This year marks an exciting milestone for the girls’ wrestling team, as it’s their first official year they will participate in PCAL duals. Being led by their new Head Coach Victoria Cabrera who is optimistic about the season ahead. “Since it’s the first year that we have actual girls’ duals and organized PCAL duals, I want us to be PCAL champions,” she said.
Cabrera kept the coaching staff together-Pedro Mendoza, Rico Huerta, Alejandro Garcias, Juan Zavala, Enrique Zavala, and Cesar Berber.
Last year, the girls’ wrestling team sent six wrestlers to State. This year, the girls are looking to build off that success, particularly with the addition of formal league competitions and duals for the first time. “I’m excited . It’s a shame that it hasn’t been a thing before just because of how formidable and how impactful our girls have been to this whole section and the school and the school culture with wrestling,” coach Pedro Mendoza said. “So I like that they’re finally going to get that recognition for being PCAL champions because they’ve been that for the last ten years just unofficially.”
Despite facing challenges due to the loss of key wrestlers to graduation – Liliana Serrano, Lisbeth Ramirez, Alondra Juarez, and Joselin Hernandez – the team is embracing the opportunity for growth. “Even with those departures, we still have a good base because we have some really strong girls who are eager to step up,” Cabrera said. Among those stepping up are returners Isabel Garcia, Areli Rodriguez, and Briana Ochoa. Ochoa, who qualified for the state tournament last year, has been training vigorously.
Ochoa has had a strong record as she qualified for the state tournament last year and placed 3rd which secured her the spot. She has continued to impress during the off-season. “She’s been wrestling very tough with an incredible mindset, wanting to compete and beat her opponents, “Cabrera said. Other returners, such as Garcia and Rodriguez all have high goals and expectations, as all three performed remarkably well at the CCS Championship, with Garcia finishing third and Rodriguez as well, each earning state qualification.
The current roster has a promising group of underclassmen – freshmen Destiny Tinoco-Tena, Daizy Rodriguez, Daniela Perez, Zayanna Ortiz, Miranda Garcia, Gisele Espiritu, and Yaretzi Ambriz-Garcia; sophomores include Vanessa Rocha, Isabella Frias, Marluna Doval, Leslie Huazo, Angelina Juarez, Yoselin Lopez, and Kathy Tapia; junior Isabel Garcia; and two seniors, Kalyssa Curiel and Mercedes Patoc.
However, some challenges remain, particularly regarding the team’s players since most of its members are underclassmen. “A weakness is that they’re a young team, which means they can be prone to making mistakes,” Cabrera said. “But at the same time, their youth is a strength because they’ll stick together for years and will only become stronger with time.” Cabrera hopes that new players will gain confidence throughout practices and more matches and that they will treat each match equally, regardless of the opponent’s experience. “I want to improve their confidence. It’s vital that they do not cower just because an opponent is older.
In terms of performance during the preseason tournaments, the girls have already demonstrated a promise. They participated in several events from late November up until now – PCAL girl’s Jamboree, 7th Annual RM Parks 12/6- 12/7 (placed second, a few points from Pioneer Valley); the Webber Lawson Girls Tournament (placed 2nd overall); the Women’s West Coast tournament – Areli Rodriguez placed second in her weight class, Briana Ochoa and Vanessa Rocha placed 5th.
As for the 12th Annual Trojan Wrath, they placed second overall, behind Monterey by just a few points. Their toughest tournament, aside from the state championship, took place at Napa Valley where they placed 33rd out of 200 teams.
They kicked off league against Hollister, where they took the win with a score of 39-26.
Cabrera takes pride in the supportive atmosphere the girls have cultivated. “I love the team; they are friendly and supportive of one another, which is crucial since wrestling is both an individual and team sport,” Coach Zavala said. “It’s exciting to have a group that wants to wrestle and push each other to improve.”
With a strong and passionate team, Coach Cabrera remains hopeful. “I’m excited to see how we do this year. Our team is still young, and I believe in their potential,” she said.
