WRESTLING

FIRST TEAM

Mario Estrada

CALVARY CHAPEL 103 POUNDS SO.

Estrada lost in the first round of the state finals but came back to win his next five matches, eventually beating Brian Watanbe of Napa Vintage, 4-3, to take fifth place at state.

Anthony Rodriquez

CALVARY CHAPEL 112 POUNDS SR.

Ranked No. 1 in his weight class all season, Rodriquez won Southern Section Division I, Masters and state titles, beating Logan Ingram of Clovis Buchanan in the closing seconds of the state final.

Josh Galvan

LOARA 119 POUNDS SR.

Overshadowed by his brother Orlando’s bid to repeat as state champion, Josh Galvan quietly did his job, taking second in Division II, first at Masters and fifth at state.

John Jackson

CALVARY CHAPEL 125 POUNDS SR.

Jackson started slow, but came back in the last half of the season to help the Eagles with a third-place finish in Division I, a fourth at Masters and an impressive fifth at state.

Steve Esparza

CALVARY CHAPEL 130 POUNDS SR.

Esparza kept his No. 1 state ranking intact throughout the season. He won Division I and Masters titles, and he put the final stamp on his high school career at state, beating long-time rival Andy Kim of Poway in the final.

Frank Gill

CALVARY CHAPEL 135 POUNDS SR.

Gill just missed advancing to the state championship match with a tough loss to Pacifico Garcia of Clovis in the semifinals. Gill, who won Division I and Masters titles, went on to take fourth place in Stockton.

Jonathan Keene

MISSION VIEJO 140 POUNDS SR.

A big surprise for the Diablos, Keene maintained the top spot in the county rankings for most of the season. He culminated his high school career with a second-place finish at the Division II finals and a fourth at Masters. He missed placing at state by two matches.

Brian LaMay

CAPISTRANO VALLEY 145 POUNDS SR.

LaMay, who Cougar Coach Joe Zeller called one of the best he’s ever had, capped an outstanding season by defending his league title, winning Division II and Masters titles and finishing third at state by holding off Dustin Tillman of Fremont American, 5-4.

Frank Richmond

KENNEDY 152 POUNDS SR.

Richmond said he didn’t care about the county rankings and preferred to let his wrestling do the talking. It spoke for him eloquently, as he won titles in Division III and Masters and took third at state.

Joe Williams

CALVARY CHAPEL 160 POUNDS S0.

Williams is only a sophomore, but he was one of the Eagles’ most consistent performers, winning his weight class at the Reno Invitational and Division I finals and taking second at Five Counties, third at Masters and fifth at state.

Willie Parks

CALVARY CHAPEL 171 POUNDS SR.

Parks, who was ranked first in the state much of the season, had a stellar campaign right up until his last match, when he stuttered in the state final and lost to Rancho Buena Vista’s Ryan Halsey, 8-5, in an upset.

Conan Williams

CALVARY CHAPEL 189 POUNDS SR.

Patience was a key for the Michigan-bound Williams, as was evident in his championship match at the state finals. He kept his cool and waited for his moment to break away from Chris Lopez of Covina Northview to win, 3-2, in sudden death overtime.

Justin Boulais

CALVARY CHAPEL 215 POUNDS SR.

While Boulais missed placing at state, he provided the Eagles with some key points in their record-breaking team scoring performance. An Olympic League champion, Boulais took second at the Division I finals and sixth at Masters.

E.J. Chandra

TRABUCO HILLS HWT. SR.

In an off year for county heavyweights, South Coast League champion Chandra provided the best performance among the big guys, taking fourth at the Division II finals and eighth at Masters. He was the only heavyweight to represent the county at state.

SECOND TEAM

HUGO GUZMAN, Santa Ana, 103 pounds, So.

Guzman took second at the Division II finals and fourth at Masters. Besides Calvary Chapel’s Mario Estrada, Guzman was the only 103-pounder from Orange County to make state.

ORLANDO GALVAN, Loara, 112 pounds, Sr.

While Galvan was unhappy with his season performance, the 2000 state champion was still able to place seventh at state.

OMAR GAITAN, Katella, 119 pounds, Jr.

Gaitan’s first trip to the state finals ended with a seventh-place finish. Sure to be one of the wrestlers to watch next season, Gaitan took third in Division III and seventh at Masters.

DOUG YADON, Villa Park, 125 pounds, Sr.

The Spartans’ leading wrestler, Yadon was the county’s top-ranked 125-pounder all season. He finished eighth at state and third at Masters and at the Division I meet.

MIKE GABRIELSON, Los Alamitos, 130 pounds, So.

He started slow but made his mark at the end of the season by taking first in Division III and sixth at Masters. He missed placing at state by two matches.

DANNY CADWALLADER, Brethren Christian, 135 pounds, Jr.

Although in the shadow of Calvary Chapel’s Frank Gill most of the season, Cadwallader finished sixth at state, third at Masters and second in Division I.

BUCK BARGER, Villa Park, 140 pounds, Jr.

After Doug Yadon, Barger was the Spartans’ top performer, finishing third in Division I and fifth at Masters. He missed qualifying for the state medal round by two matches.

JASON MURPHY, La Habra, 145 pounds, Sr.

Murphy seemingly came out of nowhere to finish strong for the Highlanders, winning Division V and taking seventh at Masters to qualify for state.

YURI KALIKA, Calvary Chapel, 152 pounds, So.

Inconsistent at the beginning of the season, Kalika finished strong, winning a Division I title and placing fourth at Masters. He missed the state medal round by one match.

DANIEL CONTRERAS, El Modena, 160 pounds, So.

Contreras had a solid season for the Vanguards, earning a second-place finish at the Division I finals and taking seventh at Masters.

TY BLAIR, Dana Hills, 171 pounds, Sr.

Blair didn’t do as well at state as he’d hoped, but still had a great season with a Division II title and a runner-up finish at Masters.

WYATT HOWARD, Santa Ana, 189 pounds, Sr.

Howard battled Calvary Chapel’s Conan Williams all season, and it was Williams who stopped Howard in the semifinal round at state. Howard came back to take fourth place at Stockton.

NATHAN THALER, Estancia, 215 pounds, Sr.

While both Thaler and Gary Ullerich of Capistrano Valley advanced to state, Thaler was a Division IV champion and won by default over Ullerich at Masters.

JOSE HERNANDEZ, Loara, Hwt., Sr.

Hernandez, who finished fourth at the Division IV meet, was one match away from placing at Masters and qualifying for state.