Five Mustang wrestlers won California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) individual championships on Feb. 14-15 at Ruben S. Ayala High School.
Continuing a history of wrestling excellence, Walnut crowned CIF individuals champions seniors Noah Lopez and Frank Emeterio and sophomore Eliana Garcia in the 138, 215 and 115 weight classes respectively. Senior Ronnie Ramirez claimed his fourth CIF individuals championship, and senior Christian Garcia claimed his third CIF individuals championship in the 126 and 120 pound weight class respectively.
“The individuals win was really nice for all of us. It’s a good step up to masters and getting ready to compete again. It’s a good confidence booster and achievement,” Ramirez said. “The work that we put in and what we sacrificed to be where we are and to do what we do was our key to success in CIF.”
The tournament involved 32 participants in each bracket, requiring the champion to win 5 of their matches. Lopez defeated Daniel Garcia from Bonita High School; Emeterio defeated Bryan Green-La Canada High School; Eliana defeated Kherington Mendes from Mayfair High School; Ramirez defeated Aden Arista from Lakeside High School; Christian defeated Uriel Cruz from Paloma Valley High School. Evident in their success, many of the wrestlers worked tirelessly with Walnut’s coaching staff.
“During the matches, I felt confident. I know how much the kids have prepared for the CIF tournament. My kids felt confident the whole tournament,” wrestling coach Cecil Sebastian said.
Leading up to the event, those who qualified for the CIF draw practiced from Monday to Thursday twice a day. They focused on their intensity and game-readiness, practicing movements to apply pressure on their opponents. They also worked on movement and footwork to build up quick speed while they wrestled. Off the mat, the team ensured they were dieting and cutting to sustain their respective weight classes, giving themselves the best preparation to win.
“We conditioned a lot on tightening things up and making sure that during live action, we would wrestle perfectly. I also was working to make sure I kept my weight before going into that CIF match,” Christian said. “It was challenging to keep dieting though and mentally telling myself that I could dominate each and every match.”
For Lopez, along with hard work and practice, wrestlers must be confident in their own abilities. Once Lopez steps into the match, he is always certain of his success and remains assertive throughout the match.
“I saw [the opponent] in the finals, knowing that I’m going to beat this kid. I went in there with a lot of confidence, but I made sure not to be too cocky,” Lopez said. “I focused on trying to score points, wrestling not just to win but to score points by wrestling with confidence and wrestling hard.”
Claiming his first CIF individuals as well, Emeterio credits his determination and goal-oriented mindset. After a short break from wrestling last summer for personal reasons, Emeterio came back with a strong resolution to become a CIF champion.
“It felt so good to win. It was my dream. I made winning CIF my big thing. I put it on my mirror in my bathroom, ‘CIF Champ.’ That’s what my goal was, and I knew I was going to win because I already knew that’s exactly what I wanted,” Emeterio said. “Write down your goals, think about it everyday, dream it, daydream it. Once you do that and have the goal, you can live up to it.”
The team advanced to the CIF Masters Meet on Feb. 22 in the next step of the wrestling postseason. Lopez received sixth place, Ramirez received first and Eliana and Christian received second.
“I didn’t feel too good, but I still made the finals, and it was really hard to get there. My most challenging match came in the semis where it was tied the entire time except the last 30 seconds, but I tried to have fun throughout the entire time and not be nervous,” Eliana said.
