Last year, the girls’ wrestling team sent two wrestlers to State. This year, the team’s goal is to be CCS champions and send more wrestlers to State, especially underclassmen. 

According to Head Coach Victoria Cabrera, the goal was to be league champions, which they accomplished. “Our team is strong, even the young ones,” she said. 

The team’s returners are sophomores Miranda Garcia, Daizy Rodriguez, juniors Areli Rodriguez, Briana Ochoa, Vannesa Rocha, Angelina Juarez, Matt Acevedo, Daniela Perez, Destiny Tinoco-tena and senior Isabel Garcia. 

With PCAL this weekend, the team had been training nonstop and dominating most of their home matches. In the 13th annual Trojan Wrath, they placed second, securing 165.5 points as a team. The top wrestlers in that event were Rodriguez who placed first, with a total of 38 points, and Garcia who placed second with 40 points. “It felt really good winning, but at the same time I felt like I had a target on my back,” Rodriguez said. “I can’t take my matches that lightly.” “I felt proud of myself and my teammates,” Garcia said. “We all work together and seeing the results is a cool thing to experience.” 

During the match against King City, the team scored 24 points. In this match, the underclassmen were the spotlight of the match. “I felt like I gave it my all,” Acevedo said. “I was surprised by my win, but I still need to train more.” 

In the Women’s West Coast, Ochoa received a medical forfeit against her opponent, making a huge loss for the team due to a concussion suffered, causing her to leave out for 2 weeks. “During the last minute, I gassed out, causing me to lose strength and get concussed during the tournament.” 

After overcoming the injury, Ochoa returned back with confidence despite the break. In the dual match Alisal vs. Salinas, the team won by 47 points, securing another win, despite her having to wrestle two opponents from different weight ranges.  “I was under pressure and excited, but I was able to hang it off,” Ochoa said. “One of the challenges this season has been endurance.”

In the Midcals, Ochoa won her 100th match against Gilroy High, which was her personal goal for this season. “I felt amazing winning that match,” Ochoa said. “I was a bit nervous after my injury, but overall, it felt great winning.” 

After winning league championships, the team remains confident and ready to give it their all in PCAL. Cabrera is confident in her goal of getting underclassmen to State and finishing strong this year of wrestling. “I hope that CCS championships are in our future.” Cabrera said. “We already are league champions. We have strong girls and they’re doing a good job fighting, so if we keep that up, that’d be awesome.”