Notebook: Chaminade’s record-setting five wrestlers highlight CIF State qualifiers
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Chaminade wrestling coach Bill Wilson began the first day of the CIF State wrestling championships eating scrambled eggs in an RV.
The RV made the trip out to Bakersfield for the tournament, and it’s become a hangout for the five wrestlers who qualified — a new record for Chaminade.
“We just kind of do our thing every day and it seems to be working and the kids seem to gravitate to it,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of laughter, just having like the RV that I’m sitting in now. It’s just a fun, family kind of feel to it.”
Yousef Jubrail, Slava Shabazyan, Spencer von Savoye, Kris Castro and Primo Catalano will each be competing at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield in the state tournament, which started on Thursday and will conclude on Saturday.
Shabazyan is competing in the tournament as a freshman and is the No. 14 wrestler in the state in 132-pound weight class, according to the calwrestling.com rankings.
“We knew he was going to be good, but we didn’t know how good,” Wilson said. “He’s going to be hopefully a multi-year state champ is our hope.”
The Eagles also have two sophomores in Catalano, the No. 7 wrestler at 182 pounds, and Jubrail, who is No. 30 at 106 pounds. Von Savoye, a senior, is ranked No. 14 at 145 pounds.
Castro, another senior, has been a valuable piece of this year’s team and is the No. 10 wrestler in the 160-pound weight class with Mission League and Southern Section titles to his name this season.
“Kris is our leader,” Wilson said. “Everyone kind of looks to Kris and he communicates to all the kids and what’s going on the room.”
As a team, Chaminade was the Mission League champion and the CIF Southern Section Division 3 runner-up, which is the highest finish in school history.
Wilson said he’s hopeful they can send just as many wrestlers to the state level next season, but there’s no pressure amongst the wrestlers and coaches. The standard perpetuates itself.
“Everyone in between knows there’s a quality,” he said. “There’s a standard that’s expected in the room and all the kids kids of just do it now. It’s a culture now. It’s an unsaid expectation now of what’s expected, without the coaches having to yell it.”
Other area wrestlers competing in the CIF State tournament include:
BOYS WRESTLING
(Name, school, weight)
Henry Aslikyan, Birmingham, 106
Adrian Escobar, Canoga Park, 113
Mason Carrillo, Royal, 113
Logan Andrews, Moorpark, 120
Giancarlo Plaza, Birmingham, 120
Jay Arana, San Fernando, 126
John Alvarez, San Fernando, 132
Alec Zapata, Granada Hills, 138
Ethan Grubach, Birmingham, 145
Noah Elliot, Birmingham, 152
Dominic Williamson, Canoga Park, 160
Arvin Khosravy, Birmingham, 170
Alex Munoz, Valencia, 182
Rommel Lopez, Chatsworth, 182
Jacob Rios, El Camino Real, 220
GIRLS WRESTLING
(Name, school, weight)
Avy Perez, Birmingham, 101
Valeria Leiva, San Fernando, 106
Savannah Sequeira, Birmingham, 111
Ireland Donnelly, Royal, 111
Hailee Moreno, San Fernando, 111
Leidy Gonzalez, Canoga Park, 116
Alex Waitsman, El Camino Real, 116
Monica Vasquez, Birmingham, 121
Skylar Whitley, Harvard-Westlake, 121
Alondra Feliciano, San Fernando, 126
Regina Seyfi, Burroughs, 126
Angeleen Castaneda, Chatsworth, 131
Bella Arredondo, San Fernando, 137
Delise Villa, San Fernando, 143
Adelaide Fernandez, Birmingham, 143
Leslie Acevedo, Birmingham, 150
Karissa Aguilar, Granada Hills, 160
Emma Medina, Birmingham, 189
Cherish Hall-Taoai, Thousand Oaks, 235