Edison wrestlers Williams, Palacio take medal stand at state

The final weekend of the high school wrestling season was like a prophecy fulfilled for Edison’s two high-profile senior transfers.

Jared Williams, formerly of Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, had intended to join the Calvary Chapel wrestling program after his junior year. A shakeup of the Eagles’ coaching staff saw Williams and former Calvary Chapel wrestler Elijah Palacio land with the Chargers.

Both wrestlers were coming off of CIF State meet appearances, and they made it their goal to get back there as teammates. Both were CIF Southern Section Southern Division champions and Masters finalists.

On Saturday at Bakersfield’s Rabobank Arena, they both finished their careers as state medalists.

Williams placed third at 152 pounds, suffering his lone defeat of the CIF State wrestling championships to Trabuco Hills’ Trey Munoz (pin, 3:47) in the semifinals.

The sixth-seeded Williams went 5-1, recording two technical falls, two decisions and a pin.

Palacio said that Williams came to recognize his role as a face of the Chargers as the season went along.

“I’m really proud of him,” Palacio said. “He’s grown a lot over just months. I could not ask for a better teammate.”

For his own merits, Palacio placed sixth at 132 pounds. It was his second medal-winning performance at the state meet. He took eighth as a 126-pounder for Calvary Chapel his junior year.

Palacio won his first three matches of the tournament (two decisions and a pin) to reach the semifinals. As was the case for Williams, a rematch of the Masters championship-bout awaited, with Palacio squaring off against top-seeded Jesse Vasquez of Corona Santiago.

The state semifinals saw Palacio improve upon the 9-4 decision at Masters. He lost the match 10-7, and Vasquez went on to beat Gilroy’s Alex Felix by major decision 10-0 in the final.

“Knowing that [Vasquez] kind of mopped the kid in the finals, it just kind of showed me that I was so close to being in the finals,” Palacio said. “I was so close to giving him a fight.

“I know that my season is over, but I still have college. It shows you where my placement is, and I feel confident and ready for college.”

Palacio said he had difficulty breathing after the semifinals match. He lost a 1-0 decision to Poway’s Chase Zollmann in the consolation semifinals, before withdrawing from the fifth-place match.

Fountain Valley’s Max Wilner was the area’s other state qualifier. The Barons freshman 145-pounder went 3-2 in the tournament, falling one match shy of the medal round.

Wilner was knocked out by sixth-place medalist Josh Tolentino of Poway in a 3-0 decision.

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