Dozen Poway Wrestlers Qualify for State Meet

Clovis awaits.

Poway High School has won everything it has entered this season, including Friday’s mythical Masters championship.

The Titans, ranked fourth in the nation, won in grand style, qualifying 12 wrestlers for this weekend’s state meet with a dominating performance in front of 2,000 at Rancho Bernardo High School.

“They’ve done everything I’ve asked them to,” Poway Coach Wayne Branstetter said of his team, “but there’s one more hurdle. One more major hurdle.”

Clovis High, two-time defending state champion and five-time winner is that hurdle.

Poway won the state title in 1986, has finished seventh and fourth once, and third the past three years.

The 12 wrestlers going to the state meet ties Poway’s own state record, set in in 1990.

“I’m really amazed,” Branstetter said. “This was not an easy Masters meet.

“One thing I’ve learned is there’s no such thing as a shoo-in at the state meet. The state tournament has no mercy. It’s not very forgiving at all.”

Neither was the Masters. Entering the finals, five top-seeded wrestlers had been upset; two did not advance to the state meet. There were 17 upsets among the top four wrestlers in each weight class. Eleven wrestlers who were seeded fourth or better did not advance to state meet.

The top four finishers at each weight qualifed for the State Wrestling Championships Friday and Saturday at the University of Pacific in Stockton.

Poway had nine wrestlers in the finals and five champions, the most ever. Greg Miller (125 pounds) beat Erik Gould, 10-3; Tito Dukes (152) beat Valhalla’s Michael Berry, 5-2; Ross Funches (160) beat El Camino’s Sean Garlock, 6-0, to improve his record to 38-1; defending Masters champion Corey Farkas (275) pinned Morse sophomore David Gates in 3:17, to improve to 35-1. Farkas was the meet’s outstanding wrestler.

Poway’s John Haas (171) and defending Masters champion Todd Bell (140) of Grossmont remained unbeaten. Bell (40-0) won his second Masters title with a 24-8 technical fall over Valhalla’s Darren Salcido, and Haas (41-0) beat Montgomery’s Raphael Battle, 5-2.

Bell said he had set his sights on an undefeated season at the beginning of the year after going 43-3 last year. He is ranked seventh in the state.

On the other hand, Haas said he was surprised he went undefeated this year.

“I thought somebody would have beaten me somewhere, when I was having a bad day,” Haas said.

That would be a day like Saturday. Haas was sick, he said, and “didn’t wrestle to (his) potential.”

In other championship matches, Monte Vista’s Angelo Espinelli (103) beat Mt. Carmel’s Joe Tezak, 12-6; Valhalla’s Jake Roberts (112) won by technical fall over Poway’s Rich Salo, 17-2; Monte Vista’s Mike Myers (119) beat Rancho Bernardo’s first-ever state qualifier, Joey Merlo, 5-1.

Sophomore Mike Mendoza (130) of Bonita Vista improved to 31-2 with an upset of top-seeded Chris Hafer of Poway, 6-1. Mendoza lost twice this year to Hafer.

Monte Vista’s Billy Rebelez scored a 2-0 victory over Cameron Marks at 135.