Enochs wrestler defends CIF State title; commits to collegiate national champion.

Enochs High’s Rory Coscia became the first wrestler in school history to earn four state medals after defending her 116-pound title on Saturday at the CIF State Girls Wrestling Championships in Visalia.

Coscia won an overtime thriller with Benicia’s Tara Othman in the final, punctuating a four-year run as impressive as any in Stanislaus District history, boys or girls. The senior is undefeated the last two years with back-to-back state championships — and four state medals overall.

“I am so thankful that I finished my high school career surrounded by those who have helped me get to this point: My guardian, Dan (Glenn), coach (Duane) Brooks, my mother, my amazing teammates and friends,” Coscia said in a text message to The Bee.

Coscia was fourth at 116s as a sophomore and third as a freshman in 2015, the year the Eagles won state as a team.

Coscia took her game to new heights last winter, earning the Bee’s All-District Girls Wrestler of the Year last winter after capturing her first state title with a 39-0 mark. She didn’t wrestle nearly as much this season as college visits dominated her schedule early on, but she found her form in the postseason. Coscia closed her senior season with a 23-0 record and is unbeaten in her last 62 matches. She is 128-9 in four seasons.

Othman gave her a test in an all-Sac-Joaquin Section final, though.

A double-leg specialist, Othman toppled section runner-up Niya Gaines of Bear Creek in the semifinal round, but couldn’t duplicate that feat against the tournament's No. 1 seed.

Coscia won in OT, 4-3.

“Last year, I was the underdog going into finals. This year, there was a bit of added pressure to defend that title and remain undefeated,” said Coscia, also ranked fourth in the nation. "Tara wrestled well all weekend. Her double leg is hard to stop. She scored first and I knew I was in for a fight. As we went into overtime, I heard my coaches screaming ‘Dig deep, Rory’ and it reminded me that I could push through.”

Coscia advanced to the final with a win over Frontier's Alyssa Valdivia, an unseeded freshman and virtual unknown. Coscia had never wrestled Valdivia, giving many in the Enochs corner pause and concern. Valdivia finished third.

"Valdivia had been dominant all season," Glenn said. "We studied her hard and Rory read her perfectly and completely shut down her offense, pinning her in the first round and advancing to finals."

Saturday’s feat was made all the more special by Coscia’s commitment to Campbellsville University in Kentucky, where she’ll join coach Lee Miracle’s wrestling room. The Lady Tigers are the reigning Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association national champion.

Coscia made the announcement on Saturday at the Visalia Convention Center.

Modesto City Schools sent two wrestlers to a state final, including Gregori’s Liliana Vergara.

The Jaguars' junior was beaten by Selma’s Jerzie Estrada in the 150-pound final, 8-0. Selma won the team title for a record third consecutive season.

Turlock sophomore Hailey Ward finished fifth at 101s, while Escalon junior Mikayla Vega was also fifth at 106s.

Pacheco junior Tagivale Vaifale was fourth at 235s.

A pair of Stanislaus District seniors finished their careers with a state medal. Atwater’s Courtney Juarez was fourth at 170s and Central Valley’s Nayeli Pelayo was sixth at 189s. Both were the section’s top performers at their respective weights.

This story was originally published February 25, 2018 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Enochs wrestler defends CIF State title; commits to collegiate national champion.."