Aaliah Enriquez: A two-time CIF-SS champion leads the Enriquez family of champions
John Glenn’s Aaliah Enriquez shows her CIF medals including her second CIF wrestling champion medal she won this year as a senior. (Photos by Keith Durflinger)
The Enriquez family in the sport of wrestling is perhaps one of the most decorated in the area when it comes to high school wrestling.
However, the most recent champion and the youngest, has risen to the top of the food chain with her second CIF Southern Section Individual title.
Seventeen-year-old Aaliah Enriquez accomplished that feat recently with her second championship in the last three years.
“Wrestling was something that I always wanted to do my whole life, but as a girl it was harder to do and it’s definitely something I put a lot of hard work into.”
No other Enriquez family member can say that, including her father, Monico, who has seen her grow into a champion.
“I’m so proud of Aaliah,” said her father Monico, while in the gym at John Glenn High School recently. “She has worked so hard these last three years. I am a little sad that her high school career is now over, but I am so excited to see her compete in the future.
“I want to thank (Glenn Girls) coach Hector Ramirez and the rest of her coaches for all the work they put in with Aaliah.”
Aaliah is still weighing her options for her college career.
Her father Monico was a CIF Champ in 1995, while his brothers Juan (1989) and Adrian (2000) also won individual titles along with her cousin Juan (2007).
Monico’s brother Juan, who was a senior at the time, won his title in February of 1989. He passed away in May of that same year.
“They all have so much love for the sport, and they put a lot of time in and they don’t mess around,” said Aaliah, of her champion family members.
This was also a banner year for Aaliah, as she finally qualified for the CIF State after her sophomore and junior years just missing the cut by one match.
“I touched the grass every time, but never made it,” said Aaliah, of her two non-qualifying attempts.
This year, however, she finished second at Masters sending her to Bakersfield for the CIF State Championships.
Highlighting the past 2024-25 season Aaliah was 38-11 and won the MVD Classic at Rim of the World HS and was the upper weight MVP. She also won the Dick Morris “Big Kahuna” Girls Memorial and was the 605 League Champion.
In addition, she was second at the Millikan Shoot for the “Muon” Memorial Individual Tournament, third at the Western Lady Pioneer Challenge at Western HS and fourth at the John Glenn Lady Eagles Invitational. She was eighth at the Queen of the Hill Wrestling Tournament at Corona HS.
Aaliah, who tried softball for a while, was a cheer leader for four years and was also a captain.
“I’m all about Glenn,” she said simply.
In addition to that, she played on the newly formed Flag Football team this past season playing defense.
“I think my dad is very proud of me,” Aaliah said. “He’s seen all of my struggles and everything I went through.
“It’s definitely a big accomplishment and I think it’s a little funny and I think that they would have never expected any of this, but I know that they (uncles and cousin and dad) all are very proud of me.”
Perhaps one of her two turning points for Aaliah was defeating a wrestler in the summer before her sophomore year of competition, who had qualified for Masters.
“It was definitely rewarding because it was something that I thought I couldn’t do and I proved to myself more than anybody else.
Just seven months later she found herself on the podium at Corona High as a first time CIF Champion as a sophomore. It was a long match, as a delay because of the lights going out and a total of 16 minutes elapsed.
The second and most drastic was the cutting of over 20 pounds from her original wrestling weight of 193 to compete in the 170-weight class.
She actually was 196 pounds and dropped all the way to 168.
“I lost 25 pounds in less than a month in season and I wanted to drop weight just to see something new and challenge myself.
“I had many struggles and it just took me awhile to find my style.”
Aaliah raved about her coaches, including head coach Hector Ramirez.
“He was very important,” said Aaliah of Ramirez. “He always believed in each one of us and he dedicated a lot of time, and all my coaches (Hector Ramirez, Jr., Jose Rodriguez and Andrea Rodriguez) dedicated a lot of time into everyone of us. Saturdays, Sundays and at The Dog Pound was all just a learning process for me and he gave me every tool that I needed to succeed.”
Perhaps the biggest three wins of her senior year were at The Masters at Sonora HS this past month when she won her first three matches to make the finals.
Highlighting the three wins was defeating Montclair sophomore Jamilah Berry in the opening round, 5-0.
In the second round, Aaliah avenged a loss earlier in the season at the Pacific of Oxnard Tournament to Samya Bazile in overtime.
Aaliah went on to defeat Bazile, 9-5, to advance into the semifinals against Long Beach Poly’s Selieni Paseka.
Paseka, a junior, had beaten Enriquez in the Shoot the “Muon” Tournament.
With a spot still on the line into the state championships for Aaliah, she was down two points in the third period. With 10 seconds left in the match, Enriquez was able to turn Paseka for a 4-point near fall to secure the win and advance into the finals against Santa Ana senior Angela Salazar.
Aaliah would end up losing to Salazar, but moved on to Bakersfield and the CIF State Championships, where she would win her first match (1-0 decision) and ended up 1-2.
“Making it to state was definitely so rewarding, so breathtaking and so happy to be there,” she said. “Just being in Bakersfield was fun and somewhere I always wanted to be.”
She would finish her high school career with a 91-33 record, a 2-time league champ, upper weight league MVP, a 3-time CIF placer, a 2-time CIF Champion, a second at Masters and a state qualifier and finished in the top 16 in the state.
Her CIF winning match this past season put her into a new bracket among her family with her second championship.
“That match was definitely rough,” Aaliah said. “I got injured in the semis and I had to push through it all they way to my finals round and I wasn’t going to give up something I knew I could achieve.
“I pinned her, but I was down a point, and was on injury time and almost got disqualified. I was able to roll my opponent and pinned her. It was tough.”
She remembers the moment she became a two-time champion. “It was so amazing, and I saw my coaches so happy and coach Jose Rodriguez fell on the floor to his knees and threw his hat and he was so excited. He knew I could do it, along with all my coaches.
“My mother (Anna) was so nervous and scared and my dad was watching on the App.”
Monico, her dad, was actually hosting another CIF individual championship at Glenn, so he missed watching Aaliah in person.
“Everyone was so happy for me and crying,” she concluded.
No doubt, they are crying with joy because she is now at the top of the food chain.
What they said:
Uncle Adrian Enriquez, 2000 CIF Champion: “I’m very proud of Aaliah. She’s worked very hard to get to where she’s at. She’s gone through a few setbacks with injuries and still managed to pull through and win a CIF title.
I think that shows how much of a competitor and champion she really is. Being a CIF Champion myself, I know it’s not an easy task to accomplish. She continues to carry on the family tradition and sets an example for her younger sister (Abrielle) and cousin (Alyssa).”
Cousin Juan Enriquez, 2007 CIF Champion: “The Enriquez family has a strong wrestling tradition at John Glenn HS.
“I am extremely proud of Aaliah’s accomplishments on and off the mat. Her hard work and dedication to the sport speaks for themselves. She is graduating as a two-time CIF champion.”
Hector Ramirez, Glenn Girls Wrestling coach: “Aaliah has been just a pleasure to coach these past three years. Her determination and dedication to the sport of wrestling has equaled success.
She’s our sixth state qualifier here at John Glenn HS and our first two-time champion for the girls division.
On top of her fierce competitive nature on the mat, she’s a sweet soul. She always is helping her teammates in anyway she can. She’s a natural leader and one of our team captains. I can’t wait to continue watching her grow and continue her success in college.”