2007 California State Games
‘Shoe fits’ for Martinez as State Games wrestling champion

Posted July 20, 2007
The expression “if the shoe fits” definitely took on new meaning for Hilltop’s Javier Martinez in the 162-pound championship match of last Saturday’s California State Games folkstyle wrestling tournament at Rancho Bernardo High School. The shoe — or rather, lack of one — helped the Lancer standout claim this year’s gold medal.

It could be the start of something that Martinez hopes will have an equally golden ending at next March’s high school state championship meet.

“I want to win state my senior year,” he said.

Martinez finished the 2006-07 season as the Metro Conference’s top wrestler. He owned the distinction as the only South County mat man to advance past the San Diego Section Masters championship meet, finishing 1-2 at the state finals as a junior. He placed third at the section finals after winning the Division II title a week earlier. He was previously named the South Bay League Wrestler of the Year.

He went 5-0 at last weekend’s State Games tournament, recording a dramatic triple overtime victory against Vista’s Dan Martin to win the gold medal.

Tied 1-1 after three periods of regulation time after each wrestler had scored an escape, the two grapplers went scoreless through two ensuing overtime periods before Martinez, who had recorded the first escape, chose the down position in the 30-second tie-breaker. If Martinez was able to score another escape, he would win the match. That he did with about 10 seconds remaining.

Martin was left holding Martinez’s right shoe at the center of the mat as Martinez, who had literally slipped out of the Vista wrestler’s grasp, began celebrating his championship win.

Martinez has been active since the conclusion of the high school season the first week in March. He finished 7-1 in the recent California USA Association Duals, going undefeated in Greco-Roman competition (4-0) and 3-1 in freestyle competition for the San Diego Wrestling Association all-star team. His lone loss in the dual-format tourney was against a wrestler from Foothill.
“It was a close match. I won the first period. I lost the second by a point,” Martinez said.

An incoming senior, Martinez credited his trip to last season’s high school state finals as an invaluable experience.
“It was great exposure to see what I’m in for next season,” he said. “I want to see if I can win it. I’m in it to win it. It’s not that they’re better. It’s that they want it more. It’s a mental thing.”

Martinez estimated he wrestles about 90 to 100 matches year-round between high school “in-season” competition and off-season competition (folkstyle, Greco-Roman and freestyle). He has a preference for upper-body Greco-Roman style and opponents often have to be wary of throws initiated by the Hilltop mat standout.

His goals are to continue in the sport beyond the high school ranks. “I want to wrestle in college in the NCAA,” he said.
The 162-pound division was one of the better populated weight classes in this year’s State Games folkstyle tournament with 17 entrants. Martinez opened the day with an 18-4 major decision against Mt. Carmel’s Artem Mavrin, then followed with wins against Robert Sigald of the PD Pal Enforcers (3-1) and Konrad Peikar of Pioneer Express (second period pin) before topping Cory Woss of the San Bernardino Wrestling Association by a 7-1 score in the semifinals.

Martin, who defeated Santa Fe’s Daniel Couts 3-2 in the semifinals, finished 3-1. Martin dropped Bonita Vista’s Hector Arambula to the consolation bracket with a 15-4 victory in the championship quarterfinals.
Couts decisioned Woss 9-3 in the third-place match.

Martinez was one of two South County wrestlers to advance to medal-round matches in the folkstyle tournament. Castle Park’s Gilbert Madrid finished fourth in the 173-pound division after defaulting due to injury to Calvary’s Morgan McIntosh.

Bonita Vista’s Cesar Sandoval, the defending 112-pound San Diego Section Division II champion, advanced as far as the 132-pound consolation quarterfinals, losing to eventual fourth-place finisher Kalin Goodsite of MLK.

Overall, five San Diego Section wrestlers won State Games titles this year. Vista’s Anthony Meza, a returning high school state champion at 145 pounds, earned honors as the State Games Wrestler of the Year after winning the 173-pound division with a 17-4 major decision against Santa Fe’s Matt Couts. Meza joined Vista teammates Lillashawn Coleman (132) and Kasey Cowan (heavyweight) as State Games champions along with Morse’s Angel Garcia (137).

Vista’s Chris Escobar (142), Mt. Carmel’s Matt Starbeck (147) and Imperial’s Cameron McNeer (191) all finished second in their respective weight classes.

Vista, totaling seven medalists, placed second in the team standings to the San Bernardino Wrestling Association (nine medalists). Derek Dixson (147) and Roderick Gallegos (191) both finished third for Vista.
Mt. Carmel’s Anthony Weber (121) and Monte Vista’s Norberto Cadena (heavyweight) each placed third to round out the section’s 13 medalists.

Monte Vista’s Shervin Iraniha (137), Santana’s Kyle Brown (142) and La Jolla’s David Blasquez (217) all finished fourth in their weights.

The team title was the third consecutive for San Bernardino.

East County mat men
The California State Games folkstyle wrestling tournament serves both as a final chance to compete on the high school mat for graduated seniors as well as for prep returners to get a valuable jump-start on the upcoming season against top-notch competition.

Monte Vista’s Norberto Cadena was among three East County wrestlers to qualify for the medal round of this year’s tournament, held July 14 at Rancho Bernardo High School. He placed third in his heavyweight division.

Monte Vista’s Shervin Iraniha (137) and Santana’s Kyle Brown (142) both finished fourth in their respective weight classes.

The tournament drew 215 entrants.

Cadena placed third at last season’s San Diego Section Division III heavyweight finals to earn a trip to the San Diego Section Masters state qualifying tournament. He finished 2-2 at the Masters tournament with a 10-1 loss to Vista’s Kasey Cowan, the eventual second-place finisher and this year’s State Games heavyweight champion.

Cadena went 3-1 in this year’s State Games field, defeating Erwin Grifis of the San Bernardino Wrestling Associaiton twice by pin and topping Moreno Valley’s Joel Munoz by a 10-0 major decision in the third-place match.

Cadena’s lone loss was to Cowan by a 15-1 count. Cowan, a returning high school state qualifier, recorded two pins and the major decision in his three matches.

Iraniha dropped a 6-4 decision to Ontario’s Fabian Guzman in the bronze medal match while Brown lost by pin against San Bernardino’s Tim Tasabia.

Iraniha, who finished 4-2 in the tournament, won three consecutive matches in the single-elimination consolation wrestle-backs. His first loss came against Morse’s Angel Garcia, who would go on to claim the 2007 State Games title.

Brown finished 2-2 with losses to the second- and third-place wrestlers in his weight class.

Three more East County grapplers — Tony Sangermano (142), Victor Richmond (147) and Garrett Ludwig (154) — all made it as far as the consolation semifinals of this year’s tourna,ment: one win away from advancing to the medal round. Sangermano and Ludwig are both graduates of El Capitan High School. Ludwig plans to compete for Palomar College in the 2008 season after working for one year. Richmond, who finished second in his 140-pound weight class at the Division II finals in 2006-07, is returning to the high school arena for the 2007-08 season.

Sangermano, who placed sixth at 135 pounds at the 2007 San Diego Section Division III finals, made it as far as the State Games championship semifinals, losing to eventual weight class champion Matthew Melendrez. Richmond also made it to the championship semifinals, dropping a match to eventual weight class champion Nikko Cataline of San Bernardino. Ludwig, who lost to the second- and fourth-place finishers in his weight class, won four consecutive matches in the single-elimination consolation wrestle-backs after not competing on the mat (and moving up four weight classes) since he placed fourth at 130 pounds at last season’s Division III championship tournament.

Cataline was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.

Notepad
Imperial’s Priscilla Caldera, the reigning 103-pound San Diego Section Division IV champion, went 2-2 in the 114-pound division at this year’s State Games tournament. Her first loss came against Santa Monica’s Derek Shapiro. She defeated Alex Iacovelli in her first consolation match before bowing out with a loss against Richard Rios of Pioneer Express in the consolation quarterfinals. Rios went on to place third in the weight class, defeating Shapiro by a 6-5 decision.
The State Games wrestling tournament served both as a final chance to compete on the high school mat for graduated seniors as well as for returners to get a valuable jump-start on the upcoming season against top-notch competition.
Three East County grapplers — Tony Sangermano (142), Victor Richmond (147) and Garrett Ludwig (154) — all made it as far as the consolation semifinals: one win away from advancing to the medal round. Sangermano and Ludwig are both graduates of El Capitan High School. Ludwig plans to compete for Palomar College in the 2008 season after working for one year. Richmond, who finished second in his 140-pound weight class at the Division II finals in 2006-07, is returning to the high school arena for the 2007-08 season.

Vista’s Cowan (285) and Imperial’s McNeer (191) both placed second at last season’s San Diego Masters finals while Morse’s Garcia (119) and Vista’s Dixson (130) both were third. All qualified for the state tournament. Mt. Carmel’s Starbeck finished second at 130 pounds at the Division III finals.

Wrestling camp
Bonita Vista High School will serve as the host site for the Iowa Style Wrestling Camp July 23-26. NCAA champion Mark Perry headlines the camp’s staff of clinicians that features former wrestlers and coaches from the University of Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling team. Perry won this year’s 157-pound national title. The camp, which is open to all skill levels and will stress training techniques and drills to maximize scoring potential, will accept registration on opening day. Cost is $250. Session 1 runs from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. with a lunch break. Session 2 runs from 1 to 2:30 p.m. For more information, e-mail B_medchill@hotmail.com or grruhkala@ yahoo.com.