Fountain Valley wrestling claims fourth consecutive CIF crown
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Fountain Valley extended its reign of dominance in the CIF Southern Section individual wrestling championships, claiming its fourth consecutive team title.
Eight champions among its 11 total finalists helped Fountain Valley lap the field Feb. 14 in the Coastal Division tournament, as the hosts celebrated once more inside the gym fondly referred to as Baron Manor.
Senior Hunter Jauregui, committed to American University, earned his third section title, leading Fountain Valley to a 381.5-153 margin of victory over runner-up West Covina South Hills.
“I think it’s starting to become more of a team sport for me,” said Jauregui, who posted three pins en route to winning the 120-pound title. “I’m the team captain this year, and I’m just really excited to go out and compete and put points on the board for my team. It feels so fulfilling, seeing how good my team’s been training. They’ve been trying their hardest every single day.
“We’ve been giving the most effort. We are doing all the right things. We’re listening to the coaches, and it feels really good to come together as a team, and we’re winning CIF titles.”
The postseason demands sacrifice for wrestlers to slot into the available spots within a lineup. Jauregui looked to teammate Chris Qureshi (113 pounds), one of several two-time titlists for the Barons.
“I’m cutting a lot of weight, too, but Chris has it the worst, by far,” Jauregui said. “One thing that I really admire about Chris is he’s definitely a team player, and that is such an amazing thing to have on a team. He’s already committed to college, he has nothing to lose, but he’s going out there and he’s sacrificing his body for the team. That shows a lot of heart, and that shows a lot of character, and that’s really something you want in a teammate.”
Vinnie Gutierrez (138), Kavi Garvey (144), Mikel David Uyemora (150) and Christian Stoeber (165) each claimed an individual CIF crown for the second time.
Gutierrez was named the lower-weight MVP of the tournament after producing four first-period pins and a technical fall on his way through the bracket.
Joining their teammates as first-time winners were Mason McDonnell (157) and Brayden Carson (175). McDonnell, a freshman whose older brothers TJ and Khale both wrestle at Oregon State, is thankful for the example set before him.
“The pressure of filling the shoes of my brothers, I’m very grateful for it, instead of looking at it in a stressful way,” McDonnell said. “Without my brothers, I don’t know where I would be. Just looking up to them and seeing all the great things that they’ve done, and wanting to do more than what they’ve done and achieve more than what they’ve achieved, it’s made me the wrestler I am today.”
Rounding out the group of finalists for the Barons were Issac Torres (126), Liam Qureshi (132) and Rocky Windrath (215).
Corona del Mar’s Aaron Silva (126) also joined the ranks of three-time champions in the CIF individuals. A transfer from Calvary Chapel in Santa Ana, Silva’s first two titles came as a member of the Eagles. His older brother, AJ, is now the head coach of the Sea Kings.
“My brother’s an amazing coach,” he said. “He’s building everyone from the ground up. I’m trying to show everyone that CdM is a good team, same with every other team in the Sunset League. The Sunset League is a really hard league, and everyone should be getting props. CdM is on the come up.”
Local finalists also included Luke Flores (106), who spearheaded a top-10 finish in the team standings for Huntington Beach. Newport Harbor’s Rikki Villasenor also reached the final at 113 pounds.
CIF Southern Section Coastal Division finals
At Fountain Valley High
Team Results
1. Fountain Valley 381.5; 2. South Hills 153; 3. Alta Loma 142; 4. Bishop Amat 138.5; 5. La Mirada 135; 6. Mayfair 119; 7. Calabasas 115.5; 8. Downey 108.5; 9. Chaminade 103.5; 10. Huntington Beach 97.5; 13. Corona del Mar 84.5; 20. Marina 60; 21. Newport Harbor 56; 34. Edison 24.
Championship Matches
106 — Luke Montero (La Mirada) tech fall. Luke Flores (Huntington Beach), 21-4.
113 — Chris Qureshi (Fountain Valley) maj. Rikki Villasenor (Newport Harbor), 8-0.
120 — Hunter Jauregui (Fountain Valley) dec. Troy Montero (La Mirada), 12-5.
126 — Aaron Silva (Corona del Mar) pins Issac Torres (Fountain Valley), 4:59.
132 — Jayden Plata (Downey) dec. Liam Qureshi (Fountain Valley), 7-0.
138 — Vinnie Gutierrez (Fountain Valley) tech. fall Micah Wegman (Calabasas), 22-3.
144 — Kavi Garvey (Fountain Valley) tech. fall Daniel Baeza (San Dimas), 18-1.
150 — Mikel David Uyemora (Fountain Valley) pins Michael Kase (Chaminade), 3-0.
157 — Mason McDonnell (Fountain Valley) maj. Adam Salas (Los Alamitos), 9-1.
165 — Christian Stoeber (Fountain Valley) tech. fall Joshua Silva (Mayfair), 19-3.
175 — Brayden Carson (Fountain Valley) dec. Rex Topete (South Hills), 4-2.
190 — Michael Martinez (Carter) dec. Jared De Leon (Alta Loma), 10-4.
215 — Michael Baeza (San Dimas) dec. Rocky Windrath (Fountain Valley), 7-0.
285 — Luis Zamora (Warren) pins Nathan Solano (Alta Loma), 4:23.
Also in the CIF Southern Section individual wrestling championships:
Southern Division: Laguna Beach junior Xavier Brooks notched four victories by fall in winning the 215-pound title at Glenn High in Norwalk.
Brooks was named the upper-weight MVP of the tournament. Junior Alek Ramirez (126) also earned a fourth-place finish for Laguna Beach, which placed 17th among 47 teams.
Sophomore Thien Nguyen went 5-1 with four pins in finishing third in the 215-pound bracket for Ocean View.
