16 Inland wrestlers advance to the quarterfinals during first day of CIF State championship meet – Press Enterprise

The first day of the CIF State wrestling championship meet is in the books, and 16 Inland wrestlers reached the quarterfinals in their respective brackets.

Action resumes Friday with consolation matches at 9 a.m. at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield. The quarterfinals are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Canyon Springs has four wrestlers still in contention for state championships: brothers Max and Richard “Remy” Murillo and Sonny Kling on the boys side, and Kyree Rubio on the girls side.

Kling, a two -time runner-up at the state meet, is the No. 1 seed in the 190-pound bracket this season. Kling pinned Helix’s Ja’Kar Carter at the 1:02 mark of his opening-round match and needed only 29 seconds to pin Christopher’s Logan Corona in the second round. Kling will square off against No. 8-seeded David Calkins Jr. of Brentwood Liberty in the quarterfinal round.

Remy Murillo, a two-time state placer, is the No. 4 seed in the 132-pound bracket. He recorded a 15-0 technical fall over South Bakersfield’s Daniel Reza in the opening round and followed with a 10-2 major decision over Kingsburg’s Leo Macias in the second round. Murillo will face No. 5-seeded G. Elias Navida in the quarterfinal round.

Max Murillo, a freshman, is the No. 7 seed in the 113-pound bracket. He pinned Arvin’s Santana Ugues at the 1:15 mark of a first-round match and recorded a 9-0 major decision over Vacaville’s Elijah Almarinez in the second round. Murillo squares off against No. 2-seeded Rocklin Zinkin of Buchanan in the quarterfinals. Zinkin was the state runner-up at 106 pounds last season as a freshman.

Rubio, who placed fourth at last year’s state meet. is the No. 3 seed in the 190-pound bracket. She advanced via forfeit in the first round and then pinned Jade Seitz of San Dimas at the 3:47 mark of a second-round match. Rubio faces Hollister’s Goldy Demby in the quarterfinal round.

Etiwanda was the only other Inland school to have multiple wrestlers advance to the quarterfinals.

Jacob Bell is the No. 8 seed in the 138-pound boys bracket. He pinned South Bakersfield’s Sonny Lara in the second round of a pig-tail match and then pinned Hotville’s Mason Navarro at the 3:35 mark of a Round of 32 match. Bell finished with a third pinfall against Timothy Murabito of Los Gatos (1:26). Bell will square off against top-seeded Daniel Zepeda of Gilroy in the quarterfinals. Zepeda won the 132-pound state championship last season.

Evan Manzo is the No. 4 seed in the 165-pound boys bracket. He also had a pig-tail match Friday afternoon and registered a 21-5 technical fall against Ponderosa’s Kai Ford. Manzo had a 15-3 major decision over Citrus Valley’s Mason Hernandez in the Round of 32 and a 3-2 decision over La Costa Canyon’s Brae Sepulveda. Manzo will face No. 6-seeded Ryan Clink of Chico in the quarterfinals.

Four other Inland boys wrestlers reached the quarterfinals Friday.

Chino’s Jonathan Madera, a freshman, is the No. 10 seed in the 106-pound bracket. He posted a 15-0 technical fall over Monterey’s Gabriel Dela Rosa in his pig-tail match. Samano pinned Brawley’s Benjamin Limentang at the 3:23 mark of a Round of 32 match and then scored a 7-3 decision over No. 7-seeded Hunter Jauregui of Fountain Valley. Samano squares off against No. 2-seeded Antony Garza of Clovis in the quarterfinals.

Roosevelt’s Brian Leon is the No. 7 seed in the 157-pound bracket. He pinned Selma’s Daniel Armendarez at the 3:14 mark of a first-round match and then scored a reversal in the final minute to pull out a 2-1 decision over Poway’s Jack Estevez in the Round of 16. Leon faces No. 2-seeded Grigor Cholakyan of St. John Bosco in the quarterfinals.

North’s Coby Merrill placed second at last year’s state meet as a freshman and is the No. 1 seed in the 215-pound bracket this season. Merrill did not spend much time on the mat Friday, as he pinned Nevada Union’s Ricky Kiser in 41 seconds, Edison’s Andru Balladarez in 59 seconds and Clovis’ Noah Martinez in 55 seconds. Merrill faces No. 9-seeded Dominic Wilson of Tulare Union in the quarterfinals.

Temecula Valley’s Justice El Sayad is the No. 11 seed in the heavyweight bracket. He scored a 2-1 decision over Jackson Reilly of Clovis North to win a first-round match and pinned El Cajon Valley’s Enrique Hernandez at the 1:19 mark in the Round of 16. El Sayad squares off against No. 3-seeded Bryson Harrington of Buchanan in the quarterfinals.

Six other Inland girls wrestlers joined Rubio in the quarterfinals Friday.

Hamilton’s Olivia Lopez placed third at last year’s state meet and is the No. 2 seed in the 105-pound bracket this season. She pinned Amador Valley’s Eliana Caro at the 1:25 mark of a first-round match and Tokay’s Shantel Abriz in the second round at the minute mark. Lopez squares off against No. 7-seeded Lexie Capote of Pitman in the quarterfinals.

Ayala’s BK Martinez is the No. 5 seed in the 110-pound bracket. She scored a 12-3 major decision over San Fernando’s Hailee Moreno in the first round and a 9-4 decision over Granite Bay’s Tori Niimi in the second round. Martinez will face No. 4-seeded Eden Hernandez of Poway in the quarterfinals.

Joining Martinez in the 110-pound quarterfinal is Hillcrest’s Ajalynn Jimenez. The unseeded Jimenez pinned Corning’s Elise Totse at the 1:45 mark of a first-round match. She trailed No. 8-seeded Khloe Soria of Porterville midway through the third period of a second-round match. but Jimenez gained the advantage with a reversal and locked in a pin at the 5:00 mark. Jimenez will face top-seeded Deandra Meza of Walnut in the quarterfinals.

Montclair’s Makynna Loepp is the No. 8 seed in the 130-pound bracket. She pinned Pioneer Valley’s Gabriela Martinez at the 2:17 mark of a first-round match and Mira Costa’s Ruby Dominguez at 3:53 in the second round. Loepp squares off against top-seeded Tamaria Grace of Gilroy in the quarterfinals.

Yucaipa’s Addrie Rodriguez was not seeded in the 170-pound bracket, but she opened the morning by pinning No. 8 seed Yazmin Belk of Sierra Pacific at the 1:22 mark of a first-round match and needed only 41 seconds to pin Orange Vista’s Alyssa Guzman in the second round. Rodriguez faces top-seeded Leilani Lemus of Clovis in the quarterfinals. Lemus won the 160-pound state championship last season as a freshman.

Liberty’s Anna Bozanic placed third at state last season as a freshman and is the No. 2 seed in the 235-pound bracket this season. She pinned American Canyon’s Aiyanna Beane at the 1:06 mark in the first round and Thousand Oaks’ Cherish Hall-Taoai at 1:17 in the second round. Bozanic takes on Ridgeview’s Fernanda Canedo in the quarterfinals.