It wasn’t easy, but the Trabuco Hills wrestling team found a way to get to the top of the highly competitive CIF-SS Coastal Division Championships.
The Mustangs began the second day of wrestling at Westminster High with two-point lead and 11 wrestlers alive in the tournament.
They finished with six qualifiers for next week’s CIF-SS Masters Meet and the CIF title, outlasting Calvary Chapel, 190.5-182, Saturday.
The tournament field included four defending CIF champions with Santa Ana, Calvary Chapel, Laguna Hills and Palm Desert all participating, making the title that much more special for the Mustangs.
“We embraced the grind,” senior 120-pounder Brian Hernandez said. “That’s what wrestling is.”
Hernandez finished third.
Trey Munoz (126), Matt Roxas (132), Justin Sarabia (138) and Cody Burdette (160) all advanced to the finals, eventually finishing second.
“All 14 guys (in the lineup) had at least two wins,” Trabuco Hills coach Kurt Mitthof said. “We got bonus points from guys and guys wrestled above their seeds … it is an awesome feeling.
“This is the day that you worked for and the culmination of all of the hard work. It is awesome for all of the guys because a lot of times in wrestling, if you’re not winning it all, it is the individuals that go on to Masters and State, but everyone contributed.”
This is the first CIF title for the Mustangs.
“We had some tough losses in the finals, but I think we’re going to be ready for Masters,” Hernandez said. “Our coaches have been the key to get us to where we are.”
The nearest challenger to the Mustangs was Calvary Chapel.
Calvary Chapel trailed by 17 points entering the finals. They started the finals with Easton Amuro (106), Luciano Arroyo (120) and Elijah Palacio (126) all capturing titles.
Arroyo captured Lower Weight MVP honors, winning four matches by fall and another by decision.
Richard Gurule (132) and Gustavo Mello (145) finished fourth. Nathan Zotea, who started the day in the semifinals, finished third at 152 pounds.
Calvary Chapel also will take six into next week’s Masters.
“We brought nine kids total, eight of them were able to place top eight, six are moving on, so not bad,” Calvary Chapel coach Sal Garcia said. “Trabuco … they just have a good team from 106 all the way to heavyweight. We were always trying to catch up, but overall I thought our boys performed well.”
Laguna Hills and Santa Ana finished third and fifth, respectively. Anthony Le won the title at 132 pounds for the Hawks. The Saints had a pair of champions: Ed Bilezekchian (152) and Joey Daniel (220).
Sam Azar (Aliso Niguel, 160), Gerardo Hernandez (Capistrano Valley, 182) and Kyle Marshall (195) also won CIF titles.
In the Central Division:
Servite finished fifth, the best among county schools, with five qualifiers. Troy Madrigal won the 152-pound title. Josh Medina (120), Daniel Magana (126) and Levi Ball-Bryant (heavyweight) were finalists for the Friars.
Jacob Alderson (Troy, 138) and Brandon Murray (La Habra, 170) were finalists at their respective weights.
Sultana captured the team title with 279.5 points, followed by St. John Bosco with 266.5.
In the Inland Division:
Cypress and Irvine finished third and fourth, respectively, in the final standings. The Vaqueros led all county schools with six qualifiers, paced by 152-pound finalist Alex Bay.
Cypress had four with Hothaifa Al-Eid finishing second at 195 pounds.
Northview won the team title with 346 points, qualifying all 14 wrestlers for next week.
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@scng.com