Three High Desert girls are heading to the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield next week after strong performances at the CIF-Southern Section Masters, held Saturday, Feb. 21, at Sonora High School. Excelsior’s Itzel Padilla made it to the 135-pound title match in the blue division but fell short, losing by pinfall to Orange Vista’s Zahra Stewart at 1:37. Padilla, a two-time Masters champion, had a dominant start to the tournament, pinning Villa Park’s Jenna Ceballos in 41 seconds, then earning tech falls over Rio Mesa’s Anika Bittner and Lutheran’s Sophia Garcia. Despite the loss, Padilla's runner-up finish clinched her third consecutive ticket to the state championships. Hesperia’s...
