ROCKLIN, Calif. - Mt. San Antonio College completed its dominant performance at the 3C2A Men's Wrestling State Championships by taking home its third consecutive title with 166.5 points in the two-day event.
On the first day, the Mounties held a 15.5 (95 points overall) point lead over the field. They only increased that lead on the following day, adding 71.5 more points.
Sophomores Jason Saenz (141 lbs) and Maxximus Martinez (157 lbs) earned back to back state titles for the Mounties while Dib Sawaya (285 lbs) finished out the tournament by winning the heavyweight bracket.
Mt. SAC has now won four of the last five state championships under Head Coach David Rivera.
"A lot of credit to my staff, it's not easy to do and I have the right people around me," Coach Rivera said when asked about the three-year run. "They help us get our guys to believe and keep up with the standard we have here."
Coach Rivera was named the 2025 Coach of the Year while one of his assistants, Robert Dominguez, was tabbed the Assistant Coach of the Year.
Cerritos had a good performance and placed second overall with 130 points and two champions. The Falcons were the ranked third in the state coming into the tournament but showed that they were better than that on day two.
Abraham Galicia was a critical part of their run as he battled through the 174-pound bracket to take home the championship as the 16 seed. The freshman was ranked first for much of the year but placed eighth in the Southern California Regionals due to injury, resulting in the low seed.
Sean Oteo was the second champion for the Falcons, earning the top spot in the 149-pound bracket.
The Fresno City Rams were the best team in the North and finished third overall with 111.5 points. Despite not having any state champions this season, the Rams showed their depth with six placers and three All-Americans.
Rounding out the top five were Victor Valley (97 points) and Palomar (78 points) and Sacramento City (78 points).
Victor Valley and Palomar had three All-American each while Sacramento City earned the majority of their points thanks to their two state champions in Josiah Sandoval (133 lbs) and Vaea Salt (197 lbs).
Connor Jeong (125 lbs - Santa Rosa), Preston Scharf (165lbs - Cuesta) and Rafael Roman-Amador (184 lbs - Chabot) all won state championships for their respective teams.
FINALS
125 LBS: Alijah Ortiz (FCC) vs Connor Jeong (SRJC)
Alijah Ortiz and Connor Jeong kicked off the finals session with an entertaining bout. After both wrestlers collected a point each on escapes, it was Jeong who had the takedown with just 10 seconds left in the third period. It was initially called out of bounds but Santa Rosa Coach Fred Duerr challenged the call and won, making Jeong the 125-pound state champion by a score of 4-2.
133 LBS: Paulo Valdez (VVC) vs Josiah Sandoval (SCC)
Top seeded Paulo Valdez was in the running for wrestler of the year before the final 133-pound bout but Josiah Sandoval shocked the audience with the upset. Sandoval was taken down around the 1:30 mark in the first but was able to shake off Valdez, who fell onto his back for the quick pin.
141 LBS: Isaac Gonzalez (Cerritos) vs Jason Saenz (MSAC)
Jason Saenz had the only takedown of the bout as he fought off a tough opponent in Isaac Gonzalez to win, 4-2. The sophomore clinched his second consecutive state title with the victory.
149 LBS: Sean Oteo (Cerritos) vs LJ Loreto (FCC)
LJ Loreto earned the first three points of the bout late in the first with a takedown but a reversal and four-point near fall gave Sean Oteo a 6-3 lead after one period.
Loreto picked up a point via escape early in the second but Oteo continued to press, adding three on a takedown in the last 15 seconds of the second.
An escape, followed by another take down and riding time gave him Otea a 14-4 victory and the title.
157 LBS: Grant Eklund (Cuesta) vs Maxximus Martinez (MSAC)
The reigning state champion Maxximus Martinez struck first as he circled his counterpart for a takedown at the 1:35 mark. Grant Eklund responded with an escape but got hit with two stalling calls to make it a 4-1 score after one period.
Martinez stayed on top for the entire second and eventually got a 4-point near fall to go up 8-1.
Another stalling on Eklund followed by a takedown by Martinez put the match out of reach. The sophomore from Gilroy took the win, 13-2 to earn his second straight championship.
165 LBS: Veysel Pekince (MSAC) vs Preston Scharf (Cuesta)
At the end of the second period, Preston Scharf took the lead with a takedown. A decision to go neutral by Veysel Pekince gave the Cuesta standout a 4-0 lead.
Scharf took advantage of being in front by defending well and circling Pekince for another takedown to win by a score of 7-0.
The 165 pound champion was also voted Most Outstanding Wrestler as he outscored his opponents 51-8 during the tournament.
174 LBS: Abraham Galicia (Cerritos) vs Juan Nuno (Lemoore)
Abraham Galicia took home the 174-pound title after the most controversial bout of the tournament. Both he and Juan Nuno scored on escapes to make it a 1-1 match headed to the third period to set up a great finish.
But in the last five seconds of the bout, stalling was called on Nuno, which would essentially end the match with a score of 2-1 in favor of Galicia.
The call was reviewed by officials and then turned into a takedown and an escape, giving Galicial a 4-1 lead. One more point was added after a misconduct penalty was given to Lemoore Head Coach Marcio Botelho for arguing.
184 LBS: Rafael Roman-Amador (Chabot) vs Joshua Cortez (Lassen)
Rafael Roman-Amador and Joshua Cortez put on a show in the first period as both scored four in an action-packed start.
But it was Roman-Amador who took the momentum in the second as he scored on an escape and then finished the bout with a fall with 24 seconds left in the period.
197 LBS: Vaea Salt (Sacramento City) vs William Fulgentes (Moorpark)
Vaea Salt and William Fulgentes struggled for position until Salt landed on top for a takedown and four-point near fall, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first. But an escape and a takedown got Fulgentes back into the bout, making it a 7-4 score.
Two stalling calls and another Fulgentes escape tied the score at 7-7, setting up an intense third period.
Despite letting his early lead slip away, Salt won another tough struggle and earned another takedown at the 50-second mark to take the lead for good. The sophomore clinched the title with a 11-7 victory.
285 LBS: Jonathan Garcia (Bakersfield) vs Dib Sawaya (MSAC)
In the final bout of the year, Jonathan Garcia and Dib Sawaya needed three overtimes to decide a champion.
Although both scored the same amount of points, it was Sawaya who claimed the championship thanks to six seconds of riding time.
AWARDS
Coach of the Year: David Rivera (Mt. SAC)
Assistant Coach of the Year: Robert Dominguez (Mt. SAC)
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Preston Scharf (165 lbs - Cuesta)
Most Pins Award: Carson Wilcox (184 lbs - Sierra)
