Masterful performance: Fountain Valley wrestling foursome wins at CIF Masters

Thirteen, under some superstitions, is an unwelcome guest, but the number was far from unlucky for the Sunset Conference boys’ wrestlers in the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet.

That was the total number of local wrestlers advancing to the CIF State individual wrestling championships through the state-qualifying meet Feb. 16 at Palm Springs High.

Fountain Valley finished second overall at the Masters, behind only Bellflower St. John Bosco 254.5-167.5.

Hunter Jauregui (106 pounds), Anthony Lucio (126), Hercules Windrath (138) and Ryland Whitworth (215) won Masters titles for the Barons, who will be sending an area-best seven wrestlers to the state meet.

They will all head north to Bakersfield, where the state championships will take place inside Mechanics Bank Arena beginning Thursday. The ultimate aspiration is to ascend to the top of the podium on Saturday, a feat accomplished for the first time for a Fountain Valley wrestler when TJ McDonnell did it a year ago.

Fountain Valley’s Hunter Jauregui, seen in the Five Counties tournament on Jan. 13, won all his matches by fall in the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet.

(James Carbone)

“I think everybody believed they could do it, but it helped our program a lot because it showed everybody that it is possible,” Jauregui said of McDonnell’s breakthrough win at the state level. “It can be done in a Fountain Valley singlet.”

Lucio and Windrath have been sparring partners in practice for the past couple of seasons, the former attributing his success to a “hatred for losing.” Windrath said neither would be in the position they are now without the other. The practice partners are committed to Cal Poly.

“I believe I can wrestle six minutes with anybody in the country,” said Windrath, who capped his victorious run at Masters with a third-period pin in the final. “I believe it shows. I can keep a close match with anybody in the country. I’ve just got to capitalize and show why I’m the best.”

Lucio’s championship at Masters hung in the balance until the end, as he earned a narrow 3-2 decision over Walnut’s Christian Garcia. Whitworth did not get scored upon in registering a major decision in the finals.

The Masters Meet saw each weight class split into two brackets of 16 wrestlers, with the top five in each bracket moving on to the last week of CIF competition.

While a fearsome four topped their brackets at Masters for Fountain Valley, presenting themselves as the section’s best, none of them have indicated they feel the mission is complete.

Fountain Valley’s Anthony Lucio flexes after winning his his weight class during the Five Counties tournament on Jan. 13.

(James Carbone)

“I’ve had it all over my room, and my playlist that I listen to every day is ‘2024 State Champs,’ so I think that is the only way I want to go out, standing on top of the podium,” Lucio said. “I’ve been working for it all year, and I think it’s just going to cement my high school legacy.”

Rounding out the seven state qualifiers for Fountain Valley are Nathan Marquez (144), Christian Stoeber (150) and Khale McDonnell (190).

The match that serves as the difference between advancing to state and ending one’s season is known by a name as gruesome as the match itself: the blood round.

Newport Harbor’s Rikki Villasenor (106), as well as Marquez and Stoeber, remain alive after facing that elimination match. It marked the end of the season for Fountain Valley’s Chris Qureshi (113) and Huntington Beach’s Gavvin Stephens (132).

Villasenor went to the ultimate tiebreaker period, winning the coin toss, choosing to start from the top position, and riding out his opponent for the final 30 seconds to secure the win. A victor had not been determined through regulation and the first three overtime periods, spanning eight minutes.

The Sailors sophomore said he used to get tough love from his older brother Kai, who is wrestling for Clackamas Community College in Oregon. He said he is now armed with greater mental toughness.

Fountain Valley’s Hunter Jauregui, left, and Newport Harbor’s Rikki Villasenor square off in the 106-pound final of the Mann Classic on Dec. 9.

(Andrew Turner)

“After last year, when I got injured, I almost felt like I wanted to quit wrestling,” Villasenor said. “All through my years since I was a kid, I had never experienced any type of injury or getting hurt, so when that happened, I was feeling bummed.

“Once I got back into wrestling going into this season, I knew it was my goal that I was going to go farther than my brother. That’s really all I wanted, to be able to prove to him that I can do it.”

Demian Pryima (132) and Anthony Manno (150), both champions in the Inland Division finals, also advanced to state for Newport Harbor.

Corona del Mar will be sending Antonio Aramburu (157), Zion Hernandez (175) and Eugenio Franco (190) to state.

BOYS’ WRESTLING

CIF Southern Section Masters Meet

At Palm Springs High

Team Scores

1. St. John Bosco 254.5; 2. Fountain Valley 167.5; 3. Palm Desert 163; 4. Calvary Chapel 128; 5. Canyon Springs 123; 6. Chaminade 104.5; 7. Northview 100; 8. Walnut 91.5; 9. Chino 82; 10. Roosevelt 73; 13. Corona del Mar 69; 18. Newport Harbor 57.5; 81. Huntington Beach 6; 107. Ocean View 3; 126. Laguna Beach 1; 131T. Costa Mesa 0; 131T. Edison 0; 131T. Marina 0.

106 Blue - Caine Martin (Camarillo) dec. Zachary Samano (Chino), 4-3 (UTB).

106 Gold — Hunter Jauregui (Fountain Valley) pins Marcus Tolentino (Northview), 2:49.

113 Blue — Sean Willcox (St. John Bosco) dec. Jovanni Evangelista (Northview), 5-0.

113 Gold — Paulo Valdez (Hesperia) dec. Max Murillo (Canyon Springs), 8-4.

120 Blue — Nathan Carrillo (St. John Bosco) dec. Isaiah Quintero (El Dorado), 6-1.

120 Gold — Ronnie Ramirez (Walnut) dec. Slater Hicks (Valencia), 2-1 (OT).

126 Blue — Michael Romero (St. John Bosco) maj. Mateo Ochoa (King), 12-2.

126 Gold — Anthony Lucio (Fountain Valley) dec. Christian Garcia (Walnut), 3-2.

132 Blue — Jesse Grajeda (St. John Bosco) maj. Aaron Contreras (Walnut), 14-6.

132 Gold — Richard Murillo (Canyon Springs) dec. Joshua Requena (Camarillo), 3-2.

138 Blue — Hercules Windrath (Fountain Valley) pins Mathius Garza (Eisenhower), 5:25.

138 Gold — Jacob Bell (Etiwanda) pins Jose Jimenez (Paloma Valley), 1:57.

144 Blue — Dylan Guillermo (Palm Desert) dec. Slava Shahbazyan (Chaminade), 6-3.

144 Gold — Ryder Yoshitake (San Marino) pins Viviano Gutierrez (Northview), 3:08.

150 Blue — Brock Mantanona (Palm Desert) pins Tristan Fernandez (Bonita), 0:07.

150 Gold — Mikel David Uyemura (San Marino) dec. Sean Otero (Norwalk), 3-1.

157 Blue — Andrew Barbosa (Palm Desert) dec. Brian Leon (Roosevelt), 10-7.

157 Gold — Grigor Cholakyan (St. John Bosco) maj. Arvin Khosravy (Chaminade), 15-2.

165 Blue — Joseph Antonio (St. John Bosco) tech. fall Kameron Phillips (Temecula Valley), 18-2.

165 Gold — Evan Manzo (Etiwanda) dec. David Alonso (Palm Desert), 6-3.

175 Blue — Max McWilliams (Calvary Chapel) dec. Michael Vassalle (Chino), 2-0.

175 Gold — Primo Catalano (Chaminade) pins Zion Hernandez (Corona del Mar), 1:55.

190 Blue — Sonny Kling (Canyon Springs) inj. def. Eugenio Franco (Corona del Mar).

190 Gold — Diego Costa (Palm Desert) dec. Khale McDonnell (Fountain Valley), 3-1.

215 Blue — Coby Merrill (JW North) pins Kevin Rodriguez (Chaminade), 0:29.

215 Gold — Ryland Whitworth (Fountain Valley) maj. Diego Morales (Palm Desert), 10-0.

285 Blue — Nicholas Sahakian (St. John Bosco) pins Jon Silvestri (Yorba Linda), 0:40.

285 Gold — Miguel Saldana (Indio) pins Justice El Sayad (Temecula Valley), 1:03.