Work far from done for local CIF wrestling qualifiers

The high school wrestling postseason can be likened to a boxing match.

A wrestler must keep their guard up, no matter how dominant they have been in the previous rounds, because the knockout blow could be coming.

So congratulations to those who advanced through their league finals and into CIF. The first stage has been completed.

Now, it becomes a battle of willpower. Locals will be tested mentally. Those with ambitions of making the CIF State meet will have to be disciplined to maintain their weight. That is easier said than done, as many have been working to cut weight all season long.

From here on out, the competitors’ weight division is set. Whatever weight they wrestled at in league finals is the one they must spar in at the CIF Southern Section finals, the Masters meet, and the state championships in Bakersfield on March 2-3.

The CIF finals will have six different venues, with the division of the competitors determined by their league. Sunset League wrestlers will battle in the Southern Division of the two-day tournament beginning Friday at Brea Olinda High.

Huntington Beach freshman Cade Haakenson weighs in well below 106 pounds, the lowest contested weight class. Asked if he would encourage Haakenson to eat more to close in on the 106 mark, Oilers coach John Morgan said that would not be a good idea.

“How many lions chase food?” Morgan responded rhetorically. “When Conor McGregor fought Nate Diaz for the first time, he fought him at 170. His performance was [bad]. He was gassed out. That’s because he had all of this food sitting in his stomach.

“You perform different if you’re used to performing when you’re eating healthy and you’re cutting weight the right way. You don’t always want to bulk up. It’s not always going to translate well to cardio and performance.”

Top competitors for section titles include Edison seniors Elijah Palacio (132, ranked fourth in the state by the California Wrestler) and Jared Williams (152, ranked eighth in the state).

Fountain Valley freshman Max Wilner and Marina senior John McCoy should contend at 145. McCoy was the runner-up in the same weight class last season.

Although a title may be a longshot for some, the next tier as far as accomplishments are concerned is making it to the next week. The top five in each weight class will advance to the Masters meet, which will be held at Temecula Valley High on Feb. 23-24.

Newport Harbor coach Dominic Bulone feels good about the odds that the Sailors will return to the Masters meet after sending Xander Moreno to state last year. Junior Austin Osumi is their best hope at 195.

In the midst of a surprising season that saw Corona del Mar place second behind Irvine in the Pacific Coast League, 10 Sea Kings will travel to Temecula Great Oak High to compete in the Inland Division finals.

CdM coach Mark Alex is a believer in his guys, fully cognizant of the fact that his team has achieved more than he could have expected. Speaking specifically about Chase Zanck (182) and Danny Reichner (195), Alex said, “Both have a never-ending fight inside of them. They have already scored some upsets this year, and with their pinning power, it could happen again this weekend.”

CIF qualifiers from the Orange Coast League and Golden West League will compete in the Coastal Division finals at Westminster High. Ocean View’s Noah Edsell and Costa Mesa’s Jacob Jones should be among the local favorites to reach championship Saturday.

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CIF Southern Section Individual qualifiers

106: Nathan Flores (Estancia), Cade Haakenson (Huntington Beach), Tyler Phan (Fountain Valley), Eric Rector (CdM), Adam Stanley (Costa Mesa)

113: Hector Camerena (Estancia), Mike McCoy (Marina), Matt Moses (Edison)

120: Sunzar Kakar (Laguna Beach), Anthony Loyola (Edison), Wayne Muse (CdM), Alejandro Rojo (Costa Mesa), Thanh Tu (Fountain Valley)

126: Sergio Castellanos (Laguna Beach), Brian Perez (Huntington Beach), Dylan Zotea (Fountain Valley)

132: Elijah Palacio (Edison), Luis Ramirez (Fountain Valley), Nick Stauffer (CdM), Miles Stripling (Laguna Beach)

138: Chanson Ching (Fountain Valley), Jacob Iida (Edison)

145: Cole Jensen (CdM), Spencer Machan (Huntington Beach), John McCoy (Marina), Raul Mojica (Costa Mesa), Max Wilner (Fountain Valley)

152: Christian Hernandez (Fountain Valley), Jacob Jones (Costa Mesa), Dakota Mungall (Newport Harbor), Jack Thompson (CdM), Jared Williams (Edison)

160: Jason Bradbury (Edison), Trenton Ching (Fountain Valley), Peter Hollingshead (CdM)

170: Jarred Jimenez (Edison), Scott Martel (Huntington Beach), Bengie Mendez (Costa Mesa), Jacob Taub (Fountain Valley)

182: Nico Damschen (Fountain Valley), Saul Lagunas (Costa Mesa), Zack Lund (Edison), Kevin Traw (Huntington Beach), Chase Zanck (CdM)

195: Thomas Madrid (Fountain Valley), Brandon Moradian (Edison), Austin Osumi (Newport Harbor), Jacob Potts (Estancia), Danny Reichner (CdM)

220: Devin Beebe (Huntington Beach), Matthew Fee (Fountain Valley), Aaron Gonzalez (Costa Mesa), Seth Trachtman (CdM)

285: Luke Anderson (CdM), Danny Escamilla (Marina), Jacob Parsons (Estancia), Eduardo Rios (Newport Harbor)

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner