Paloma's bid for another league boys wrestling title falls short

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Paloma Valley’s bid for a seventh consecutive league boys wrestling title fell short in the most heartbreaking fashion Tuesday night.

After falling behind 30-9 to 11th-ranked Canyon Springs in one of the area’s most eagerly anticipated showdowns, the Wildcats cut the deficit to 36-30 entering the final match before a near-capacity crowd at Canyon Springs. A Paloma pin in the 106-pound match would force a tie.

As it turned out, Paloma’s Uriel Cruz won a decision over Xavier Manzo, giving the Wildcats three points but not quite enough in a 36-33 loss.

“Looking ahead at it, there were some spots we knew they were better,” Paloma Valley coach Luis Robles said about the match-up. “In this type of dual, which reminds me more of a college type dual, every little match can change.

“There was no overwhelming surprise, but definitely when we pinned at 190, it kind of turned the tide for us. We didn’t tell the kids at the time, but we knew we needed a fall there.”

That pin at 190 was recorded by the Wildcats’ Travis Coleman, cutting the deficit to 30-24 and keeping their hopes alive even with a match-up coming against the Cougars’ Sonny Kling, ranked No. 1 in the state, at 215 pounds. Robles sent out Simon Flores against the heavily favored Kling, who scored a forfeit victory when Flores couldn’t continue.

“I was always going to put up a guy, because I knew it if came down to a tie, the criteria goes to who gave up the most forfeits,” Robles said about the strategy against Kling. “So depending on how it went, I knew that somebody was going to go out there. We were just trying to trap Sonny so he didn’t go up to heavyweight, and we felt we could win that.”

That set the stage for the heavyweight match between Paloma Valley’s Jayden Epps and Canyon Springs’ Jamari Richardson. Epps pinned Richardson in the first period, with only the 106-pound match remaining and the outcome still in doubt.

“That was a huge win,” Robles said about Epps’ victory. “He’s one of our top football players too. In order to keep him consistent, he’s worked hard and when we’ve told him we needed him, he’s stepped up.”

Although it appeared to Robles at one point that Cruz pinned his opponent in the final match, the win by decision left the Wildcats just short.

“That is tough, but I told the kids that in 20 years of coaching, this is the best team I’ve ever faced,” Robles said about Canyon Springs. “That team is special, and we lost to them by a hair.”

Other winners for Paloma Valley were Benjamin Ruiz at 113 by decision; Jose Jimenez at 144 by pin; Isaac Esparza at 165 by pin; and Javon Major at 175 by decision.

The Wildcat girls team beat Canyon Springs by a 48-33 score. Winners were Iru Hong (pin at 120), Gionna Rivera (win at 125 by default), Jamie Barron (pin at 130), Gabby Jimenez (win at 135 by default), Athena Saenz (pin at 155), Melissa Moreno (pin at 170), and Brandi Ayala (pin at 235).