Wednesday marked senior night for the Pitman High School wrestling program, the honoring of a class in which Pride head coach Adam Vasconcellos called one of the greatest to walk the halls of the campus in north Turlock. The senior core played an immense role in the team’s success against crosstown rival Turlock to put a cap on the Central California Athletic League team dual slate.
The Pride collected a pair of varsity wins, with the girls claiming victory by a 60-18 score, while the boys won 61-9. Both teams finished the regular season undefeated, and will look ahead to defending their Division I titles at the Sac-Joaquin Section team duals on Saturday at Lincoln High School in Stockton.
The girls bracket is expected to get underway at 9 a.m. with boys action to start at about 12:45 p.m.
“Nights like these are just a result of us putting in the work and trying to produce as many good wrestlers as possible,” Vasconcellos said. “Last year, our kids wrestled their tails off. That tournament that we put together, I don't know if we could ever wrestle that again. It was the best we've ever wrestled, and it's going to take a very, very similar performance to win it all again. It’s going to be exciting.”
Leading the charge for the Pitman boys all year has been the trio of Mason Ontiveros, Carter Vannest and Troy Ceja, three seniors that will compete at the top collegiate level next year and aiming to return to this year’s state tournament.
The University of Oklahoma-bound Ontiveros, the No. 2-ranked 175-pounder in the nation coming off two straight trips to the state finals, was slated to compete at 192 pounds Wednesday night, but as Turlock was set to forfeit the match, the Pride elected to also forfeit and send Ontiveros to face 2025 Masters qualifier Levi Cook. Ontiveros scored a pair of takedowns before securing the pin in just under 40 seconds.
A similar story unfolded for Ceja, the heavyweight Cal Poly commit, who pinned Freddy Luna with 25 seconds remaining in the opening period of the final match of the night.
Vannest, another future Sooner, was slated to compete at 192 pounds, but had the night off due to a Turlock forfeit.
Continuing to navigate injuries, roster changes and resting returning state qualifier Jack Locke, the Bulldogs forfeited five of the dual’s 14 scheduled matches, including the first three at 108, 115 and 122 pounds.
“Our focus was clear: give our wrestlers the best opportunities to grow, compete and develop for postseason success, while also making strategic decisions to set up key athletes for playoffs,” said Turlock second-year head coach Ricky Gonzalez.
In the first grappling action on the mats, though, the Bulldogs collected a pair of wins courtesy of junior Cole Cronon and senior Uriah Castillo.
At 127 pounds, Castillo battled cramping to fend off Javy Gray by a 20-13 decision in one of the most exciting clashes of the night. Castillo built himself a comfortable 14-5 lead following two minutes of action before needing to stretch and loosen some leg muscles. Castillo opened the second period with a near fall before Gray strung together five straight points off a reversal and a takedown. Castillo escaped that and another takedown to pull out the win.
Cronon also had a great start at 134 pounds, earning a takedown of Titus Silveria within the first 10 seconds and finishing the fall at the 22-second mark.
From there, it was all Pitman, with RJ WIlharm muscling a 4-0 decision over Jayden Perez at 140 pounds, Ethan Lopez pinning Samuel Rodriguez with one second left in the second period of the 147-pound match, Mika Ontiveros earning a second-period fall over Mattias Gonzalez at 159 pounds, Isaac Padilla winning by 17-1 technical fall over Shane Petty after two periods at 167 pounds and Xadian Padilla besting Mateo Sandoval by 19-4 technical fall at 177 pounds.
There were another seven forfeits to make for a fast-moving girls dual, with the Bulldogs again finding early success, this time courtesy of returning state qualifier Aliah Bertalotto.
Up a weight class at 107 pounds, Bertalotto built a 14-4 lead with four takedowns before securing the second period pin. After that, former state finalist Lily Dizon quickly got Pitman on the board with a first-period pin of her own in the 112-pound match, setting the table for wins by teammates Bella Serrano at 117 pounds, Patricia Bray at 127 pounds and Julissa Contreras at 147 pounds. Winning the final two matches for Turlock was Emilia Montes and Leah Marshall.
“You saw a couple of our wrestlers get put on their back, drop some matches, so it’ll be a real test this weekend,” Vasconcellos said. “We also had one guy come back and win, another guy almost stealing one at the end, so we’re going to need that effort this weekend.”
A blue banner would mark the fourth year in a row of the program winning a section title, as the boys team also won the Division II championships in 2024 and 2023, while the girls claimed the inaugural Division I crown.
As for the Bulldogs, they will be preparing for the CCAL Individual Championships on Feb. 6, hosted by Enochs High School in Modesto.
“Turlock wrestling has a long history of producing state champions, national champions, and top-ranked wrestlers in the nation, and our system, club and culture are built to continue that tradition,” Gonzalez said. “With commitment, work ethic and guidance from our program, any athlete has the opportunity to reach the highest levels. Last night was another step in that process. From top to bottom, our athletes showed toughness, discipline and progress.”
