For more than six decades, the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) State Wrestling Championships have stood as a unique competition within the nation. Since 1959, the 3C2A has organized its own regional and state competitions, separate from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Consequently, all California programs primarily compete against one another, a tradition interrupted only briefly by Lassen College’s participation in the NJCAA in the 1990s.

A few elite programs have historically anchored 3C2A wrestling. San Bernardino Valley defined the 1960s with five championships, while Chabot College broke new ground in the 1970s as the first Northern California school to win back-to-back state titles (1972-’73). Chabot’s dominance continued into the 1980s with three additional trophies, including a unique double-win in 1982 during the 3C2A’s transition to fall competition; that year, Chabot cemented its national #1 ranking by defeating NJCAA powerhouse Phoenix College of Arizona. Moorpark took the reins in the 1990s to early 2000s with five titles, followed by Fresno City’s sustained success from the early 2000s into the 2020s (state record 18 titles since 1959). Other notable team champions include Bakersfield, Cerritos, College of Sequoias, Diablo Valley, El Camino, Lassen, Palomar, Rio Hondo, Sacramento City, Santa Ana, and Sierra. 

Mt. San Antonio College has established itself as the new dominant force in California Community College wrestling. Since 2021, the Walnut, California based Mounties have secured four out of five state team titles, with 2025 marking yet another landmark season. Their most recent victory was powered by individual state champions Jason Saenz (141s), Maxximus Martinez (157s), and Dib Sawaya (285s). The team demonstrated immense depth throughout the roster, finishing with ten medalists and five All-American honors (top-four finishes). 

Rounding out the top four, Cerritos claimed second place behind two individual champions and nine total placers (four All-Americans). In a rare turn for traditional powerhouse Fresno City, the team failed to produce an individual champion for the first time in years; however, they still secured third with seven placers and five All-Americans. The tournament’s breakout story was fourth-place Victor Valley College (Victorville, CA). Since their first state placer in 1994, the program has since earned 37 state placements, 23 All-American honors, and four individual champions. After breaking the top ten in 2010 and finishing eighth in 2024, Victor Valley reached a new program milestone this year by taking fourth with a school-record six state placers. Kudos to Head Coach Adam Valdez and his assistant coaches Mike Ruiz and Rocky Humphrey. A job well done!

The championship finals delivered high-stakes action across every weight class, as every athlete fought relentlessly to secure their place on the podium. Alongside the previously mentioned state champions, several other wrestlers displayed exceptional grit to claim their top honors: Connor Jeong (Santa Rosa JC, 125), Josiah Sandoval (Sac City, 133), Sean Otero (Cerritos, 149), Preston Scharf (Cuesta, 165), Abraham Galicia (Cerritos, 174), Rafael Roman-Amador (Chabot, 184), and Vaea Salt (Sac-City, 197).

Southern California programs dominated the 2025 3C2A state championships, producing 50 state placers and 24 All-American honorees. In contrast, Northern California programs secured 29 state placements, with 16 athletes earning All-American status. Individual honors were highlighted by Cuesta’s Preston Scharf, who was named Outstanding Wrestler after claiming the 165-lb title and his second career All-American honor. Coaching accolades were swept by Mt. San Antonio College, with David Rivera named Head Coach of the Year and RobertDominguez earning Assistant Coach of the Year.

Another year, another thrilling conclusion to the 3C2A State Championships! The talent pipeline remains strong, with a reliable percentage of athletes moving on to compete at the NAIA and NCAA levels. The good news continues: the 3C2A is back up to twenty-three programs with the welcome return of wrestling at the College of the Redwoods (Eureka, CA) and Imperial Valley College (Southernmost part of California). While this is a far cry from the ninety programs of the 1970s heyday—a fascinating story for another day—this positive net growth is an excellent sign. Here’s hoping other former programs follow suit soon. 

The 3C2A represents an outstanding path for high school athletes, offering essential opportunities to continue their wrestling careers and succeed in their next phases. Having wrestled in the 3C2A for Chabot College in the late 1980s, it is a privilege to write about it today. I look forward to the future of this remarkable association. A special ‘thank you’ goes to John Sachs of tech-fall.com, an internationally respected photographer, for his exceptional talent in capturing great moments in time and promoting 3C2A wrestling; he is a true asset to the scene and beyond.

TOP 4 TEAMS

1. Mt. SAC (S): 166.5 (3 Champs/10 Placers)
2. Cerritos (S): 130.0 (2 Champs/9 Placers)
3. Fresno City (N): 111.5 (7 Placers)
4. Victor Valley (S): 97.0 (6 Placer)

OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: Preston Scharf, Cuesta College (165s)

HEAD COACH-OF-THE-YEAR: David Rivera, Mt. SAC (S)

ASSISTANT COACH-OF-THE-YEAR: Robert Dominguez, Mt. SAC (S)

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

125

1. Connor Jeong (Santa Rosa, N)
2. Alijah Ortiz (Fresno City, N)
3. Camilo Ramirez (Mt. SAC, S)
4. Elias Casas (Victor Valley, S)
5. Adrian Jimenez (Cerritos, S)
6. Manuel Martir (Mt. SAC, S)
7. Troy Valentine (Lassen, N)
8. Victor Ramirez (Modesto JC, N)

133

1. Josiah Sandoval (Sac-City, N)
2. Paulo Valdez (Victor Valley, S)
3. Andre Garcia (Santa Ana, S)
4. Cairo Plascencia (Fresno City, N)
5. Rylan Madrid (Mt. SAC, S)
6. Dylan Garcia (Victor Valley, S)
7. Edmon Altunyan (Rio Hondo, S)
8. Billy Thornton (Sac-City, N)

141 

1. Jason Saenz (Mt. SAC, S)
2. Isaac Gonzelez (Cerritos, S)
3. Rocky Humphrey (Victor Valley, S)
4. Sergio Porras (Palomar, S)
5. Luis Acosta-Tackett (Bakersfield, S)
6. Alexander Lopez (Sac-City, N)
7. Haha Cerda (Fresno City, N)
8. Chris Garza (Lemoore, S)

149

1. Sean Otero (Cerritos, S)
2. L.J. Loreto (Fresno City, N)
3. Angel Salgado (Victor Valley, S)
4. Spencer Parry (Cerritos, S)
5. Michael Williams (Mt. SAC, S)
6. Brendon Ko (Bakersfield, S)
7. Kaden Pryor (Cuesta, S)
8. Nicholas Rodriguez (Palomar, S)

157

1. Maxximus Martinez (Mt. SAC, S)
2. Grant Eklund (Cuesta, S)
3. Islam Abdullaeu (Sierra, N)
4. Chris Guerrero (Victor Valley, S)
5. Roman Gutierrez (Fresno City, N)
6. Larry Cruz (Rio Hondo, S)
7. Paul Anthony Johnson (Sierra, N)
8. Noah Zuniga (Cerritos, S)

165

1. Preston Scharf (Cuesta, S)
2. Veysel Pekince (Mt. SAC, S)
3. Austin Simmons (Fresno City, N)
4. Robbie Rael (Lemoore, S)
5. Giovanni Ruiz (Bakersfield, S)
6. Turner Yanagisawa (Rio Hondo, S)
7. David Sypnicki (Santa Rosa JC, N)
8. Wendell Mitchell (Mt. SAC, S)

174

1. Abraham Galicia (Cerritos, S)
2. Juan Nuno (Lemoore, S)
3. Brock Kitchen (Fresno City, N)
4. Ivan Natceli (Palomar, S)
5. Kodie Cooks (Cuesta, S)
6. Elijah Guzman (Bakersfield, S)
7. Munther Saleh (Sac-City, N)
8. Ali Hamzia (Santa Rosa JC, N)

184

1. Rafael Roman-Amador (Chabot, N)
2. Joshua Cortez (Lassen, N)
3. Sebastian Anderson (Palomar, S)
4. Carson Wilcox (Sierra, N)
5. Mitchell Semaan (Mt. SAC, S)
6. Farzad Hashimi (Cerritos, S)
7. Asher Edwardson (Shasta, N)

197

1. Vaea Salt (Sac-City, N)
2. William Fulgentes (Moorpark, S)
3. Ryan George (Santa Rosa JC, N)
4. Joe Ellis (Santa Rosa JC, N)
5. Jakar Carter (Palomar, S)
6. Nelson Ramirez (Cerritos, S)
7. Chris Wells (Lassen, N)
8. Leo Ramiez (Lemoore, S)

285

1. Dib Sawaya (Mt. SAC, S)
2. Jonathan Garcia (Bakersfield, S)
3. Dominic DeBo (Chabot, N)
4. Bryce Meggers (Sierra, N)
5. Dylan Avila (Santa Ana, S)
6. Simon Flores (Cerritos, S)
7. Seth Seibert (Bakersfield, S)
8. Angel Blanco (Skyline, N)

Photo Credit – John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com