Fountain Valley boys’ wrestling wins CIF Inland Division title
For a few years, the conversation around the Fountain Valley High wrestling program has been who will become the first to finish the season on top.
The Barons remain in search of their first individual state champion, but a handful of Fountain Valley wrestlers started the postseason in impressive fashion.
Behind its five champions, host Fountain Valley bested Hesperia 282-221 to lay claim to the team title in the CIF Southern Section Inland Division individual wrestling championships.
Juniors Anthony Lucio (113 pounds), Hercules Windrath (138) and Ryland Whitworth (195), sophomore Khale McDonnell (170) and senior TJ McDonnell (182) won their weight classes to earn section titles.
Senior Dylan Bunbury also made the heavyweight final, part of a dominant showing by the Sunset Conference that saw the league represented in 10 out of the 14 championship matches.
“Everyone wants to be a state champ,” Lucio said. “We have five guys that can do it, so our ultimate goal is just looking at the very end. We all want to be state champs.”
TJ McDonnell, who medaled at the state meet last season and has committed to Oregon State, is nearing the end of a remarkable prep career. He earned his third section title in as many tries. He has been a part of two team titles for Fountain Valley in the CIF individual wrestling championships, as well as a CIF dual meet wrestling championship.
“I’m really focused on the state tournament and winning it,” McDonnell said, after being named the upper-weight MVP of the CIF finals meet. “I haven’t really let in that mix of emotions yet, but I know it’s going to be a whole lot of them in there. It’s going to be sad. It’s going to be exciting. I’m definitely excited for what’s to come, and I’m also extremely grateful for the time that I had here these four years.”
Fountain Valley will be sending an area-leading eight wrestlers to the CIF Masters Meet, which will be held at Palm Springs High on Friday. The top 10 finishers (top five in each bracket) will advance to state.
Corona del Mar, which finished fourth overall, had seven Masters qualifiers, including 160-pound champion Zion Hernandez. Antonio Aramburu (152) and Eugenio Franco (195) were also finalists.
“It means a lot,” Hernandez said of being crowned a CIF champion. “My teammates, Eugenio, Antonio, we’re all working as hard as we possibly can, always pushing our limits to be the top. It feels good.”
Newport Harbor placed sixth in the team standings, powered by a breakout performance by Anthony Manno, who became the program’s first CIF champion since Bradley Beaudette in 2011.
“Six months ago, I would have never thought I’d be here,” Manno said. “Coming into CIF, I knew I had to beat the second seed and first seed to win this. It’s an honor.”
The Sailors, who advanced four wrestlers to the next stage, had another interesting storyline, as Caleb Wheeler advanced to the 126-pound final after getting into the bracket as an alternate. Marina’s Haden Hernandez defeated Wheeler by technical fall, 22-7, in the championship match.
Marina had three Masters qualifiers, including 113-pound finalist Adrian Jimenez.
Laguna Beach’s Jeremy Kanter, a finalist at 182 pounds, Edison’s Bach Le, and Huntington Beach’s Gavvin Stephens will also compete in the Masters Meet.
CIF Southern Section Inland Division individual wrestling championships
At Fountain Valley High
Team Results
1. Fountain Valley 282; 2. Hesperia 221; 3. Oak Hills 210.5; 4. Corona del Mar 174; 5. Victor Valley 160; 6. Newport Harbor 137.5; 7. Laguna Hills 111; 8. Hillcrest 110.5; 9. Sultana 100.5; 10. Arroyo 96
Championship Matches
106 — Paulo Valdez (Hesperia) pins Rocky Humphrey (Sultana), 5:43.
113 — Anthony Lucio (Fountain Valley) maj. Adrian Jimenez (Marina), 17-4.
120 — Hector Hernandez (Hesperia) dec. Syrus Singh (Laguna Hills), 6-4.
126 — Haden Hernandez (Marina) tech. fall Caleb Wheeler (Newport Harbor), 22-7.
132 — Evan Roy (Hesperia) pins Finnegan Long (Arroyo), 2:56.
138 — Hercules Windrath (Fountain Valley) pins Matthias Valdez (Hesperia), 4:36.
145 — Anthony Manno (Newport Harbor) dec. Dominic Tamayo (Oak Hills), 9-4.
152 — Julian Jeong (Oak Hills) dec. Antonio Aramburu (Corona del Mar), 4-2.
160 — Zion Hernandez (Corona del Mar) dec. Dylan Bentz (Oak Hills), 7-4.
170 — Khale McDonnell (Fountain Valley) pins Blake Chaffee (Serrano), 3:52.
182 — TJ McDonnell (Fountain Valley) pins Jeremy Kanter (Laguna Beach), 1:14.
195 — Ryland Whitworth (Fountain Valley) dec. Eugenio Franco (Corona del Mar), 3-2.
220 — Gabriel Chavez (Hillcrest) pins Charles King (Oak Hills).
285 — Angel Fuentes (Ramona) pins Dylan Bunbury (Fountain Valley), 1:02.
CIF Masters Meet Qualifiers
CdM
Angelo Gonzalez (113)
Loscar Riestra (132)
JJ Strapp (138)
Antonio Aramburu (152)
Zion Hernandez (160)
Eugenio Franco (195)
Tony Leon (220)
Edison
Bach Le (120)
Fountain Valley
Hunter Jauregui (106)
Anthony Lucio (113)
Hercules Windrath (138)
Nicholas Naranjo (152)
Khale McDonnell (170)
TJ McDonnell (182)
Ryland Whitworth (195)
Dylan Bunbury (285)
Huntington Beach
Gavvin Stephens (132)
Laguna Beach
Jeremy Kanter (182)
Marina
Adrian Jimenez (113)
Haden Hernandez (126)
Shane Lerma (145)
Newport Harbor
Micah Van Grol (106)
Demian Pryima (120)
Caleb Wheeler (126)
Anthony Manno (145)
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