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Marina’s girls wrestling team in top form going into CIF State Championships

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Success has come quickly for the Marina girls wrestling team.

The girls program stared four years ago, but this is only the second year the Vikings have had a wrestler at every weight class, said Vikings coach Chris Rasmussen, who coaches the boys and girls teams.

Marina’s girls team sent a county-leading six wrestlers to the CIF State Championships, which began Thursday and conclude Saturday at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield.

Those six – Kaelani Schufeldt (101 pounds), Kacey Schafer (106), Jordyn Chrisco (116), Anderson Presley (121), River Todd (126) and Alexandra Lopez (143) – are among the nine who led the Vikings to a first-place finish in the Masters Meet this past weekend.

Anderson and Lopez also earned lower- and upper-weight MVP honors, respectively, with four pins each to help Marina win the Central Division title of the CIF-SS Individual Championships on Feb. 11-12.

“It’s just the work ethic of the girls on this team,” Rasmussen said. “They’re game. They are very mat savvy.”

They are also battle-tested, the coach said, having wrestled about 40 matches each over the past two seasons.

Other county girls wrestlers competing in the state meet include Portola’s Carissa Qureshi, who finished first at 116 at Masters, and Capistrano Valley’s Neila Fritts, who took first at Masters in the 235 class.

On the boys side, El Dorado’s Isiah Quintero has arguably the best chance of finishing high on the podium of any county wrestler.

The 101-pound Quintero is coming off a first-place finish at the Masters tournament, where he was named lower-weight MVP after winning three of his five matches by pins and the other two by technical falls.

At the CIF SS Central Division tournament a week earlier, Quintero also took home lower-weight MVP, scoring first-period pins against his three opponents after earning byes in the first two rounds.

Of the 11 Calvary Chapel wrestlers who competed in the Masters Meet, nine advanced to the state tournament, the most of any county team.

The Calvary Chapel boys wrestling team finished third at the Masters Meet last week and has sent a group of nine wrestlers to compete in the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield this week. (Photo courtesy of Calvary Chapel High wrestling)

The Eagles finished third as a team at Masters with 199 points, behind wrestling powerhouses Temecula Valley (243.5) and Palm Desert (239.5).

“Overall, I was really pleased with the way they wrestled,” Calvary Chapel coach Dane Valdez said. “Now is the time where, we put in all the work and we tell these guys, ‘You’ve done everything you need to do. … Now is just time to go out there and embrace it and compete to the best of your ability.’ ”

Calvary Chapel’s 160-pound senior Luke Gayer, who is a Rutgers commit, enters the state tournament ranked No. 1 in the state after finishing first at Masters.

One potential matchup that could figure in the results pits Gayer against Temecula Valley’s Manuel Gaitan, who is ranked No. 2 in the state.

The pair has split two close matches against each other, with Gayer defeating Gaitan 3-2 in the finals at Masters and Gaitan winning 7-5 over Gayer in the Eastern Division finals on Feb. 12.

“We have all the respect in the world for Gaitan,” Calvary Chapel coach Dane Valdez said. “He’s one of the top kids in the country. That is going to be a great battle no matter what. Those guys are just two really good wrestlers. We’re going to do everything we can to get our guy to win.”

Fountain Valley’s Tim McDonnell (182) and Ryland Whitworth (195) led a group of five Barons to Bakersfield.

McDonnell, who is ranked No. 3 in the state, is coming off first-place finishes at Masters and the Central Division tournament and a second-place finish at the prestigious Five Counties Invitational in January.

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Whitworth, who finished second at Masters, first at the Central Division tournament and second at Five Counties, is ranked No. 6 in the state.

Servite’s Marcus Medina finished second at 138 at Masters and is one of two Friars who will compete in the state tournament.

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