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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Sophomore comes up clutch for Pride at section duals
Mika Ontiveros
Pitman sophomore Mika Ontiveros was named the Journal’s Athlete of the Week (CANDY PADILLA/The Journal).

The past seven days has been a roller coaster of emotions for Pitman sophomore Mika Ontiveros. Last Wednesday, he was overcome with disappointment after getting pinned in the first period in his match with Turlock’s Isaiah Bertalotto in the Pride’s 49-20 dual victory over the Bulldogs. Many 16-year-olds may have been discouraged moving forward, but as many of his coaches say, Ontiveros is simply wired differently.

On Saturday, he returned to the mats for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Team Duals, where he won both of his matches, including an overtime thriller to clinch the Pride’s second consecutive blue banner.

After winning his first match of the day in the Pride’s 63-3 victory over Linden in the semifinals, the 146-pound Ontiveros found himself in a winner-take-all match with them holding onto a 35-24 lead against Ponderosa of Shingle Springs. 

“We were down, my teammates brought us back, and I just wanted to get it done for my team,” he said. “We sacrificed a lot and worked hard. We spend a lot of time working for this goal, so I couldn’t let them down.”

The stakes were raised after the match score stood at 4-4 at the end of regulation. But again, it seemed as if nothing could faze the youngster.

“No. None at all,” he said when asked if he felt any extra pressure heading into overtime. “I remembered what my coach would always say, which is to be calm and be ready. And they told me that if it goes to any of these rounds that I got it, so I had full confidence.”

The confidence showed, as he scored a takedown in the early moments to win the match and secure the section title.

“I was thinking, ‘If this thing comes down to Mika, we’re happy with it,’" said head coach Adam Vasconcelos. "We will live and die with Mika all the time because I just know that he's never going to give up. Mika loves those types of situations and the moments. He's a crowd favorite. It's good to see him be rewarded for his hard work.”

Ontiveros is one of the many Pitman wrestlers who have aspirations to compete in the state tournament later this year. Even though he didn’t qualify for the tournament as a freshman last year, he has become familiar with the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, as he is the brother of Pitman grapplers Alana and Mason Ontiveros. Alana placed third at the state tournament in 2022 and is currently wrestling at Menlo College. Mason, his twin, placed fifth at last year’s meet.

His teammates certainly agree that he has what it takes to make a state appearance.

“I asked him at lunch, ‘Mika, are you making it to state?’ And he was so confident. He's like, ‘Oh, heck yeah,’” recalled fellow sophomore Brayden Silva. “He started talking about divisionals and Masters. He started naming guys, their rankings, saying he's going to beat them… That kid definitely has the motivation and can make the top of the rankings.”

Age: 16

Grade: Sophomore

Favorite class: History with Mr. Reza

Favorite food: Tacos, but only from the taco truck

Hobbies: Hanging out with friends

Pets: One cat and three dogs

Favorite animal: Lion

Favorite movie: “The Shining”

Favorite color: Black

Favorite athlete: Yoel Romero 

Favorite team: Kansas City Chiefs

Favorite artist: Eminem, Tupac and Biggie