Saavedra, 2-time state wrestling champion, transfers to Granite Bay

The Stanislaus District wrestling season begins with a difficult and seismic good-bye.

Israel Saavedra, a two-time state champion and three-time Sac-Joaquin Section Masters champion at Modesto High, has transferred to Granite Bay.

Section spokesman Will DeBoard said Saavedra, if formally cleared, will be eligible to compete in early January after he sits out the CIF-mandated 30 days. He will try to become Granite Bay’s first state wrestling champion, and in early-season rankings by The California Wrestler, is No. 1 at 145.

Saavedra, who turned 18 in July, attributed “family issues” as his reason for leaving Modesto.

“Of course, I miss Modesto,” he said this week. “I moved here for the betterment of me, and it’s worked out so far.”

Saavedra, who won state as a freshman at 113 and as a sophomore at 120, placed third last March at 126. He cut weight consistently during those years, and he wished to be comfortable as a senior. He has signed to attend Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., to rejoin older brother Emilio, after his graduation.

He said his stunning loss in last season’s quarterfinals to De La Salle’s Nathan Cervantez was not a factor in his decision. His goal was to become only the second wrestler to sweep four state titles. Nevertheless, he bounced back to win his final four matches for third place and, one month later, won the 132-pound title at the NHSCA Junior National Championship.

“I have proved what I can do,” Saavedra said. “I want to focus more on academics this year.”

His change in course shocked his family and parents, especially his father and Modesto High coach Angel Saavedra. He had coached Israel since he began competition at age 4.

“We visited Arizona State before school started, and that’s the last time I talked to him,” Angel Saavedra said. “I don’t think what he’s done has anything to do with wrestling, but I never thought in a million years he would do anything like this.”

Angel Saavedra believed the fallout with his son began last summer while he trained at Wrestling Prep, an El Dorado Hills-based training organization. Owner and coach Carolyn Wester returned a call to The Bee but refused to comment on the record.

“I can be a strict parent and coach at times. He just rebelled against us,” Angel Saavedra said. “ He’s a great kid. He just turned 18 and wanted to make his own choices in his life. Hopefully, he’ll learn and regret his mistakes and make the right choices. It’s all I can hope. The most important thing for me is that he’s still in school.”

Notes – The reigning state champion Enochs girls team appears to be even stronger. Back are returning state champion and senior Sariyah Jones (34-0 last season), junior Micaela Kent (third last year) and sophomores Rory Coscia (third last year) and Katrina Guevara. Enochs also added transfers in former Modesto star Marianne Schauer, a senior who placed second in the state at 160 in 2015, and sophomore Makayla Williams (Modesto Christian). The Eagles became the first Modesto City Schools team since the 1984 Modesto boys basketball team to take home a state title. Enochs also will hold a section divisional meet, a first for the girls. ... Two veteran coaches have stepped down this season. Turlock’s Mike Contreras is succeeded by Anthony Gonzalez, a Turlock High graduate, former state qualifier and former head coach at Central Catholic. His assistant is brother and former two-time state champion Lewis Gonzalez. At Gregori, Mike Cantwell has retired after a 25-year run at Grace Davis and with the Jaguars. The new coach is Rick Quinonez, who coached in the area before he spent the last 10 years as a coach and pastor in Oregon. ...

District wrestlers ranked in the state’s top 10: 2015 Masters champion Abel Garcia of Oakdale (second at 170); Shane Torre of Calaveras (sixth at 220); Jake Ryan of Oakdale (seventh at 152) ; Adam Velasquez of Pitman (eighth at 126); Colbey Harlan of Oakdale (eighth at 160); and Tristan Smith of Ripon (ninth at 285). Ryan, a sophomore, will be watched closely as he recovers from knee surgery. He missed the rest of his first season after he was injured in the fifth-place match of the Doc Buchanan tournament in Clovis. Oakdale coach Steve Strange says Ryan probably will be held back from competition until January. ...Oakdale will not repeat its memorable dual meet against powerhouse Bakersfield, but the replacement on the schedule is impressive – a three-way meet in Oakdale featuring Bakersfield and Clovis West on Jan. 30. ...

Enochs graduate McCoy Kent, a Masters champion and state runner-up last season, is a redshirt in his first year at Northern Illinois. ... Emilio Saavedra is off to a 5-2 start as a redshirt freshman at Old Dominion. ....

Coming up: The 40th Riddle Invitational at Oakdale on Dec. 12; Modesto’s Big Kat Klassic on Dec. 19; and the Tamana Invitational at Modesto Junior College on Dec. 22-23.

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Saavedra, 2-time state wrestling champion, transfers to Granite Bay."