LA HABRA, CA. – The atmosphere in La Habra was nothing short of operatic—a night defined by soaring triumphs, crushing setbacks, and the raw, unbridled adrenaline that only the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet can produce. When the final whistle blew, the “Empire” of St. John Bosco stood alone at the summit, delivering a performance of such tactical precision it can only be described as a masterpiece.

The Bosco Behemoth: A Golden Harvest. The Braves didn’t just win; they dictated the very terms of the engagement. Amassing a colossal 315.5 points, St. John Bosco stamped their authority on the Southern Section by punching tickets for 12 grapplers to “The Big Dance” in Bakersfield. Their dominance was underscored by an incredible eight individual champions:

The Lightweights: Luke Loren (106), Sean Wilcox (126), Nathan Carrillo (132)

The Middleweights: Zaydrein Hernandez (138), Jesse Grajeda (144), Michael Romero (150)

The Upper Weights: Isai Fernandez (175), Mason Savidan (190).

The Aztec Resistance: Esperanza’s Elite Showing. While Bosco took the crown, Esperanza High proved it is a world-class program in its own right. Finishing as the runner-up with a formidable 286.5 points, the Aztecs matched Bosco’s qualifying count with 12 state-bound wrestlers.

The championship finals featured a high-stakes tactical split between these two titans: The Technical Fall: Bosco’s Isai Fernandez put on a clinic at 175 lbs, securing a 19-3 tech fall over Jude Holiday. The Major Decision: Esperanza’s Dimetry Molina answered back with authority, dismantling Sergio Gomez with a 15-4 major at 157 lbs.

The Barons of Fountain Valley High finished a strong third in the team standings, with champions in Hunter Jauregui (120), Vinnie Gutierrez (138), and Kavi Garvey (144). A total of 11 wrestlers made it to the big dance for Fountain Valley.

In fourth place were the Golden Bears of Temecula Valley High, which scored 109 points and had an individual champion, Ashton Lassig, at 175 pounds. Four additional grapplers also made it to the big dance with an alternative at 126 pounds.

Centennial Corona High was fifth at the Masters Meet, a big accomplishment not seen since the late 90s. Centennial finished with 98.5 points and advanced a total of five grapplers to the finals, with Angel Rodriguez being the lone champion at 285 pounds.

The rest of the teams finishing in the top 10 of the team standings included Palm Desert (98.5), Chaparral (70.5), Hesperia (67.5), Victor Valley (59), and Chino (56.5).

Photo credit: St. John Bosco