Four Southern Section wrestlers claim titles at Five Counties

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The winners at Fountain Valley High were ...

-- Marcus Orona of Santa Fe was the 119-pound champion and the lower-weight MVP, with three pins (two in the first period), a major decision and a decision. Orona, who was seeded second and is ranked No. 5 in the state, defeated Martin Gonzalez of Gilroy (seeded fourth and ranked No. 2 in the state), 1-0, in the finals.

-- Scott Chene of Irvine, the seeded third at 130, won all five of his matches by decision, the closest being a 12-11 victory over fourth-seeded Kevin Maelfeyt of Weaverville Trinity in the finals. Chene also defeated Henry Yorba of Poway (seeded second and No. 2 in the state), 10-7, in the semifinals.

-- Cody Bollinger of Sultana, who was seeded fourth and is ranked No. 3 in the state, defeated third-seeded and fourth-ranked Dan Stevens of Scotts Valley, 9-7, in the 140-pound finals. After starting the tournament with a pin and a technical fall, Bollinger finished the event with three straight decisions, starting with a 7-5 victory over fifth-seeded and sixth-ranked Jonah Cruz of Bakersfield in the quarterfinals.

-- Jake Meredith of Temecula Valley showed why he is ranked No. 1 in the state and was the top-seeded 171-pounder in the tournament, starting the weekend with a technical fall and then pinning four straight opponents, including second-seeded and third-ranked Ian Daube of Poway (3:59) in the finals.

Poway took home another team title with 198 points, followed by Central Catholic with 135.5, Clovis West with 131 and the highest finisher from the Southern Section, Temecula Valley, with 130. The only other Southern Section school to finish in the top 10 was Northview at No. 10. Check out all the results here.

-- Chuck Schilken, guest blogger

-- Image from www.wrestlingsbest.com