Wrestling: Tigers’ Solis eyes history at City championships

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San Fernando senior Mike Solis has the chance to join some elite company at Saturday’s City Section wrestling championships, hosted by the Tigers. And if he does that, Solis will then have a shot to join some even more elite company ... or even be in a class of his own.

A first-place finish in the 140-pound weight class this weekend will make Solis only the fourth San Fernando wrestler to win four City titles, joining the likes of Andy Moro (late 1990s), Wil German (late 1990s/early 2000s) and Raphael Reynolds (2002-05), according to San Fernando Coach Fernando Gonzalez.

Of course, a City championship also means a ticket to the state tournament, where Solis has yet to place in his previous three attempts. Only three Tiger wrestlers have ever placed at the state tournament -- Jesus Robledo (sixth in 1986), German (seventh in 2001) and Reynolds (fourth in 2005, the highest-ever finish at the state tournament for any City wrestler, Gonzalez said). Solis would love to make that list -- or even go to the head of it.

‘I think his primary objective (this weekend) is to take care of business and go to state,’ Gonzalez said of Solis, who is 32-6 this season and ranked No. 1 in the City at 140. ‘He wants to either place or win a title at state. He wants to make noise there.’

Gonzalez is looking for his entire team to make some noise as well. It takes a first-place finish in the City to advance to the state tournament, but San Fernando brings seven top-ranked wrestlers -- including returning champions George Garcia (26-3) at 125 and Rashaad Reynolds (20-1) at 145 -- and four others at No. 2.

So the Tigers could easily advance more than last year’s five wrestlers and at least tie, if not surpass, their all-time high of seven state qualifiers. And then ...

‘If our dream comes true, we could have two or three placers (at the state tournament) -- on a great day, maybe five,’ said Gonzalez, whose team has won five of the last seven City titles, including the last two. ‘Our dream is not to just place individuals but to have a high (team) placing at state.’

City Section wrestling is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m., with the finals at 6 p.m.

-- Chuck Schilken, guest blogger

-- Image from www.sanfernandohs.com