Photos by RT Tolentino

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Wrestling:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

Four area athletes drove back to the San Gabriel Valley as State Champions.

Northview’s Faith Bartoszek (140) as well as Walnut’s Anaya Falcon (105), Deandra Meza (110) and Ronnie Ramirez (120) all wrote their names into the history books inside the Mechanics Bank Arena on Saturday night.

It was the second consecutive title for Ronnie Ramirez.

Glendora’s Sam Sachs placed second at 125 pounds, but the Tartans junior will be back.

Faith Bartoszek, a Wisconsin native, outlasted No. 2 seeded Olivia Davis (Monte Vista), 9-5, in her title bout.

The Northview senior didn’t lose a match in 2023-24.

And she pinned three of her five opponents inside the Mechanics Bank Arena, including No. 1 seeded Gianna DiBenedetto (Belle Vista) at 1:35 in the semifinal round.

As mentioned, Ronnie Ramirez is a back-to-back champion.

The Walnut junior defeated St. John Bosco’s and No. 2 seeded Nathan Carrillo, 4-1, in the final.

Of Ramirez’s five matches, a 2-1 victory over Moses Medrano of Gilroy in the semifinal round was his closest.

Anaya Falcon was actually the final match of the night, because they started the girls at 110 pounds.

Falcon defeated No. 2 Olivia Lopez (Hamilton), 8-0.

Falcon opened the tourney with two pins, and then secured a 2-0 win over Maddison Hunter (Gilroy), and she edged Grace Davis’ Jazmine Turner, 7-6, to earn a spot in the final.

The Walnut senior never lost a single match in her prep career, and if not for COVID, she would likely be a four-time state champion.

Deandra Meza was the first state champion of the night.

After collecting herself, Meza ran over and jumped into the arms of both of her coaches in what had to be an emotional moment for the Walnut trio.

Meza claimed a 5-0 victory over No. 2 Kaiya Maggini (Del Oro).

Meza’s closest battle was a 3-2 victory over Poway’s Eden Hernandez in the 110-pound semifinal.

Sam Sachs led 2-0, and 4-2 over No. 4 seed Christina Osorio of Downey, before getting pinned at 3:45.

The Glendora junior pinned her first two opponents, defeated Mason Harsch (Monte Vista) 7-1, and then edged No. 2 Lilyana Balderas (Anaheim), 5-3, to earn her spot in the title bout.

Falcon and Meza’s championships helped Walnut win the girls team title.

The Lady Mustangs finished 29 points above second-place Newport Harbor.

Jasmine Macias placed third at 130 pounds, and Eliana Garcia was eighth at 120 to give Walnut four state placers.

Ayala senior BK Martinez finished her remarkable career at sixth place in the 110-pound division.

Northview’s Samantha Rivera was sixth at 115 pounds.

For the boys, Etiwanda’s Evan Manzo (165) finished fourth, while Walnut’s Christian Garcia and Northview’s Sonny Acuna placed sixth in the 126-and-190-pound divisions, respectively.

Chino’s Zachary Samano finished seventh in the 106-pound class to represent the Cowboys program with honor.

Former San Dimas star Juliana Marquez steamrolled her way to the 190-pound title.

The Gabrielino junior pinned all five of her opponents, including top-seeded Kathryn Hingano (Rio Linda) at 3:47 in the title bout.

A special thanks to RT Tolentino for photos from the CIF Individual, Masters and each session of state.

Just as this reporter did, Mr. Tolentino went up at his own expense to give the boys and girls as much coverage as we could over the three-day run in Bakersfield.

Paths to State Titles:

Anaya Falcon (105, Walnut):
First Round: Falcon pinned Kaelena Ahrens (Vacaville) at 0:26.
Second: Falcon pinned Lauren Catiis (Twelve Bridges) at 1:05.
Quarter: Falcon def. Maddison Heinzer (Gilroy), 2-0.
Semi: Falcon 7, Jazmine Turner (Grace Davis), 7-6
Final: No. 1 Falcon def. No. 2 Olivia Lopez (Hamilton), 8-0.

Deandra Meza (110, Walnut):
First: Meza pinned Patricia Bray (Pitman) at 2:25.
Second: Meza def. Angelina Borelli (Los Banos), 11-2.
Quarter: Meza def. Ajalynn Jiminez (Hillcrest), 10-2.
Semi: Meza def. Eden Hernandez (Poway), 3-2.
Final: No. 1 Meza def. No. 2 Kaiya Maggini (Del Oro), 5-0

Samantha Sachs (125, Glendora):
First: Sachs pinned Jaelyn White (Yuba City) at 1:07.
Second: Sachs pinned Alexa Calleja (San Pedro) at 0:58.
Quarter: Sachs def. Mason Harsch (Monte Vista), 7-1.
Semi: Sachs def. No. 2 Lilyana Balderas (Anaheim), 5-3.
Final: No. 4 Christine Osorio (Downey) pinned No. 2 Samantha Sachs at 3:45.

Faith Bartoszek (140, Northview):
First: Bartoszek pinned Aliyah Shumaker (Arvin) at 1:24.
Second: Bartoszek pinned Aila Duus (Freemont) at 0:51.
Quarter: Bartoszek def. Kaylin Montano (Shadow Hills), 9-2.
Semi: Bartoszek pinned No. 1 Gianna DiBenedetto (Belle Vista) at 1:35.
Final: No. 4 Bartoszek def No. 2 Olivia Davis (Monte Vista), 9-5.

Ronnie Ramirez (Walnut, 120):
First: Ramirez pinned Ethan Larsen (Minaret at 0:36.
Second: Ramirez def. Micah Viloria (Merrill West), 15-6.
Quarter: Ramirez def. Josiah Sandoval (Elk Grove), 9-1.
Semi: Ramirez def. Moses Mendoza (Gilroy), 2-1.
Final: No. 1 Ramirez def. No. 2 Nathan Carillo (St. John Bosco), 4-1.

2024: State Placers:

Girls:
1st: Anaya Falcon (Walnut, 105)
1st: Deandra Meza (Walnut, 110)
1st: Faith Bartoszek (Northview, 140)
2nd: Sam Sachs (Glendora, 125)
3rd: Jasmine Macias (Walnut, 130)
5th: Renice Gonzalez (Colony, 135)
6th: BK Martinez (Ayala, 110)
6th: Samantha Rivera (Northview, 115)
8th: Eliana Garcia (Walnut, 120)

Boys:
1st: Ronnie Ramirez (Walnut, 120)
4th: Evan Manzo (Etiwanda, 165)
6th: Christian Garcia (126, Walnut)
6th: Sonny Acuna (Northview, 190)
7th: Zachary Samano (Chino, 106)

Team Finish (Top-10):
Boys:
1-Poway (290.5)
2-Buchanan (255)
3-Gilroy (206)
4-St. John Bosco (186)
5-Clovis (144)
6-Bakersfield (124)
7-Palm Desert (112.5)
8-Granite Hills (100.5)
9-Fountain Valley (71)
10-Vacaville (66)

Girls:
1-Walnut (96)
2-Newport Harbor (67)
3-Poway (77)
4-Gilroy (69)
5-Pitman (65)
6-Central Catholic (55.5)
7-Northview (52)
8-Brawley (51.5)
9-Clovis East (47)
10-Santa Ana (42)