CENTURY LEAGUE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS : Canyon Wins Its 10th Consecutive Title

Canyon High School’s entire wrestling team reached the finals as the Comanches cruised to their 10th consecutive Century League championship Friday night at the Canyon gym.

“Our goal all year was to ten-peat as champs,” Canyon Coach Gary Bowden said.

The Comanches won nine of the 13 weight classes and qualified all of its wrestlers for next week’s Southern Section 4-A tournament at Fountain Valley. “I’m really proud of these guys.”

Canyon won the title with 248 points. El Modena, which also qualified 13 for the Southern Section tournament, finished second with 162 points. Santa Ana (four qualifiers, 67 points) was third followed by Santa Ana Valley (one, 52), Foothill (three, 44) and Villa Park (three, 41).

“I knew we had the championship won after El Modena lost its third match in the semifinal round,” Bowden said.

Canyon’s Zach Cooper (191 pounds), Jason Mitchell (138), Matt Padgett (154) and Bubba Perry (heavyweight) won their matches on pins. El Modena’s Dan Wells (105) also won by a pin.

Padgett broke a Canyon record with 33 pins this season. The previous record was 28 by Victor Hakopian, who was legally blind, in 1987.

In the final, Padgett (35-6) led, 10-1, over El Modena’s Greg Hahn before pinning him in 2 minutes, 15 seconds.

“I gained the advantage early after throwing Hahn out of bounds twice, then whatever he did I countered against,” Padgett said.

Santa Ana’s John Williams pulled the upset of the tournament with an 11-4 victory over Canyon’s David Cha at 126 pounds.

“He (Cha) pinned me in our dual meet, but I practiced keeping my hips and head up to avoid the pin,” Williams said.