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 It’s one of the shortest routes to Bakersfield, some would say of the CIF’s San Francisco City Section. With only seven competing teams in San Francisco, the section is granted only one state qualifying berth for each weight class, and it is earned annually at the All-City Tournament, which of late has been dominated by Washington High School.

Of the 14 qualifying state spots for each weight class, George Washington H.S. came out of the 2009 tournament with 9 qualifiers and 1^st in the team race by over 80 points. Normally 9 qualifiers for a school at the state tournament would have coaches salivating with illusions of top 5 finishes and a nice plaque. However, transferring the success from the All-City Championships to the state meet has been a different story altogether for the S.F. City Section. The disparity in the level of wrestling within local competition against the state’s highest caliber wrestlers is naturally expected to be great, but over the past three years, the difference has been overwhelming and resulted in dreary experiences for the city’s best wrestlers.

The evidence of the large deviation between the City Section’s success and that of the larger traditional section powerhouses in the state comes in the form of a goose egg, “0”. Dating back to the 2007 CIF State Tournament, the S.F. Section has 0 wins compared to 84 losses, and this leads many to believe that their qualifying spot, although only one, is unwarranted and that the section should be absorbed into the Central Coast Section altogether. Whether those opinions are justified or not is an article for another day.

Regardless of opinion, what is important are the future prospects for wrestling in this section.  What will be different in the upcoming 2009-2010 season from the last few years? One reason for optimism is that we will be seeing the continuing fruition of Washington Coach Mike Meneses’s Presidio Middle School wrestling program. Seven years ago, Coach Meneses began the program to help develop wrestling skills in kids at young ages so that by the time they entered high school they could begin wrestling already being familiar with basic techniques and with some experience, qualities that the majority of high school freshmen lack when they come out for the sport. Additionally, it has garnered the interest of kids. Without the built interest in wrestling, it would have been difficult for Meneses to put together full line ups and to keep the wrestling room packed, and without full line ups and packed wrestling rooms, it would have been hard to maintain kids’ interest in wrestling. Meneses has been able to balance this symbiotic relationship and as a result, Washington High School has benefitted.

Coach Meneses’s blueprint has turned Washington High School into the new section power by claiming the All-City Championship title as well as 21 out of a possible 28 state qualifying spots over the last two seasons. Hopefully, to the benefit of the section as a whole, other San Francisco high school coaches implement this feeder program formula for their schools and even add on to it. The next progressive step would be to encourage kids to wrestle year round in the local Bay Area Wrestling Association (BAWA), throughout California, and even throughout the country. This is the minimum that will be needed to stay on par with other sections in the CIF, and it will definitely assist in decreasing the disparity in competition that the S.F. City Section Champions encounter when they arrive at the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield. As for silencing critics,….other than exhibiting success, no remedy as of yet has been discovered to keep them quiet.

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Gilroy's Luis Barragan will go for his second CCS Championship in 2010.

After a one-year lay off from his Central Coast Section crown in 2008, Luis Barragan of Gilroy will return for his senior season this year looking to reclaim the heavyweight title. With all the other place winners from 2009 departed, Barragan will have the inside track as the heavyweight favorite. However, Max Lohr of Pacific Grove (Sr.), and Brian Newell of Sequoia (Sr.) return as well with the desire to place within the top four to advance to the California State Tournament and to try and deny Barragan of repeating as a CCS Champion.

Barragan compiled a domineering track record against CCS opponents last season, losing only to departed CCS champion Richard Segovia from Silver Creek.  And, by seeing how he has fared in California’s toughest tournaments last year, he should be more than adequately prepared for any opponent that should rise to challenge him. He placed 1st at the Peninsula Invite and Cupertino Memorial, 2nd at Mid Cals and the Five Counties Invitational, 4th at the Doc Buchanan, and 6th at the Reno Tournament of Champions and Mission San Jose Tournament by default. His success landed him the 2nd seed at the 2009 CCS and he rolled straight through to the finals, pinning Tony Lozano of Oak Grove (1:03), Emmanuel Scott of Evergreen Valley (3:52), James Gonzalez of Junipero Serra (0:34), and Evan Swanson of Palma (2:48), before falling to Richard Segovia by a 3-1 decision.

At the Rabobank Arena In Bakersfield, Barragan commenced the CIF State Tournament with a victory by a 3:13 pin over Randall Hicks of Fullerton (7th place finisher in Southern Section) but fell by a tight 2-1 decision to Loren Baize of Lemoore (1st place finisher in Central Section).   Barragan won another match over Teddy Furnish of Kerman (7th place finisher in Central Section) by an 11-3 major decision before being eliminated by Peter Anguino from Elk Grove (2nd place finisher in Sac-Joaquin Section) in another close 2-1 decision, and finishing the tournament with a 2-2 record.

Max Lohr and Brian Newell entered the Central Coast Section last year seeded 5th and 6th, respectively, and both opened up their tournaments with strong runs, as each advanced to the quarterfinals. Lohr, one of the favorites to place, advanced to the round of 16 via a bye, and then defeated Arman Rahbar of Lynbrook in a 0:10 pin before being sent down to the wrestlebacks by Valley Christian’s Chris Tozer by a 2:45 pin. Evergreen Valley’s Emmanuel Scott eliminated Lohr in a 6-1 decision in the following match. 6th seeded Newell advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Salinas’s Cody Steele in a 2:27 pin and the defeating Chris Karabats in a 3-2 decision before losing to eventual 5th place finisher Evan Swenson of Palma by a 3-0 decision and then being eliminated by Lozano.

With the departure of 5 out last year’s 6 placers, there will undoubtedly be some fresh new faces standing atop the winner’s podium at the end of next season’s Central Coast Section Championship, and should Barragan, Lohr, and Newell, continue to improve above and beyond their competition, it can be expected that they will be the individuals standing there.

Watch Luis Barragan’s Five Counties finals match against Jose Lopez here.

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Photo by Lora Schraft, courtesy of Gilroy Dispatch.

Drew Meulman of St. Francis will enter the 2009-2010 season as the favorite at 215 lbs.

Over the course of the past two seasons, the Central Coast Section 215 lbs. weight class could easily be perceived as the Drew Meulman and the rest division, and his performances during that span in the CCS Tournament certainly justify that recognition. He is not just 10-0 since his sophomore year, but, rather, more like 10-0, and not one individual that was very close. Of those ten wins, eight came by way of pin, while the other two were a 13-0 major decision and a 5-1 decision (which was his CCS finals match as a sophomore). Of his eight pins, six occured in the first round. Essentially, he likes to pin, and he likes to pin quickly.

Those figures, meanwhile, aren’t meant to discredit the local competition in the weight class. Hunter Baird of Palma, who Meulman wrestled in the section finals, went 3-2 in the California State Tournament. George Dunlap, the 4^th place section finisher out of Soquel, and Rustin Mayorga, the 3^rd place finisher from South San Francisco, who Meulman hadn’t wrestled, each went 2-2 and 1-2, respectively, at the Continue reading here.

Tyler Edwards will move up to 171 lbs. next season and make a run to place among California's best at the 2010 CIF State Tournament.

Tyler Edwards of Monterey High School will be joining Kellogg, Tran, Perrigo, Rivera, and Alvarez in the 171 lbs. weight class, adding considerable depth and experience. He returns with high expectations after having competed on the national stage in Freestyle and Greco-Roman in the spring and summer.  Edwards represented California and took part in the 2009 USAW Juniors Freestyle and Greco-Roman National Duals in Oklahoma City. He finished as California’s state finalist in Freestyle and, while preparing for Junior Greco-Roman Nationals in Fargo, Edwards spent time training with 160 lbs. California State Champion and University of Wyoming bound Patrick Martinez, 160 lbs. state runner-Up and Columbia bound Stephen West, 152 lbs. California 7th place finisher and also Columbia bound Tyler Sheridan, and 215 lbs. California 5th place finisher Austin Moorehead of Sutter Union. He eventually finished the national tournament with 2 wins and 2 losses that came at the hands of Greco-Roman National Champion Mark Stenberg of Illinois and last year’s Cadet National Champion Levi Clemons of Florida. As if the summer of training wasn’t enough, Edwards will also be competing in football this coming fall season as a returning all-league defensive tackle. Normally, such an exhausting and grueling off season would be enough for anyone to get burned out, but for Edwards, it doesn’t seem like he’d rather have it any other way, and Central Coast Section fans should keep an eye out on him all season to watch how his commitment and dedication pay off. Continue reading here.

The CCS will turn to Logan Kellogg and Jeff Tran to try and be the first 171 lbs. placers at the CIF tournament since Hunter Collins (above) of Gilroy in 2008.

At a coaching clinic this past weekend, I had the privilege to see 2008 California State Champion and four time state placer Hunter Collins display a simple pre-practice warm up routine. Missing were his patented Ben Askren-esque curly locks and Gilroy High School wrestling attire, which were replaced by clothes pressed with “M” emblems on them, which represent the University of Michigan, the college he wrestles for now. He demonstrated the tiresome sparring that he took part in at Gilroy High School, his alma mater. He showed the coaches top work tactics, and he showed off his super duck under, which looked as smooth as water pouring from a glass.  Just a few minutes had passed and I could see the look on some of the coaches’ faces in the room looking on with a sense of relief that their own 171 lbs. wrestlers would not have to face this person any longer. And I don’t blame them. Even at my age now, I’d probably be hesitant to have faced him when he was a freshman. But I think that behind those relieved faces were mixed senses of forlornness. It’s been a year and a half since the Central Coast Section’s 171 lbs. pride and joy has left, and now the section is left wondering when its next “Hunter Collins” will come along.

Looking forward into the 2009-2010 season, the Central Coast Section will try to develop a deeper and more experienced 171 lbs. weight class, and it will have to start with its two returning place winners from 2009 and their supporting cast. With the top four placers from 2009, Zack Blumenfeld of Gunn, Jason Luchetti of Terra Nova, Devan Santos of Palma, and Omar Al-Helew of Santa Teresa, leaving, Logan Kellogg (Jr.) of San Lorenzo Valley will enter the 2009-2010 season looking to climb up to the top spot of the CCS winners’ podium after coming up a win short of qualifying for the CIF State Tournament last season. He began his post season last year with a 1st place finish at the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Finals. His finishes at the Peninsula Invitational (4th), Central Coast Team Duals (1st), Cupertino Memorial Tournament (2nd), Big Valley Classic (5th at 160 lbs.), and Mission San Jose Invitational (4th at 160 lbs.), along with his SCCAL Championship, earned Kellogg the 2nd seed in the 171 lbs. weight bracket at the Central Coast Section Championships. Continue reading here.

Dominic Kastl returns with more than a CCS Championship in mind.

Growing up as the oldest sibling is never easy. Without anyone else but your parents to look up to, and with no precedents to follow, the eldest typically has to be the trailblazer of the family and create a path for the younger siblings to follow. This is even more so evident in wrestling, especially when you think about all the great California wrestling bloodlines like the Schultz, Abas, Tirapelle, and the Palomino brothers. The Kastl’s are no different, and Gilroy’s (still no confirmation, but heavily rumored) Dominic Kastl has been very successful in setting a high standard which his younger brothers, Blake and Mario, will try to match and surpass.

Before he even laced up wrestling shoes on a high school mat, Dominic Kastl had already turned plenty of heads. By the time he completed junior high, Kastl the Eldest already compiled a resume that kids can only dream about. He was an All-American, and champion of many, many tournaments. He took 1st at Jr. Mid Cals, he won the California Tournament of Champions, placed 1st in Reno Nationals, won three folkstyle state tournaments, placed 1st in the NorCal Tournament of Champions, 1st at West Coast Nationals, 1st at (insert tournament here)……you get the picture. The kid was good. Really good.

As a freshman at St. Francis, Kastl took 1st at the CCS Championships at 135 lbs. and came out of the CIF State Tournament with two wins and two losses. He repeated as a section champion as a sophomore, however, he finished the state tournament with only one win, and defaulting out of the tournament for his second loss. Using these experiences as motivation, Kastl was poised to break out in the following post season. He grew to 160 lbs. during the off-season, and remarkably came back from a serious knee injury that occurred during the season in January to compete in and win the West Catholic Athletic League Championships.  At the 2009 CCS Championships Kastl pinned his way to the finals, taking out Payam Amiri of Andrew Hill in 39 seconds, Bobby Marshall of Serra in 1:12, Juan Haro of Alisal in 1:51, and Enrique Lucatero of San Benito in 5:29, and ultimately won his 3rd CCS Championship by posting a 10-2 major decision over Palo Alto’s Patrick Sheehan. Continue reading here.

Vincent Aboytes of Gilroy will be among the main challengers for a CCS crown in 2010.

One thing will be certain next year at the Central Coast Section Championships. Mike Ciccarelli of King City, Ismael Sanchez of Silver Creek, Vincent Aboytes of Gilroy, and Sebastian Chene of Leigh are all coming back to battle each other out for the top spot at 152 lbs., which was vacated by Jasper Loren who graduated from Saratoga, and was last year’s CCS Champion.

Mike Ciccarelli (Sr.) returns after finishing as last year’s runner-up, having defeated Jacob France of Everett Alvarez by a pin in 0:50, Anthony Ledesma of Watsonville by a 13-3 major decision, and Sebastian Chene in a tight 6-5 decision before losing to Jasper Loren in another tight 7-5 decision in the finals. His 2008 credentials include a 4 win and 1 loss showing at the Fehlman Duals while wrestling up at 160 lbs., and placing 2nd at the Coast Classic, 8th at the annually tough Sierra Nevada Classic, 3rd at the Atascadero Revolution, 4th at the CIT Morro Bay, and 1st at the Jim Root Classic. Ciccarelli opened the CIF State Tournament with a 6-3 victory over Santa Fe’s Justin Irribarren (6th place finisher in the Southern Section). However, in his second match he was pinned in 3:35 by Bryce Hammond of Bakersfield (1st place finisher in the Central Section and who continued on to take 4th place in California), and followed that performance with another loss, this time to Cesar Padilla of Pitman (3rd place finisher in the Sac-Joaquin Section).
Continue reading here.

Bellarmine College Prep's Adam Pilkington will look to claim a CCS title and make a run in the CIF State Tournament next season.

Adam Pilkington of Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose will have some weight to bear on his shoulders during his senior season next year. He isn’t under the pressure of replicating a dynamic and unforgettable season, nor will he be under the stress of setting records. Simply put, he is the lone returning state qualifier at the 145 lbs. weight class from 2009. However, if Bellarmine’s history of being able to continually improve and produce tough wrestlers holds, the 145 lbs. weight class won’t be as barren as it initially seems on paper. While one may only simply notice how depleted the weight class is of recently graduated state qualifiers, Pilkington will stand out and offer the Central Coast Section the prospect of having at least one returning wrestler with state tournament experience that can represent it well at the 2009-2010 CIF State Tournament.

Continue reading here.

Cody Rodebaugh (red) escapes a duck under attempt by Javier Sanchez.

For a kid that primarily likes to go fishing, Cody Rodebaugh, from San Lorenzo Valley, actually isn’t too bad of a wrestler either.  Last season he racked up 50 wins and only 2 losses, and each loss came as he wrestled up a weight class in the 145 lbs. division.  He took 3rd place at the Mission San Jose Invitational and 2nd place at the Reno Tournament of Champions while wrestling up at 145 lbs., 1st place at Mid Cals, and 1st place at the Central Coast Section Championships. He concluded his season with an impressive showing at the CIF State Tournament, which included entering ranked 5th in the state at the 140 lbs. weight class, dethroning 2008’s state champion Vlad Dombrovskyy of Natomas, and leaving as California’s 140 lbs. state champion after pinning Javier Sanchez with a cradle in the finals match.

Continue reading here.