Girls wrestling continues to grow in popularity

Girls high school wrestling, a curiosity not long ago, continues to climb in popularity.

The most recent evidence was seen last weekend at Stockton's McNair High, the site for the Sac-Joaquin Section Invitational. The event drew a field of 237, an increase over the 145 last year.

"More girls care about wrestling, and more coaches are pushing for more athletes," said McNair coach Elizar Ceballos, the tournament director and former standout at Manteca High. "There is something for the girls now after this tournament."

That "something" is the state championships, which were sanctioned by the CIF for the first time in 2011. The state once again will be held at Lemoore on Feb. 24-25.

The top four in each weight class at McNair qualified for state. The Stanislaus District trio that won state titles last year extended their seasons, but the results were mixed.

Ripon's Juliana Triplett dominated the 165-pound class. Merced's Emily Hamel (138) pinned three opponents before she dropped a decision in the finals to Alyssa Wong of Jesse Bethel. Turlock's Alexia Moreno (132), slowed this season by a shoulder injury, was beaten in the semifinals but recovered to win one more match before she injury-defaulted and settled for fourth.

Ceballos said the 132s, won by Patterson sophomore Jazmine Mendosa, were the most competitive weight class of the competition. Twenty-six wrestlers, by far the most of any bracket, collided. Mendosa pinned Christian Brothers' Mallory Velte, who stopped Moreno in the semifinals, for the title.

The only other section champion was Calaveras junior Jessica Paasch (235), one of only six in the heavyweight field. Also state-bound are 103-pounders Gurleen Chahal of Livingston (third) and Sarah Phillips of East Union (fourth), Rose Moore of Central Valley (114, fourth), Breanna Coronado of Livingston (138, fourth), Jasmine Ivey of Lathrop (154, third), Melissa Garcia of Riverbank (165, third) and Alyssa Cantu of Weston Ranch (165, fourth).

• LEAGUE — The boys begin the postseason countdown with this week's league championships.

The Modesto Metro Conference (at Modesto), the Central California Conference (at Buhach Colony) and the Mother Lode (at Linden) will be held on Friday. MMC action begins at 9 a.m. with the semifinals scheduled for 2 p.m. and the finals at 4.

The Valley Oak (at Oakdale), the Trans-Valley (at Escalon), the Western Athletic (at Central Valley) and the Southern (at Mariposa) will be staged on Saturday.

The top four finishers in each weight class per league — with the exception of only two qualifiers per bracket from the Southern — will advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section Divisionals on Feb. 16-17.

Last week's Section Team Duals underscored the northern section's ongoing advantage over the south. Vacaville romped to its third straight Division 1 dual title and 12th in the last 14 years by overwhelming Gregori, Turlock and Folsom. Elk Grove reached the semifinals.

This is tough medicine for the southern portion of the section. Last year, the Division 1 South advanced only five — down from six the year before — to the Masters. The south lost a qualifier due to performance on the mat. Conversely, the Division 1 North sent eight to the Masters.

• NOTES — Central Catholic junior Ray Lomas moved up to third in the section rankings (147) after he reached the finals of the Mission San Jose Tournament. He lost to De La Salle's Alex Abono, ranked No. 2 in California. Raider sophomore Joey Abbate (134), also third in the section in his class, took third at San Jose after he was beaten in double overtime in the semifinals by Matthew Gay of Clovis. Gay is ranked 11th in the state.

Bee staff writer Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or (209) 578-2302