CLOVIS, CA. – In a high-stakes showdown between two of California’s elite wrestling programs, Buchanan High reversed recent history and delivered a statement victory, defeating Poway High 32–23 in a hard-fought dual that came down to the very last bout.

After losing to the Titans in each of the past two seasons, the Bears showed poise, depth, and grit in winning eight of the fourteen contested matches. The atmosphere inside Buchanan’s gym was electric from start to finish, with momentum swinging back and forth before the Bears ultimately closed the door in dramatic fashion.

The dual begins at 120 pounds

The night officially started at 120 pounds, and Poway struck first. Rene Cordero gave the Titans early momentum, outlasting Thiago Silva in a back-and-forth battle to win 13–7, putting Poway up 3–0.

Buchanan responded immediately at 126 pounds. Paul Ruiz wrestled with relentless pace, rolling to an 18–2 technical fall over Aaron Klein and swinging the lead to the Bears, 5–3.

At 132 pounds, Buchanan’s Ashton Besmer delivered one of the most decisive performances of the night, pinning Jack Malinconico and extending Buchanan’s lead to 11–3.

The Bears kept their foot on the gas at 138, where C.J. Huerta controlled tempo in a tight defensive battle, edging Matthew Orbeta 2–0 to make it 14–3.

Poway stopped the bleeding at 144 pounds. 2025 Cadet double medalist Arseni Kikiniou showcased his international pedigree, defeating Troy Ruiz 9–2 and trimming Buchanan’s lead to 14–6.

At 150 pounds, Buchanan’s Ivan Arias, ranked No. 2 in California, delivered a composed and tactical performance, defeating Diego Valdiviezo 10–3, pushing the Bears ahead 17–6.

Poway answered back in a huge way at 157 pounds. Carlos Valdiviezo, bumping up a weight class, upset No. 4-ranked Carlo Contino with a crisp 5–0 decision, keeping the Titans alive at 17–9.

Buchanan steadied the ship at 165, where Blake Woodward shut down Bailey Holman 4–0, giving the Bears a commanding 20–9 lead with four matches left.

Then the dual ignited.

At 175 pounds, Mario Carini — the No. 1 wrestler in the country — turned the gym upside down, scoring a pin over Diego Montalvo and lighting a fire under the Poway bench. Suddenly, it was 20–15.

Poway carried that momentum into 190, where Dominic Dotson dominated Patrick Roberts with an 11–1 major decision, cutting Buchanan’s lead to 20–19.

At 215 pounds, Daniel Moylan kept the comeback alive, earning another major decision over Andre Sandoval. With one match remaining, Poway led 23–20 — a stunning swing after Buchanan had controlled much of the dual.

Heavyweight decides it all

With everything on the line at 285, Buchanan turned to Sammy Seja. Wrestling with patience and power, Seja controlled the match from start to finish, rolling to a 12–2 major decision over Lewis Fofanah-Akfar. The win swung the dual back in Buchanan’s favor, giving the Bears a 24–23 lead.

But the night wasn’t over yet.

The dual ends at 113 pounds

Because the meet started at 120, the final two matches — 106 and 113 — still had to be wrestled.

At 106 pounds, Buchanan’s Jax Vang, a 2025 state medalist, delivered under pressure, edging freshman Wyatt Carnrite 7–5 in a razor-thin bout. That victory pushed Buchanan’s advantage to 27–23.

The dual concluded at 113 pounds, and Buchanan saved one of its most dominant performances for last. Thales Silva, bumping up a weight, overwhelmed Julius Villamil with a 20–5 technical fall, sealing the final score at 32–23 and igniting a celebration among the Bears faithful.

Photo courtesy of John Sachs at https://tech-fall.com/

California rankings courtesy of Michael Cho https://carank.neocities.org/CA120Data

Box Score

106: Jax Vang (B) dec. Wyatt Carnrite (P) 7–5

113: Thales Silva (B) tech fall Julius Villamil (P) 20–5

120: Rene Cordero (P) dec. Thiago Silva (B) 13–7

126: Paul Ruiz (B) tech fall Aaron Klein (P) 18–2

132: Ashton Besmer (B) fall Jack Malinconico (P)

138: C.J. Huerta (B) dec. Matthew Orbeta (P) 2–0

144: Arseni Kikiniou (P) dec. Troy Ruiz (B) 9–2

150: Ivan Arias (B) dec. Diego Valdiviezo (P) 10–3

157: Carlos Valdiviezo (P) dec. Carlo Contino (B) 5–0

165: Blake Woodward (B) dec. Bailey Holman (P) 4–0

175: Mario Carini (P) fall Diego Montalvo (B)

190: Dominic Dotson (P) maj. Patrick Roberts (B) 11–1

215: Daniel Moylan (P) maj. Andre Sandoval (B)

285: Sammy Seja (B) maj. Lewis Fofanah-Akfar (P) 12–2

Final: Buchanan 32, Poway 23