SHINE

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1.11.18 Davis High senior Maya Doms is photographed during a SportStars cover shoot. Doms just wrapped her senior year at Stanford as a two-time All-American. She will be recognized for this season’s AllAmerica honors this January in an event in Philadelphia.

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tourney

Tournaments, Combines Fill Out NCVA Winter Schedule

Still thawing out from the cold, wet Friday and Saturday nights of the high school football season? The Northern California Volleyball Association is happy to invite you into its variety of cozy digs as it prepares to host several tournaments and combines over the first two months of 2023.

The boys’ grand finale comes first as the Boys Far Western National Qualifer takes place from Jan. 7-8 at the San Mateo Event Center. Over 150 teams from California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Ontario, Canada, will attend in the hope of winning one of 27 bids to the USA Volleyball Boys Junior National Championships.

One day earlier, on Jan. 6, the NCVA will hold the Boys Far Western Recruiting Combine from 6:30-8 p.m. at the San Mateo Event Center. It will be a video combine that’s open to any high school aged boys volleyball player. Players will be filmed performing a variety of skills and the recording link and player contact information will be shared to every men’s collegiate volleyball program in the country.

Cost for the combine is $120 and players can sign up now by visiting NCVA.com/boysbid/.

With its boys season wrapped, the NCVA will begin its parade of high-level girls volleyball events — beginning with the 29th Annual California Kick-Off. The Kick-Off will be spread across three different sites from Jan. 14-16. The Sacramento Convention Center will host Youth, 14U Club and 15U Club Divisions. San Mateo will have 11U Open, 11U Club, 12 Club, 13U Open, 13U Club, 14U Open and 16U Club. And finally, the San Jose Convention Center will welcome the 12U Club, 15U Open, 16U Open, 17U Open, 17U Club, 18U Open and 18U Club divisions.

San Jose will also be the host site for the Kick-Off Recruiting Combine on Jan. 13. It will be a video combine and open to any female player in grades 8-12. Information and combine sign-up links can be found at NCVA.com/kickoff/

The final tournament of the three will be the 23rd Annual President’s Day Classic taking place in a pair of venues from Feb. 18-20. The 11U, 12U, 13U, 15U and 17U division will be hosted by @The Grounds in Roseville, while the 14U, 16U and 18U fields will be contested at the San Mateo Event Center.

Finally, there will also be a combine attached to this event as well. It will take place Feb. 17 at the San Mateo Event Center. It offers a bit of a different twist than the previous two. In addition to being a video combine, coaches from NCAA, NAIA and junior colleges from California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona will be invited to attend.

Like the Kick-Off Combine, it will be open to all female players grades 8-12. Their club does not have to be entered in the tournament to attend. Find more information and a registration link at NCVA.com/ presidentsday/ ✪

Story by Ike Dodson

Photos by David Gershon

Kyle Ryan

Inspired By The Presence And Words Of Its 2008 CIF State Championship Team, Sacramento’s Grant Football Team Completed Its Epic Turnaround With An Equally Epic State Bowl Victory

n north Sacramento, what’s behind you can help you overcome

With under 20 seconds left in the CIF Division 3-AA State Championship Bowl Game, and all timeouts expended, Grant junior receiver Kyle Ryan stretched to the one-yard line, but found himself retreating from the San Jacinto end zone, courtesy of a surging San

A tackle could have given San Jacinto a state championship, but instead, a collective push won it for Grant.

Ryan’s Pacer teammates hit the pile en masse, launching the scrum forward into the end zone for the final score of a 36-34 come-from-behind thriller. San Jacinto had 18 seconds to score, but Hakim Reynolds intercepted Dereun Dortch to spark game-ending bedlam at Mike Alberghini

“You couldn’t paint a better picture,” Grant co-head coach Carl Reed said, still trying to catch his breath during the ensuing celebration. “Everything we been through, the bounce back, coming from behind.

“We did it.”

The state title completes an otherworldly turnaround for a program that went 0-9 last year and hasn’t had a winning season since 2016.

That history had little impact on the 2022 Pacers, but lore of a 2008 Open Division state championship sure did. Like they did Saturday, Pacers got behind the team when it was most needed.

Several members of that 2008 squad spoke with the team after Thursday’s practice under the lights.

“They talked to us about how they faced adversity as well in their state championship, and how they pushed through

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: QB Joseph McCray tosses the ball during pregame; Seniors Emree Norcross (5) and Joshua Hamilton celebrate a strong run from Hamilton; Grant 2009 alum Howard Warren flashes his championship rings.

it,” USC-bound Grant lineman Alani Noa said. “Having their presence there to motivate us, it was so great to have them.”

That alumni group included Howard Warren (San Francisco City College), Darvin McCauley (Nevada), Kipeli Koniseti (Arizona State), Alesana Laban (Sacramento State), Jordan Wallace (Washington) and Marvin Lamb.

Lamb grabbed a late interception in Grant’s 25-20 upset over Long Beach Poly for the open division title back in 2008. McCauley, considered the hero of the game, had two touchdowns, including the game-winner from Koniseti with 1:11 to play.

He paced the Grant sideline with great emotion Saturday.

“These kids definitely deserve it,” McCauley said. “They experienced rock bottom, a winless season, a one-win season, and for them to be able to turn it around this season is beautiful.

“It’s a beautiful thing.”

On Saturday, Warren rocked a section championship ring from 2006 and of course the gaudy 2008 state ring, but a sweatshirt with a photo of him holding the open division trophy really painted the picture.

A player who lived across the street from Grant, coaches Grant football (receivers coach for the junior varsity) and has attended every home game since he graduated in 2009, is as Pacer as you get.

“(Winning the state title) was the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced in my life,” Warren said. “Being from North Sacramento, we were expected to go out there and lose by a lot, and we went out there and overcame.

“We knew what was at stake, and knew that we were playing for more than just our area, we were playing for Sacramento.”

It’s why, as McCauley said, the alumni motto is “Pacer for life.”

“This is the heart of our community,” Warren added. “Being a Pacer brings everyone to-

gether, from different lifestyles, together as a family, and that’s the best thing about it.”

The 2022 version of McCauley could be Kingston Lopa. The heavily recruited wideout caught seven balls for 104 yards and a 35-yard touchdown to begin Grant’s recovery from a 20-8 third-quarter deficit. He also brought Grant into the red zone in the final moments while the Pacers battled a dwindling clock and an all-black scoreboard (malfunction).

“This was the best moment of my life,” Lopa said. “I never thought I would be here, but here we are.

Ryan had three catches for 63 yards, including the game-winning score. It helped quarterback Joseph McCray overcome four sacks and finish 11 of 15 for 163 yards and two touchdowns.

Semaj Mafs-Hart was terrific early, and led Grant ball carriers with 75 yards on 15 touches. Joshua Hamilton also ran 17 times for 55 yards and a touchdown, while Kyrell Goss-Pruitt ran for a three-yard score and converted three two-point attempts.

Dortch finished 9 of 18 for 183 yards and three touchdowns, all to junior sensation Dillon Gresham, who had six catches for 143 yards. Gresham also returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown.

The Grant defense struggled late, but also delivered big moments. London Miguel popped Dortch after a bad snap and set up Marque Green Jr. for a 23-yard scoop-and-score on the game’s second play. Jeziah Lopez recovered a San Jacinto fumble and Tim Silmon dumped the San Jacinto punter for a 32-yard loss and turnover on downs in the fourth quarter.

In a game where contributions came from everywhere, the Pacers rallied behind each other when it mattered most.

It’s what champions are made of. ✪

“I love my team.”

Charlie Ramirez Is The First New Head Coach In 21 Years

At Pittsburg High — Arguably

The North Coast Section’s Highest Profile Football Program Not Named De La Salle

It was part high-step, part strut and pure emotional release.

Charlie Ramirez stormed up the sideline away from a Pittsburg High defense celebrating another 4th down stop as the rain fell over Pirates Stadium during the late stages of the CIF Division 1-A Northern Regional final. The Pirates’ defensive coordinator then quickly pivoted and shot back up the sideline to start slapping helmets and deliver a few chest bumps.

It’s that visceral emotion and investment in every play that Pittsburg defenders past and present consistently bring up when asked about the defensive coordinator who will take over head coaching duties for the program in 2023.

“There’s a real passion and love for the game with him,” said Jacob Bandes, a 2018 Pittsburg graduate currently part of the defensive line rotation for the University of Washington. “Before certain games he’d give a speech, and before you know it he’d be flipping tables and throwing chairs against the wall and music starts to play and we’d be fired up.

“You would not believe how many chairs were broken.”

Charlie Ramirez, first of his name. Breaker of Chairs.

All kidding aside, Ramirez has lived and died with Pittsburg football for more than 30 years. He was a sophomore linebacker on the famed 1991 Pirates team that defeated De La Salle-Concord for the North Coast Section championship. That team remains the last NCS team to beat the Spartans.

Ramirez, 47, returned to the Pirates program and coached in the lower divisions before being elevated to defensive coordinator where he served for 10 years. During that span, the Pirates have won a pair of NCS Div. I titles and reached a pair of CIF State Bowl Championship games.

When Victor Galli announced in early November that his 21st season would be his last, those who knew the program best assumed Ramirez would be the top internal candidate. Which meant there was little surprise on Dec. 14 when the Pittsburg Unified School Board unanimously approved his promotion to head coach.

“Who else would it be?,” former Pirates linebacker Jack Lacy III asked. Lacy was also a 2018 graduate who just finished up his second straight 1st Team All-Conference season for Diablo Valley College. “Especially with the resume. He’s a Pitt guy who played there. Somebody recently shared some YouTube video of that 1991 team, so I’ve watched his film. I’ve never seen a film that old, but I watched Ram, and I was like ‘Damn, he’s good.’”

As his high school coach Herc Pardi tells it, that 1991 season fell into place when he and the coaching staff moved Ramirez to inside linebacker.

“Early in the season, the coaches decided to move Charlie to the inside spot and it transformed our entire defense,” Pardi said “That decision to pair him in the middle with Anthony Shipe was the catalyst for that team, defensively. … They were two of the best we ever had at the position.”

While Pardi moved on from Pittsburg to coach several years at Clayton ValleyConcord before retiring, he’s always followed the Pirates program and its coaches.

He noted that the Pittsburg defense plays to Ramirez’s personality, and is a representation of how Charlie was as a player.

“Smart as a whip with great instincts and very intense,” Pardi said. “His players are always in the right place. They know their landmarks and know their keys. They’re coached up. … He’s phenomenal, and he’s the right guy for the job. The only guy for the job, really.”

Galli will be a very tough act to follow, though.

In his 21 seasons, he posted a record of 182-68-1 with 14 Bay Valley Athletic League titles, two NCS championships and the two CIF State Bowl appearances.

Ramirez is ready to embrace the challenge. He’s always been ready to embrace a challenge, leaning on meticulous preparation that former players marvel about.

“His level of preparation is comparable, if not better than many college coaches,”

said Lacy, who spent a redshirt year at Sacramento State before transferring to DVC. “When I got to the next level, everything felt routine because I’d already been through so much of it at Pittsburg.”

A little less than 24 hours removed from the official announcement of his promotion, Ramirez walked through campus as the sun set on another day of instruction.

“I didn’t know it was going to quite feel like this,” he said. “It felt like a dream come true. And it wasn’t relief. It was a sense of euphoria.

“The last 24 hours has been everything that I thought it could be and more. The outpouring of support from family, alumni, former players, former teammates, former coaches — it’s been flattering and humbling at the same time.”

He was asked to put a ballpark on the number of texts he’d received in his first day as head coach.

“I’d say an over-under of 200 texts. I would take the over,” he said with a chuckle. “Add in the social media messages, forget about it. I haven’t even got to those yet.”

Ramirez is in his first year working on the campus as a restorative disciplinary teacher. Thursday, Dec. 15, was also the first day he got to meet with the players who will be returning for 2023.

“It was a collective positive vibe for sure,” Ramirez said. “I felt the excitement, and the coaches who were there felt the excitement. Everyone is looking forward to what’s coming ahead.”

Excitement is the vibe throughout the program and its alumni. Especially with the Pirates coming off back-to-back NCS titles and a trip to the CIF Div. 1-A State Bowl Championship game. Pittsburg lost 48-20 to Liberty-Bakersfield in the final, and will graduate a number of Division I-bound players.

Galli definitely didn’t leave the cupboard bare, though. There are several building blocks that should return, including rising juniors Marley Alcantara at quarterback, Elijah Bow at running back, Jadyn Hudson at receiver and defensive back, Etene Pritchard Jr. at linebacker and Juju Walls at defensive end.

“Our goal is still the same. Same as it was last year and the year before,” Ramirez said. “We’re trying to win a state championship. Is it going to feel a little different, and look a little different? Sure, but that’s how we evolve. We’ll get to where we want to be, and that’s winning that state championship.”

You won’t find many who doubt him. Keep an eye out for that high-stepping strut. ✪

LEFT: Retiring 21-year Pittsburg coach Victor Galli goes over some pointers with QB Jaden Rashada prior to the second half of the 2022 CIF 1-A State Bowl Championship. ABOVE: 2018 Pittsburg grad Jack Lacy III runs with the ball during the 2017 CIF NorCal final at Granite Bay.

Oakdale’s

This feature was produced as a five-part series at SportStarsMag.com, but we’re combing them all together for this digital issue.

Over a month of California prep wrestling has cleared the way for five of Northern California’s best boys wrestling programs to represent the true power of NorCal grappling. Here we take a close look at the teams and wrestlers expected to amass the most hardware at section and state finales in February 2023. Teams appear alphabetically.

postseason. This will allow stalwarts Caleb Tatad (state qualifier), freshman Gio Cuevas and Vasquez to all fit into the first four weights.

Arti Feizi (138) and Stefan Bakiev are also returning state qualifiers. They didn’t wrestle at Oakdale’s prestigious James Riddle Memorial Classic Dec. 10, but Martir, Vasquez, Franklin Enkhmandakh (145), TJ Arvizu (160), Fernandez, Rolando Sanchez (195) and Cooper Cazares (285) all medaled in the top six.

All the wrestlers on De La Salle’s lineup will fight desperately to make the state meet, but that road got a lot tougher in the offseason. Seeds to state are determined by continued success at state, and limited medalists by the section has encouraged state officials to remove the third ticket from the NCS Championships.

Only the top two wrestlers in each weight will move on, and the consolation champion will get a shot at the finals loser (true second), unless he already lost to that wrestler in the same tournament. It adds a bit more drama to an already intense postseason tournament that seems to grow the De La Salle legacy each year.

DE LA SALLE

Mark Halvorson didn’t just craft a dynasty inside the De La Salle-Concord wrestling room — he founded a legacy.

Halvorson guided the Spartans to 11 of 12 North Coast Section titles before his sudden death in 2021, and more importantly, helped build a network of alumni-powered diligence to excellence.

Less than two years since his passing, De La Salle has rallied together a remarkable support system of coaches, led by 2004 alumni and head coach, Jon Clark, a CIF medalist and collegiate wrestler at UC Davis.

“Coach Halvorson established a tradition here by training guys at a young age to be successful,“ Clark said. “We took over the program from him and kept running with the same expectations.

“We just have a lot of fun. It’s a big family.”

Let’s take a look at the other minds teaching takedowns on the Spartan mat, starting with the alumni: Alex Hayworth (class of 1990, San Francisco State), Danny Pease (class of ’02, NCS champ, Menlo College), Brandon Zoeteway (class ’05, two-time CIF finalist, CSU Bakersfield), Aaron Pease (class ’13, NCS champ and two-time state qualifier), Justin Pease (class of ’15), Adrian Gomez (class of ’17, Cal Baptist and Northern Michigan), Daryll Aiello (class of ’17, threetime state medalist, Clackamas), Jake Lilienstein (class of ’17, two-time state qualifier), Carlos Sumulong (former head coach at Northgate, 10-year DLS coach, San Francisco State All-American and HOF honoree), David Ridge (Former Acalanes head coach and Virginia state champ), Nicholas Matayoshi (Hawaii State Champion, Wesleyan), Solly Fulp (Oregon) and Cliff Conte.

There would be some intense challenge matches, but Spartan coaches easily could form their own stout lineup.

Instead they’ve focused on a prep squad on the cusp of 13 NCS titles in 14 seasons (would be eight straight).

The squad rallies behind returning state medalist Gavin Fernandez, who was just third in the NCS, but won five straight matches in the consolation bracket at state to secure his medal (fourth at 152). The other team captain is Carlos “Bubba” Vazquez.

“Bubba is just a killer in the classroom, weight room and on the track,” Clark said. “He comes in every day and does all the right work.”

Vasquez will cap a hugely talented Spartan group in the lower weights, starting with 2022 state qualifier Manuel Martir, who was 113 last year, but should drop to 106 for the 2023

GILROY

These days, nobody is banging off walls while wrestling former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov inside the Gilroy wrestling room (as far as we know).

Instead of viral videos via Chase Saldate, Gilroy is gaining notoriety through more traditional means — a lineup worthy to challenge six-time defending state champion BuchananClovis.

Freshmen stars could power that success at state for fiveyear coach Daniel Cormier, if everyone is eligible when the postseason begins.

As of now, Gilroy’s returning state and national champion, Cody Merrill, and his national champion freshman brother, Coby Merrill, are awaiting eligibility as they transition from online learning to classes on campus.

Cormier said he expects the two to be cleared to compete when Gilroy’s second semester begins, before the CIF postseason does. The two will anchor perhaps Gilroy’s best lineup in history, loaded with national and state accolades and state medal-winning transfers.

“This is a very exciting team, one we built for years, with young kids who competed together their whole lives,” Cormier said. “Gilroy has never had a team with this much talent, but so far they don’t possess as much toughness and durability as some of our teams in the past.”

A lot of that talent tangled with Buchanan’s at the seasonopening Clovis West Shootout. Gilroy fired the first shot, winning the tournament by a 260.5-258 margin.

Gilroy’s Isaiah Cortez

Buchanan captured three brackets, but Gilroy took five and placed 11, all within the first 10 weights. Isaiah Cortez (120), Elijah Cortez (126), Daniel Zepeda (138), Moses Mirabel (145) and Travis Grace (160) snared gold.

“Winning that tournament doesn’t mean all that much, as both teams were missing starters, but it’s good for the kids to see,” Cormier said. “There is so much more to be done, especially against a team of (Buchanan’s) caliber, one of the best teams in the entire country.

“But I believe we are too. When we are full strength, we can compete with anyone in the state.”

Grace is one of four potential CIF medal-winning freshmen on the Gilroy roster. He didn’t face Buchanan’s returning state runner-up, Sloan Swan, but he did beat Buchanan’s No. 4 ranked (California Wrestling Newsletter) Leo Contino, who was eighth at least year’s state meet.

Even without the Merrill brothers, Gilroy has nine wrestlers ranked inside the top 10 in California at their weight. Buchanan has 13, and is still a big favorite to win another title. Pins in the upper-weight divisions will be difficult to overcome when the Bears are at full strength. It’s a marker Gilroy has to reach to compete with the state’s best. The Mustangs filled only 10 of the 14 weight classes at the Reno Tournament of Champions Dec. 17, and placed fourth behind Poway-San Diego, St. John Bosco-Bellflower and Pomona. Isaiah Cortez, Dominic Bozanic (106), Moses Mendoza (120), Elijah Cortez, Zepeda (132), Mirabel (138) and St. John Bosco-Bellflower transfer Maxximus Martinez (145) found the podium.

Isaiah Cortez, ranked top-20 in the country at Flowrestling.org, has lost only one match in his prep career, 3-1 against Isaiah Quintero of El Dorado-Valencia. The defeat came in the semifinals of last year’s state tournament.

Though just a sophomore, he’s embraced a leadership role in the Gilroy wrestling room.

“You have to hold people accountable as a leader, put in the work and show everyone what it takes to be a leader,” Isaiah Cortez said. “We have grown a lot together.”

Cortez thanked his father (Jesse Cortez), coaches and teammates and said both individual and team goals are to win a state title. He said his training partners like his brother, Elijah Cortez, and Mendoza will be key to achieving those goals.

Gilroy’s collective success across the weights will grow as the lineup does. A rise at the right time could change history, as the Mustangs have never won a state title, but have finished top10 every year since 2005.

Opportunity seems just a few points away.

LOS GATOS

Just three tickets to California’s state wrestling meet are awarded each year from the Central Coast Section championships.

The largest chunk of those admissions are traditionally awarded to Gilroy, winners of the last 19 such tournaments. An hour north, nestled in the shadow of Mount Bielawski, another force grows stronger each year — the Los Gatos Wildcats.

Last year, the Wildcats, dormant atop the CCS podium since 1970, captured their first CCS runner-up finish since 2007 under four-year coach Greg Varela.

The former Gilroy coach now sports a deep lineup of nine state-ranked wrestlers, and a bonafide CIF title challenger in junior sensation Ethan Parco.

The undefeated 145-pound grappler was first at the 40-team Chukchansi Invitational on Dec. 3, which Los Gatos also won, with 227 team points. On Dec. 17 he also won the Reno Tournament of Champions, unseating former cadet national freestyle champion Maxximus Martinez of Gilroy along the way.

Parco leads a stellar crew that includes returning state qualifiers Timothy Murabito (132) and Anthony Pavlov-Ramirez (138), who went 2-2 at state last year.

Murabito, sophomore standout Dylan Pile (160), and freshman Antonio Rodriguez (113) also placed top-five at the Reno TOC, while freshmen Joseph Pavlov-Ramirez (120) and Lucas Pannell (152) joined the group above on the Chukchansi medal podium.

Los Gatos fans still await the return of junior Oleksandr Nyzhnyk (195), who was 5th in the CCS last year. Om Shastri (220) is also a three-time CCS qualifier who was sixth last year, and went 3-2 at Chuckchansi.

The Wildcats could see five underclassmen in a lineup with only two state-ranked seniors (Om Shastri and Anthony Pavlov-Ramirez). It’s why something special is on the horizon for coach Varela.

OAKDALE

Expanding the field of teams at Oakdale’s host James Riddle Memorial Classic has turned the squad’s annual preseason proving grounds into an absolute gauntlet of power programs from the Sac-Joaquin, Northern, North Coast and even Central sections.

This year, it also highlighted the might

Oakdale’s Carlos Garcia

of the Mustang lineup.

Oakdale had more place-winners (16) than there were brackets (14) on Dec. 10, finishing runner-up to Central Section-power Bakersfield, while appearing in six finals.

“We’re pretty strong, top to bottom,” Oakdale coach Steve Strange said. “These guys have all been wrestling together since they were little kids.

“It really is a grass roots, from the bottom-up group of kids and it’s kinda cool seeing these take their lumps and work to where they are now.”

Oakdale graduated the 2022 Sportstars Most Valuable Wrestler, state champion Ceasar Garza (Michigan State), but returns seven state qualifiers and a lineup impervious to holes.

“We are not going to replace Ceasar, but we have a bunch of guys stepping up this year,” Strange said. “They have all been very dedicated without much break and found ways, even during COVID, to travel and work out.”

It’s a squad with serious potential to disrupt Vacaville’s fiveyear win streak at the SJS Masters. Oakdale has 13 wrestlers with at least “honorable mention” status on the California Wrestling Newsletter state rankings, and could see that number grow as the season wanes.

Carlos Garcia (eighth at 160 last season) is the lone returning state placer, but plenty of medal spots are up for grabs. The Mustangs have 11 wrestlers ranked in the top-21, including Garcia, two-time SJS finalist Jonathan Fernandez (138), rising sophomore Brodie Johnson (152), vocal leader Payne Perkins (160) and undefeated Eziequel Vela (120).

Oakdale is also stacked in the upper weights, and will squeeze serious SJS medal candidates Elias Corona, Emilio Johnson, Garrison Gerber, and Brock Osmundson into the final three weight classes.

It’s a lineup loaded with upper class talent, but it also includes three stout freshmen, led by Riddle medalist Wes Buford (third at 182).

“I’m real happy with (Buford). He is really blossoming,” Strange said. “The dude started off scrimmaging state qualifiers and did really well.”

If the team can stay healthy, SJS Masters should be a team point paradise.

“It’s always our goal (to win Masters) and hopefully we can get it done,” Strange said. “(Del Oro, Turlock and Pitman) are good and Vacaville isn’t going anywhere and Folsom is regrouping.”

Oakdale was runner-up to Vacaville in each other last three seasons, but hasn’t won Masters since 2011.

“Everybody has to do their job, be healthy, on weight and focused,” Strange said. “It’s a wrestling match, and you have to show up to accomplish your goals at the end of the season, and understand that another guy is across from you, trying to take it away from you.”

VACAVILLE

Seventeen-year Vacaville head coach Clint Birch “retired,” but he isn’t really gone.

No such luck with the seven Sac-Joaquin Section Masters champions who helped Vacaville obliterate the SJS record for team points last year (341).

A monster senior class has left the Bulldogs without nine of their school-record 12 state qualifiers from last winter. It’s a serious challenge for head coach Armando Orozco, though he still has the support of Birch (newly named as an assistant after sharing the duties with Orozco last year.)

“Whenever you have a strong class, it has a tendency to run off kids in the class in front of them and behind them, but we have a group of kids now who stuck with it during COVID, even while needing time in the lineup,” Birch said. “It’s

like you have two ways to cook, a crock pot and a microwave. These kids have been in a crock pot, but now, they are in the microwave. I think our front line is much better than people think.”

The squad isn’t loaded with a bounty of medal pedigree, but former CIF place-winners Thomas Sandoval (182) and Casey Roberts (126) are carving a new identity one tournament at a time.

The Bulldogs were fourth (behind Gilroy, BuchananClovis and Clovis) at the 24-team Clovis West Shootout on Nov. 19. The team saw medals by Eli Almarinez (third at 113), Roberts (first-132), Quasi Marini (fifth-138), Carson Howell (fifth-152), Caleb Borchers (seventh-152), Arjun Nagra (third-160), Brady Wright (seventh-170) and Sandoval (first-182).

Vacaville later went undefeated at its host Larry Nelson Classic Wrestling Duals, thanks to All-Tournament performances from Almarinez, Roberts, Isaac Padilla (138), Borchers and Sandoval.

On Dec. 17, Vacaville also completed a sixth-place showing at the ultra prestigious Zinkin Classic, hosted by Buchanan. Medal winners there included Sandoval (third), Padilla (fourth), Nagra (sixth), Howell (eighth) and Almarinez (eighth).

Sandoval was also fourth at the state tournament last year, while Roberts was seventh as a freshman in 2020. Nagra was also 3-2 (top 12) and just one win from a state medal last year. He went on to win Canada’s Cadet World Team Trials and represented Canada at the 2022 U17 World Championships. Jai Guerra also missed the state tournament by one spot on the SJS medal podium (seventh).

“I do believe your team takes on the personality of two things: the head coach, and your best wrestler,” Birch said. “Coach Orozco is a pretty serious, intense individual and, on the flip side, (Sandoval) is probably about the nicest kid ever. It’s a weird dichotomy.”

How well Vacaville personalities can come together to rally for big tournament wins will determine this team’s success.

The Bulldogs seek a sixth-straight SJS Masters title, but will have stout opposition from across the section (teams like Turlock, Ponderosa, Del Oro, Folsom and Pitman), specifically from an Oakdale team that is loaded across the weight classes.

“It all depends on the kids buying in and it depends on the competition, because there are some superstars out there,” Birch said. “You got to get the kids to wrestle for things bigger than themselves.

“When you are in the middle of the fight you just have to keep fighting until the smoke clears.” ✪

Vacaville’s Casey Roberts

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