Ayres seeks new story
This entire season has been somewhat of a redemption song for Fountain Valley High wrestler Karson Ayres.
As a junior last year, he faced the disappointment of making it to the medal round of the Masters Meet, only to be denied access to the state championship tournament.
Ayres placed 10th at Masters that season, one spot shy of extending his season to the ultimate stage.
Everything had gone right for him up to that point. He had won his third Sunset League title and his first CIF Southern Section divisional crown.
Following his recovery from an ACL tear in the offseason, Ayres has repeated all those steps. He is now a four-time league champion and a two-time CIF individual title winner.
The senior finds himself on the precipice of going to the state meet in Bakersfield once again. He enters as the fourth seed in the 145s, seemingly given a path to the tournament’s second day in the main draw.
Following the CIF-SS Southern Division Finals, Ayres said he was ready to put the nightmarish ending of last season to rest.
“I think this tournament was a good stepping stone,” he said. “I think I’ll be ready, especially after another week of training. I’m excited for Masters.”
“Last year, I was disappointed at Masters. It’s exciting to be able to come back and prove myself again.”
There are seven locals vying to make the trip to state. Ayres is the chief of the candidates as the area’s only CIF champion.
The Sunset League will be well-represented in the 145s, with Marina’s John McCoy and Newport Harbor’s Xander Moreno falling in line behind Ayres.
Barons senior Merrick O’Donnell was a finalist in the 182s. Fountain Valley will also send George Sykes (195s) to the state-qualifying dance.
Jackson Oehling broke an eight-year drought for Huntington Beach, becoming the school’s first Masters qualifier since 2009 when he took third in the 160s during the CIF-SS Finals.
Marina’s Wyatt Been will slot into the 170s draw. He will face Palm Desert’s Anthony Mantanona, who is an Oklahoma commit, in the first round.
CIF-SS Masters Meet
Where: at Citizens Business Bank Arena (4000 Ontario Center, Ontario, Calif.)
When: Feb. 24-25
Fan Info: Wrestling will begin at 10 on Friday morning, concluding with the third round of the championship and consolation brackets from 6:30-8 p.m. On Saturday, wrestling begins at 10 a.m. with the medal round taking place from 2:30-5 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults. They are $7 for students (with valid ID) and children (ages 3-13). It is $10 for parking ($20 for RVs).
Happening Saturday
Girls’ Basketball: Huntington Beach (21-7) at Esperanza (26-3), 7 p.m., CIF-SS Div. 1A Semifinals
The Oilers will take aim at a spot in the Division 1A championship game when they face off with the second-seeded Aztecs.
Huntington Beach last made a CIF-SS title game in 2012.
Esperanza defeated the Oilers, 47-42, in the teams’ nonleague meeting back on Dec. 15. That game was also at Esperanza High.
The Aztecs have had great success this season with the exception of a single opponent. Oilers Coach Russell McClurg joked that he might have to take that into consideration with team uniforms for Saturday night.
“The one thing that is crazy is that their only three losses were to Brea Olinda,” he said. “I’m thinking that we might change into green and yellow for that game. If we show up in green and yellow, it might throw them off.”
Frankie Wade-Sanchez is averaging 28 points per game in the playoffs for the Oilers.
Hockey: Beckman (4-7-1-1, 15 points) vs. Edison (9-3-0-1, 28 points), 1:30 p.m. at The Rinks Anaheim Ice
The Chargers will play their final game of the regular season. Edison is locked into the No. 2 spot in the Coast View Conference, as Servite (10-2-2-0, 34 points) will finish atop the league standings.
All teams in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League’s Varsity Division 3 will be entered into a seeded, single-elimination tournament, with the winner being crowned the postseason champion.
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
