Every wrestling program from the Journal’s coverage area will be represented in Stockton this year after a dominant weekend of divisional and regional action across Northern California.

Between Pitman, Turlock, Hughson, Hilmar and Denair high schools will be 53 grapplers competing this week at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament in Stockton. Masters marks the final step in the journey to the prestigious CIF State tournament in two weeks in Bakersfield.

Of the 53 Masters qualifiers, 13 earned first-place finishes at their respective divisional and regional events.

THREE BLUE BANNERS WON

No local program had a better weekend than Pitman High, who had 25 student-athletes punch tickets to the Masters, a program record. With 11 champions between the regional and divisional events, they were able to add two more blue banners to their gymnasium, defending their team titles from a year ago. 

At the Division II boys tournament at Vista Del Lago High in Folsom, the Pride claimed the team championship with a score of 308, clearing runner-up Ponderosa by 112 points.

Closer to home at Central Valley High in Ceres, the girls took the team title with 251 points, besting runner-up Livingston by 91.

At neighboring Hughson High, the host Huskies won the Division V boys tournament despite having no first-place finishers. Nevertheless, consistency throughout the lineup with eight state qualifiers, including five top-three finishes, was enough for them to put up 176 points and outlast Ripon’s 160 and raise the program’s first blue banner since 1999.

DIVISION II BOYS TOURNAMENT

All 14 of Pitman's participating male wrestlers advanced to Masters. The Pride’s seven first-place finishers marked the most of all competing programs in Folsom. 

Taking individual titles on the boys side were Troy Ceja (285), Carter Vannest (192), Mason Ontiveros (177), Xadian Padilla (167), Isaac Padilla (159), Edward Sheeran (146) and RJ Wilharm (134).

Ceja claimed his title with a 5-0 decision over Ponderosa’s James Friedman. Vannest dominated West Park’s Liam Forsyth with a 19-3 technical fall. Ontiveros pinned Inderkum’s Riley Knight in his bracket’s final match. Xadian Padilla muscled a 12-2 majority decision against Ponderosa’s Dan Monier. Meanwhile, Isaac Padilla earned a 17-2  technical fall against Gregori’s Nolan Moffett. So did Sheeran, as a 19-3 technical fall against Michael Coelho of Los Banos earned him a top spot on the podium. Wilharm bested Bella Vista’s Richard Mujagic by an 11-3 majority decision. 

Three more Pride wrestlers competed in championship matches but fell just short of gold — Jeremiah Mora (217), Ethan Lopez (140) and Mika Ontiveros (152).

The 152-pound final was a crosstown affair with Ontiveros facing Turlock’s Jack Locke. Locke avenged a CCAL Championship loss to Ontiveros last week with a 13-4 majority decision Saturday.

Locke was one of six male Bulldogs to advance, joining third-placers Levi Cook (217) and Cole Cronon (134), fourth-placing Freddy Luna (285) and Mattius Gonzalez (167), fifth-place Uriah Castillo (128), sixth-placers Shane Petty (159) and Jayden Perez (140), seventh-place Conner Ashbaugh (182) and eighth-place Hunter Smith (115).

Other Pitman male wrestlers that qualified with top-eight finishes were fifth-placer Isiah Vasquez (122) and Ryder Munoz (115), seventh-place Javy Gray (128) and eighth-place Joshua Olaes Barraza (108).

GIRLS SOUTH REGIONALS

The Pride won the girls regional banner backed by four first-place finishes.

Lily Dizon got things started with a thrilling 13-10 overtime victory in the 105-pound final against Golden Valley’s Neveah Rodriguez. At 110 pounds, Bella Serrano claimed the crown with a second-period pin of Escalon’s Angeline Mills. Patricia Bray also earned a title-clinching pin at 115 pounds in the second period against Escalon’s Miroslava Torres. Ava Velasquez won it all at 120 pounds by muscling a 6-3 decision against Gregori’s Delilah Housh.

Pitman runners-up were Leila Avalos (125), Ailey Gray (130) and Alexis Rivas (155). Other Pride qualifiers were Julissa Contreras (4th, 145), Emily Martinez (5th, 105), Nathalia Magallon (7th, 235) and Millynah Santos (8th, 190).

Turlock left Ceres with a trio of Masters qualifiers, led by Aliah Bertalotto, who earned second at 100 pounds. Emilia Silveira Montes placed fourth at 170 pounds, and Leah Marshall finished fifth at 235.

Meanwhile Hughson, Denair and Hilmar each qualified a pair to Masters.

For the Huskies, it was the Austins, formerly of the Pitman program. Two-time, defending state champion with the Pride Yzabella “Baya” Austin turned in a third-place performance at 140 pounds, as did younger sister Annebella Austin at 235 pounds.

Mackenzie Miguel and Brianna Thomas will be representing Denair at Masters, as they also both finished third at 125 and 155 pounds, respectively. 

Hilmar’s Arely Ambriz finished runner-up at 190 pounds to punch her ticket to Stockton. She’ll be joined by teammate Sophia Azevedo, who finished sixth at 115 pounds.

DIVISION V BOYS TOURNAMENT

Hughson's charge to the boy’s Division V blue banner was led by the trio of Carlos Zapien (250), Caleb Parshall (150) and Caleb Bowerman (144), whose collective efforts to be in runner-up positions was key.

Placing third for the Huskies was Valente Soria at 190 pounds and Landon Mason at 138. Ryker Beeson earned fourth at 285 and Dominic Lopez finished fifth at 126, while Nathaniel Katz contributed with a sixth-place finish at 113 pounds.

The program that did have a wrestler realize an individual divisional title was Hilmar in Landon Ormonde. At 106 pounds, Ormonde pulled out a 9-7 decision against North Highland’s Mustafa Mohammadi in the championship clash. His teammate a weight up, Jake Nunes, placed fourth in the 113-pound bracket.

Only the top four grapplers from the Division IV and V tournaments advanced to Masters, meaning Lopez of Hughson will serve as an alternate in the case any of the qualifiers miss weight or do not compete for any other reasons.

MASTERS INFORMATION

The 2026 Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament will take place this Friday and Saturday from Stockton’s Adventist Health Arena. Action will be kicking off each day at 9 a.m. The top five placers in each weight class this weekend will punch their tickets to Bakersfield for the CIF State Championships.