Locals prepare for Masters

Edison High senior wrestlers Victor Diaz and Weston Hawkins, as well as Marina senior Chad Schaefer, won titles Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Inland Division championships at Fountain Valley High.

Diaz went 5-0 in the tournament at 140 pounds for the Chargers, outlasting Kyle Takeda of West Torrance, 8-7, in the final. Hawkins, a state qualifier last year, was also undefeated and topped Ben Harvey of Quartz Hill, 2-0, in the 189-pound final.

Schaefer, at 145 pounds, was also undefeated and earned the title by topping Jaykob Miller of Etiwanda, 9-5, in the championship match.

Several others local wrestlers finished top five in their weight class at either the Inland Division or Coastal Division finals. They move on to the CIF Masters Meet, which is Friday and Saturday at Temecula Valley High. The top nine finishers in each weight class qualify for the CIF State Meet, March 5 and 6 at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.

Masters meet qualifiers also include: Edison’s Brenton Visnoski (130 pounds), Erick Zumwalt (135), Aaron Lopez (152) and Scott Sire (160); Fountain Valley’s Edgar De La Torre (103), Jake Castroreale (112), Sean Pitonia (135) and Barry Gee (285); Marina’s Alex Anunciation (119), Brandon Brown (125) and Marcus Patterson (285), and Ocean View’s Blake Mukhls (152) and Jimmy Banh (189).