Norwalk girls make history with CIF Duals wrestling win
Norwalk celebrates their first ever CIF playoff win in the CIF Girls Dual Wrestling playoffs at Bonita High School on Saturday. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
NORWALK – History was made by Norwalk High School in only the second year of the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 Girls Dual Meet Wrestling Championships, Saturday January 29 at Bonita High.
After losing in the first round of the CIF-SS Girls Duals last year, the Lancers had a monumental first-round win this year.
Granted, the opponent had a minimal number of wrestlers, but that was not the issue for the upstart girls program under the direction of coach Brian DeVries.
As the final Norwalk wrestler, sophomore Thalia Ariste finished her match with a pin, the team surrounded her with cheers and hugs, and on to the second round they went.
“The girls have worked really hard,” third-year Norwalk Girls Wrestling coach Bryan DeVries said. “We have put a big emphasis on family. One thing I like about these girls is the passion that they bring and they all genuinely root for each other.
“They are happy now, but excited for the future.”
The dual against Carter started with the first three matches not contested with forfeits. In each of the 170, 189 and heavyweight classes, no matches were held and the Lancers led, 12-0. The 170 Lb. weight class was a double forfeit.
The first contested match came in the 101 Lb. class with sophomore Ruby Hubbard taking on Laura Perez.
It was an even match for most of the first two periods. Leading, 7-4, in the second period, Hubbard buckled down and pinned Perez with 11.5 seconds left and Norwalk led, 18-0.
“It was pretty exciting to get the win in CIF and it was our first win as a team,” Hubbard said. “It’s so fun to be around (coach) and he’s so supportive with everybody here.
“My match was a lot of hard work and when I did get the pin, it was really cool and exciting to say that I got the first pin in the first round.”
The second match was a one-sided contest, with senior Sabrina Sinohui building up a 10-0 first-period lead and a 15-2 second period advantage.
To begin the third and final period, Sinohui quickly scored a two-point takedown and ended the match with a 17-2 technical fall win and the 24-0 lead.
Norwalk’s Zitlali Sarmiento wins in the 137-Lbs weight class against Carter in the first round of the CIF Girls Dual Wrestling playoffs at Bonita High School on Saturday. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
“I was quite proud of myself,” Sinohui said. “I was a little frustrated and kept waiting for the call for the pin. But it was ok.
“We look forward going against tough teams and we really proved ourselves in the first round.”
Another Carter forfeit in the 111 Lb. weight class gave the Lancers a 30-0 lead after five matches.
Carter saw its first win in the 116 Lb. weight class after senior Liyah Salazar was pinned with just 1.4 seconds left in the second period.
The next two matches (121 and 126) were again Carter forfeits, resulting in the 42-6 lead.
The 131 Lb. match was also a win for Carter, to trail, 42-12.
Norwalk sophomore Celeste Ortega was in a close battle in the first period, as she trailed early, 2-0, after a takedown. Ortega evened the match, 2-2, with a reversal.
After a near fall by the Carter wrestler for the 6-2 second-period lead, Ortega lost by a pin in the third period with 48 seconds left.
Junior Zitlali Sarmiento gave the Lancers a 48-12 lead with her pin in the first period with 1:22 left.
The sixth and final Carter forfeit gave Norwalk a 54-12 lead, that was followed by a loss by junior Mariah Negrette. That was only the third score for Carter, to trail, 54-18.
Arista finished the scoring after taking a 2-0 lead on a takedown and followed it up with a pin with 1:25 left in the first period.
In the second round, Norwalk was outmuscled by a quicker and stronger Marina team, but that experience will be used for the future.
Marina, which came into the Duals ranked second in the division, won all but one of the 14 matches.
Norwalk players cheer on a teammate as they wrestle against Marina in the second round of the CIF Girls Dual Wrestling playoffs at Bonita High School on Saturday. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
The only win came from sophomore Mia Farr in the 235 Lb. weight class.
After a loss in the 189 Lb. weight class, the Lancers trailed, 6-0, they evened the score on the very next match, 6-6.
Farr, who competed in last years duals, started the match with a quick takedown for the 2-0 lead and halfway through the first period at the :59 second mark, she pinned her opponent.
“Last year I lost in the first round and it was kind of hard on me,” Farr said. “This time I wanted to start off with a win. I saw this girl and we were about the same height, but she was 20 pounds heavier than me.
“I pushed her and we both fell on top of each other and I grabbed her arm and went for it.”
Farr, who has a younger sister ready to join the team next year, talked about the difference in the last year in numbers.
“Last year we had 10 girls and now we have a full lineup,” she said.
The two Norwalk wrestlers that lost by decisions were Sarmiento, 137 Lbs. (9-4 dec.) and sophomore Casey Otero. Otero didn’t get to wrestle in the first round as it was a forfeit by Carter.
“It was a tough match, she said. “One day I want to be like them.
“The more practice I had, the better I got.”
Norwalk Boys complete big comeback
On the other side of the mat, the Norwalk Boys Wrestling team came through with a big first-round win in Division 5, with a major come-from-behind victory.
Before the big 42-39 comeback win over No. 6 Canyon (Anaheim) by the Lancers, they found themselves in a big hole to start in the first five matches, being down, 33-0. The first five were by pin.
The 138 Lb. match seemed to be “a crucial turning point,” said Norwalk coach Frank Soto, as sophomore Ian Wine-Barrego, in a difficult match, lost only by a three-point decision as opposed to a pin.
Sophomore Sean Otero, who was the start of the heart of the Norwalk lineup, won by pin, to trail, 33-6. Otero was an Honorable Mention in the state rankings at the time.
The Lancers proceeded to outscore canyon, 36-6 the rest of the way, winning six of the final seven matches.
The next three wrestlers, the top three on the team – Bryan Echesirim (152), Jonah Fryer (160) and Jason Lopez (170) also won by pin to trail, 33-24. Fryer was also an Honorable Mention.
Junior Pablo Marquez (182) became the fifth consecutive Lancer to record a pin.
That was followed by a Canyon forfeit at 195 for the 36-33 lead, which set the scene for the dramatic finish in the 220 Lbs. weight class.
Sophomore Hector Lopez had a takedown and a pin in the first period for the 42-33 lead and match clincher.
“The kids were going nuts after his win,” Soto said. “This season, the boys had some real quality wins.”
CIF D6
Glenn Boys Defeat BG, 54-27
Glenn started out with five consecutive wins, all by pins – Julian Rodriguez (106), Alberto Enriquez (113), Emmanuel Enriquez (120), Jacob Enriquez (126) and Robert Renteria (132). The eagles led, 30-0.
BG won the next two classes, 138 and 145, by a decision and a pin and trailed, 30-9.
Diego Lopez (152) pinned his opponent for the 36-9 advantage and Bell Gardens came back with a pin at 160 Lbs. to close the gap to 36-15.
After a BG forfeit at 170, Daniel Espinosa had a pin for the 48-15 lead. Freddie Valdivia (195) finished the scoring for the Lancers with a pin in the first period.
Glenn advanced to the second round and lost to Thousand Oaks, 57-19.
Gaining pins for JG were – Julian Rodriguez (106), Valdez (170) and Valdivia (195).
Emmanuel Enriquez (120) had an early major decision for JG.
The Glenn Girls lost to Schurr, 48-36, in D1 action, while Santa Fe fell to Camarillo, 42-32, in D3.