BAKERSFIELD — This year’s CIF State Wrestling Championships from Thursday through Saturday marked the fourth in which Mason Ontiveros and Carter Vannest descended on. Each entered the weekend hoping to fulfill dreams of standing atop their respective podiums, but despite semifinal round losses, the two Pitman High School seniors remained optimistic and at peace in the aftermath of the prestigious tournament.

“Winning a state championship in high school was obviously a goal, but even though it didn’t happen, we can still look back at our time here at Pitman and be proud of what we accomplished and how we helped grow this program,” said Ontiveros. “This was just one step on our journey. We still have the summer and our college careers ahead of us. Our stories are just beginning.”

Ontiveros placed third in the 175-pound division, while Vannest finished fourth at 190 pounds.

The senior duo, close friends who will also share a wrestling room in Norman with the University of Oklahoma next year, were two of four medalists for the Pride at this year’s tournament. In the 105-pound women’s division, junior Lily Dizon placed fifth. In the men’s 144-pound bracket, senior Edward Sheeran Jr. clinched seventh.

As a collective, the Pride qualified a program-record 14 to this year’s state tournament. The boys left Bakersfield ranked 10th in the team competition, while the girls finished 20th.

“We’ve done a lot of winning, especially lately,” said Pitman head coach Adam Vasconcellos. “This year’s group was special in the fact that they are such hard workers and are such amazing people. This is my 18th year coaching and we were able to bring our blue banner count to 15 and set a lot of these kids up for college. That is our most important goal, to set them up for their future. And even after this weekend, the future is so bright for all of them.”

Ontiveros cruised through the first two days of competition, the second-seeded grappler at 175. Following a first-round bye, he earned a fall of Stockdale’s Liiam Baculi in under a minute of Round of 32 action. In the Round of 16, he pinned Del Oro’s Evan Hilmen in the early stages of the second period. And just before the end of the first period of the quarterfinal, he pinned Peninsula’s Efosa Osayande. His shot at gold ended in the semifinal, dropping a 4-2 decision to St. John Bosco’s Isai Fernandez. Fernandez took a late lead with an escape and a takedown in the final period.

“I knew it was going to be a really, really good match because Isai goes the whole time. Mentally, I was prepared to go a full 12 minutes if I had to, but unfortunately, I let one slip by at the very last period. I tried to get it back, but there was just not enough time. He's a tough opponent. I respect him a lot. I might have respected him a little too much because of the way I wrestled as I was kind of playing a little bit with this game. At the end of the day, you have two high-level athletes and only one can win. He felt better that day.”

Ontiveros then went on to pull out a 19-6 majority decision against Clovis North’s Elijah Ornelas in the consolation semifinal before muscling a 9-7 decision over Gilroy’s Travis Grace in the third-place match.

“After my loss, I was sad for about 30 seconds, but the second I got off the mat, all that pressure kind of lifted off my chest,” said Ontiveros, who placed fifth as a freshman and was a runner-up the previous two years. “For three years, the pressure just kept building and building on me to win a state title. It didn’t happen, but that’s alright. It adds a bit of humbleness as I look ahead to college.”

A similar story unfolded for Vannest, who began his run with three straight technical falls: 17-1 over Julio Leija of Tarabuco Hills in the Round of 64, 19-4 over Raiden Bishop of Buchanan in the Round of 32 and 18-1 over El Toro’s William Schindele in the Round of 16. He then earned an 8-3 decision over Sheldon’s Noah Daniels in the quarterfinal before falling by 16-3 majority decision to St. John Bosco’s Mason Savidan. 

In his consolation semifinal, Vannest recorded three takedowns and two escapes to secure an 11-7 decision. He dropped the third-place match to Poway’s Dom Dotson by a 17-1 technical fall.

“This isn’t the end for us, and definitely not the pinnacle,” said Vannest, who also placed fourth at last year’s tournament. “We're out here wrestling every day, trying to be national champions and world champions. This is just another thing that gets us ready. State is one thing, but we have to mentally prepare ourselves for bigger things.”

Also with sights set on the collegiate level is Sheeran, who stood on Saturday’s podium for the first time. He plans on attending Virginia Military Institute later this year.

After winning his first two matches, Sheeran was on the wrong end of an 18-1 technical fall in the quarterfinal round. He bounced back in the consolation bracket with a 9-2 decision over Zander Schaefer of Clovis. Two takedowns and a reversal won him the seventh-place match by an 8-5 score over Centennial’s Rocco Godinez.

“I’m proud that I didn’t quit,” said Sheeran, who didn’t place at state a year ago. “I didn’t meet my goal last year and I came back and worked just as hard. “Being a state placer, that was a big accomplishment for me.”

Dizon also had redemption on her mind. After being a state finalist as a freshman in 2023, she failed to get out of the consolation bracket at last year’s championship tournament. This year, even moving up a weight class with what she considered to be tougher competition, she ended her run with her hand raised in the fifth-place match. 

Dizon won six of eight matches over the weekend, with her final coming against Northview’s Sophia Lazaro by 8-7 decision. The junior recorded an early takedown, then posted points with two reversals. A technical violation called Lazaro in the third period proved to be the difference.

“I’m proud of the fact that I went up in weight and made it this far,” Dizon said. “I definitely want one last crack at the state title for my senior year.”

Dizon and the rest of Pitman’s women’s starting lineup from this season will all return next year.

Vasconcellos said that the accomplishments of student-athletes like Ontiveros, Vannest, Dizon and Sheeran will continue to inspire others in the wrestling room.

“These guys are heroes to a lot of the younger kids coming up,” Vasconcellos said. “They know what’s possible because of what this group and past groups have accomplished. They have set the standard for this program.”