Local wrestlers battle for CIF spots in Sunset League finals

All season long, pressure-filled situations were provided during the high school wrestling season.

Dual meets were decided by the type of victory posted in one’s individual match. Names were made in the weekend tournaments, each offering a chance to gain confidence and notoriety.

The regular season is over, and now, the club becomes increasingly exclusive. From here on out, each time the wrestlers step on the mat, it comes with the risk of elimination.

The battle for survival began with the Sunset League finals on Thursday night at Huntington Beach High.

Competitors had to finish in the top three of their weight class to advance to the CIF Southern Section Southern Division Individuals. The postseason tournament will take place at Brea Olinda High on Feb. 16-17.

Fountain Valley produced the most CIF qualifiers with 12. Dylan Zotea (126 pounds) and Trenton Ching (160) pinned their opponents in league title bouts. Max Wilner (145) and Jacob Taub (170) won by decision to give the Barons four league champions.

Wilner has been outspoken about his desire to win an individual league title all four years. The ambitious freshman took the first step in that process by beating Marina’s John McCoy 7-2. Wilner has won all four meetings between the two this season.

The Barons’ rising star said that workouts with his personal lifting coach, JD Hawkins, have him feeling more confident every time he takes to the mat.

“He just puts it in me that I just have to go out there and break the guy,” Wilner said of Hawkins. “I have to prove myself and dominate. He’s helped me a lot.”

Marina sophomore Mike McCoy was this year’s only repeat league champion. He wrestled to a 5-2 decision over Los Alamitos’ TJ Sylvia in the 113-pound title bout.

“When he’s in competition, it doesn’t seem like he wrestles with a lot of pressure on him,” Vikings coach Chris Rasmussen said. “That makes him real special. He’s a unique kind of kid.”

Vikings heavyweight Daniel Escamilla posted a 25-second pin to become Marina’s second league champion. It is the junior’s second time qualifying for CIF.

“It’s nice be fully back,” said Escamilla, who wrestled with a torn labrum last season. “It sucked when I was injured and had limitations. Now, I’m fully healed, and it feels amazing.”

Wrestlers who enlisted in the 106-pound bracket were the lucky lottery winners. Huntington Beach’s Cade Haakenson, Los Alamitos’ Justin Hodge and Fountain Valley’s Tyler Phan all knew they were going to CIF before the wrestling began on Thursday, as their weight class had only three competitors.

Haakenson pinned Hodge in the first period, becoming the Oilers’ only league champion of the meet. Huntington Beach qualified six wrestlers to CIF.

The Oilers’ freshman hopes that an individual league crown is just the beginning.

“I want to make it to Masters,” Haakenson said. “That would be a great goal for this year. State would be amazing, too. I want to make it as far as I can.”

Edison had the most individual league champions with five. Anthony Loyola (120), Elijah Palacio (132), Jared Williams (152), Zack Lund (182) and Brandon Moradian (195) took home the gold.

The Chargers have thrived in tournament formats this season, and their stalwarts made the team battle interesting. Fountain Valley clipped Edison 186-177.5.

The Barons were ranked fourth in the final CIF Coastal Division poll.

Edison and Los Alamitos sent nine wrestlers on to CIF. Marina and Newport Harbor each advanced three.

Dakota Mungall (152), Austin Osumi (195) and Eduardo Rios (285) were the CIF qualifiers for Newport Harbor.

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Sunset League finals

Top three qualify for CIF Southern Section Southern Division Individuals

Championship matches

106 – Haakenson (HB) pins Hodge (LA), 1:00.

113 – M. McCoy (M) dec. Sylvia (LA), 5-2.

120 – Loyola (E) pins Torres (LA), 5:00.

126 – D. Zotea (FV) pins Kim (LA), 1:17.

132 – Palacio (E) pins Ramirez (FV), 1:04.

138 – Kowelewski (LA) dec. C. Ching (FV), 7-6.

145 – Wilner (FV) dec. J. McCoy (M), 7-2.

152 – Williams (E) tech. fall Hernandez (FV), 17-2.

160 – T. Ching (FV) pins Bradbury (E), 0:42.

170 – Taub (FV) dec. Jimenez (E), 5-1.

182 – Lund (E) pins Damschen (FV), 2:19.

195 – Moradian (E) tech. fall Osumi (NH), 18-2.

220 – Murray (LA) pins Fee (FV), 0:24.

285 – Escamilla (M) pins Martinez (LA), 0:25.

Third-place matches (winner qualified for CIF)

106 – Phan (FV) wins by forfeit.

113 – Moses (E) pins Suhaib (FV), 4:14.

120 – Tu (FV) dec. Finney (M), 7-2.

126 – Perez (HB) pins Virtue (NH), 0:25.

132 – Poe (LA) dec. Cortez (HB), 6-3.

138 – Iida (E) tech. fall Burdine (M), 16-1.

145 – Machan (HB) dec. Garcia (E), 9-7.

152 – Mungall (NH) pins Sandoval (LA), 1:26.

160 – Rogers (LA) maj. Izzi (NH), 12-1.

170 – Martel (HB) dec. Johnson (LA), 5-2.

182 – Traw (HB) dec. Licona (NH), 9-8.

195 – Madrid (FV) dec. Norbakshs (LA), 9-6.

220 – Beebe (HB) pins Perez (NH), 4:40.

285 – Rios (NH) pins Vemuri (FV), 2:30.

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner