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
Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Monalbo on Instagram) Boys Basketball: Glendora got one more game in before Christmas. And they made the most of it. The Tartans cruised to a 91-58 nonleague victory over Hesperia. GHS had a 48-25 lead at the half. Sebastian Demano scored a game-high 21 points. Demano also had five rebounds, nine […]
Photos by Alex Veliz Girls Basketball: La Salle improved to 12-1 after Saturday’s 40-28 victory over Westlake at the La Salle Winter Showcase. The Lancers led 22-12 at the half, and 32-17 after three quarters. Casey Higgins led La Salle with 10 points. Aislin Tamez Torres had nine points, and Emily Fong contributed eight points […]
Photos by Alex Veliz Girls Basketball La Salle won its eighth consecutive game on Friday. The Lancers cruised to a 75-45 victory over Schurr at the La Salle Winter Showcase. LSHS had a 38-17 lead at the break, and the outcome was never in doubt. Casey Higgins scored a game-high 21 points. Emily Fong chipped […]
Boys Basketball: Etiwanda picked up victory No. 10 of the 2024-25 season on Friday. The Eagles outlasted their visitors from Vista Murrieta, 69-57, behind 18 points from AJ Orji. Orji scored 15 of the 18 in the second half. Ayden Hamilton chipped in with 14 points and Sloane Harris had 11. Cisco Munoz scored a […]
Boys Basketball: Bonita dug itself a 15-point hole at the half in Thursday’s Palomares League opener at Diamond Bar. The Bearcats outscored the Brahmas 49-41, but DBHS would hold on for a 73-66 victory. Bonita had a 10-9 advantage in 3-pointers made. Tyler West led Diamond Bar with 20 points and Jedison Chow had 16 […]
Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Montalbo on Instagram) Boys Basketball: Something had to give when Glendora and Ayala met up Thursday night in Chino Hills. The Bulldogs had won five in a row and 10 of their last 11 games. And the visiting Tartans entered the Palomares League opener for both programs on an eight-game win […]
Wrestling: So far, so good. Bonita has opened the Palomares League portion of its schedule with a pair of blowouts. Last week, the Bearcats secured a 64-18 victory at Diamond Bar. And last night, BHS won 12-of-14 matches, and they cruised to a 65-11 victory. Bonita is now 6-1 overall, and 2-0 in league matches. […]
Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Montalbo on Instagram) Girls Basketball: Glendora had one of its poorest shooting efforts of the year. But when push came to shove, the Tartans pulled away in the second half and they secured a 44-33 victory at Ayala in the Palomares League opener for both programs. GHS and AHS combined for […]
Girls Basketball: Another Prep League basketball for Flintridge Prep. And another blowout. The Wolves led by 27 points after the first eight minutes, and they cruised to a 71-13 victory at Westridge. So far, Prep has league wins over Mayfield, Chadwick and Westridge by a combined margin of 225-52. Olivia Childs led the way with […]
