Toros grab first wrestling titles in school history
Tyler Takeda/The Madera Tribune
Matilda Torres 108 pounder Aiden Salas rolls his opponent into near fall points during the Div. V Championship match. Salas needed those points for a 6-5 victory to win the school’s first individual Central Section wrestling title.
With the home crowd behind him, Matilda Torres’ wrestler Aiden Salas recorded a 6-5 decision in the 108 championship match to record the school’s first Central Section individual championship.
Moments later, Pablo Adame did the same at 128 pounds to give the Toros two Div. V Central Section champions in its first full year of varsity competition.
“It feels really good. I’m really excited about taking first,” Salas said.
“It feels good,” Adame said “We put in a lot of work in the wrestling room. Hard work pays off. It feels good to get a valley title.”
The Toros gym was host to both the Div. IV championship on Friday and the Div. V championship on Saturday and rooted for the home team. The Toros earned a respectable fifth place finish with just eight wrestlers. Only Edison-Fresno placed ahead of them with the same amount of wrestlers, and they were fourth.
Unfortunately, Salas and Adame are the only two Toros wrestlers advancing to the CIF Master’s Tournament on Friday and Saturday at North High School in Bakersfield.
Freddie Fernandez (115 pounds), Abraham Galvan (122) and Marty Corona (147) each advanced to the third place match, but lost.
Salas had the additional benefit of being in a bracket with just six wrestlers so his first match didn’t come until the semifinal round. He won by a first period pin to advance to the championship match. In the championship, Salas picked up a 6-4 lead in the third period after receiving a two-point near fall. All his opponent could do was get a stalling call and Salas held on for the one-point win.
“I’ve been working on an armbar tilt in practice a lot,” Salas said. “My mind is always set on No.1. There wasn’t any doubts.”
Adame received a bye into the quarterfinals and picked up a first period pin. Adame then pinned his semifinal opponent midway through the second to advance to the championship match. Adame got a late 2-1 lead and held on for a 3-1 decision to win the title.
“My strategy was stall out the time to figure out what to do,” Adame said. “I knew he couldn’t turn me so I was playing it safe. I knew I could do it with my confidence of believing in myself. I put the hard work in.”
Fernandez won his quarterfinal match by an 8-5 decision, but lost in the semifinals by a pin. He picked up second period pin in the consolation semifinals, but lost, 9-6, in the third place match.
Galvan won his first round match by a first period pin. He lost in the quarterfinals, but won by a third period pin in the consolation round. He picked up another pin in the next round, but lost by technical fall in the consolation semifinals. Galvan lost a tough 5-2 decision in the third place match.
Corona lost his first match in the 147 pound quarterfinals. He came back with a second period pin in the consolation round. Corona advanced to the third place match with a second period pin in the third round and a third period pin in the consol semifinals. He fell by a second period pin in the third place match.
In other weights, Tyler Salas went 1-2 at 134 pounds, Owen Walters went 2-2 at 140 pounds and Brian Placido was 1-2 at 172 pounds.
