Boys Wrestling:
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
What a night it was for the Northview High School wrestling programs.
The Vikings boys and girls defeated Yucaipa and Corona, respectively, to win CIF-SS Division 2 (boys) and Division 1 (girls) team championships.
There was drama in both duals, but Northview started and finished strong in their respective title runs.
This story will focus on the boys championship, which began at 5 p.m.
The Vikings defeated Yucaipa, 42-26, and claimed nine victories in the dual’s 14 matches.
NHS tallied four pins, three decision, one major and a tech fall on Wednesday night.
Northview got out to a 25-0 lead by winning their first six matches (starting at 126 pounds through 160).
Yucaipa, however, closed to gap quickly to 25-23, with four consecutive victories.
It started with a tech fall (15-0) at 170 pounds.
The Thunderbirds would then pick up pin-fall victories at 182, 195 and 220 pounds, and the next thing you knew, it was a two-point lead, with four matches to go.
The Yucaipa pins at 195 and 220 pounds came in 10 and 24 seconds.
Northview football star and NHS heavyweight, Anthony Troncoso, took all of the air out of the Thunderbirds’ momentum.
Troncoso stuck Caleb Floyd in the first period, which gave the Vikings a 31-23 advantage, with three matches remaining.
Marcus Tolentino, the Vikings lightweight (106) would follow Troncoso’s pin with a tech fall (16-1), and the five team points gave NHS an insurmountable 13-point lead, with only two matches to go.
The Vikings Adrian Limon finished the dual with an exclamation mark, pinning his opponent in just 20 seconds at 120 pounds.
And then Limon bowed to the Northview faithful in the stands.
The title-match dual started at 126 pounds, and Mario Sandoval set the tone early with his second-period pin, and a 6-0 lead.
Julian Leon (132) made it 12-0 after sticking his Thunderbirds’ opponent with 22 seconds remaining in the first period.
Jacob Leon (138) claimed a 9-6 victory to extend the lead to 15-0.
And Jacob Salcedo’s (145) 8-2 triumph made it 18-0.
Sonny Acuna (152) won a 10-2 decision.
And Nate Cruz (160) made it six wins in a row when he defeated Joseph Estrada, 11-8, and the Vikings led 25-0.
The Northview wrestling family has rallied behind Cruz after his father and best friend, Mando Cruz, passed away during the Christmas break.
You could see that look of happiness and satisfaction on Cruz’s face in a post-match interview.
And as happy as each coach and wrestler was for earning another CIF-SS team dual championship, the love they share with one another means 100 times more to them.
Quotable:
Northview wrestling coach, Bobby Bellamy: “Today was an awesome day for the Northview wrestling program. We have unbelievable leaders on this team. We won in our gym, in front of our fans. I’m so proud to be a Viking.”
To view RT Tolentino’s photo gallery, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
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