SAN CLEMENTE >> The San Clemente boys wrestling team cruised to a 49-19 win over Victor Valley to win its third consecutive CIF-SS Dual Meet Championship title.
The Tritons were the Division 4 champions in 2020 and now have won back-to-back championships in Division 3. This season, the Tritons had a bye in the first round, beat Camarillo in the second round and Chaparral in the semifinals.
“Going into the tournament last weekend, we knew that the championship match was going to be in the semifinals. Chaminade was the only team capable of beating us,” San Clemente coach Mark Calentino said. “Coming in tonight I know that they (Victor Valley) have a younger team. They have a tough group of kids, but I knew that if we wrestled well that this would be ours.”
San Clemente beats Victor Valley 49-19 to win the CIF-SS Division 3 championship. 3rd in a row for the Tritons. @ocvarsity @SCHSTritons @SteveFryer pic.twitter.com/26KQcd4ftW
— Michael Huntley (@mikehuntley63) February 3, 2022
San Clemente was the top seed in the division entering the playoffs. Victor Valley, which beat Buena, West Valley and Bishop Amat in the playoffs, was the No. 3 seed.
The Tritons scored six pins, including four in a row from 172 to 222 pounds.
Cole Robertson got a first-round pin at 197 pounds that gave San Clemente a 40-6 lead that put the meet out of reach for Victor Valley.
Triton Boys’ Wrestling defeats Victor Valley 49-19 for their 3rd straight CIF-SS Championship!! What an accomplishment by an amazing TEAM!! Watch Senior Cole Robertson with the pin here at 197 lbs.!! @SouthOCsports @ocvarsity @latsondheimer pic.twitter.com/JUSJKOrZ6e
— Triton Athletics (@SCHSTritons) February 3, 2022
Prior to that, Indiana Fightmaster scored a regular decision win at 162 pounds to give the Tritons a 22-6 lead. At that point, Calentino knew the Tritons would win.
“When we won the 160s match, because I know that going through the 70s, 84s, 97s and 220, my assumption was we were going to get two or three pins there,” Calentino said when asked when he figured the team would win.
Jacob Belden, Garrett Boyd, Vance Fabrasilio, Robert Maley, Robertson and Fernando Llanos scored pinfall wins for San Clemente.
The Tritons drew inspiration from Dominic Morales, who won a regular decision at 140 pounds early in the meet. Morales beat the No. 16-ranked wrestler in the state from Chaminade in the semifinals but suffered a hyperextended elbow injury in the match.
Calentino figured he would have to replace Morales in the championship but Morales elected to wrestle with an immobilized arm.
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“I started passing out the championship white singlets and he said, ‘Coach, I am going to go,’” Calentino said. “Coming out here and having to wrestle a pretty darn good kid and effectively only using his one arm, that was Spartan.”
Jose Garcia (130 pounds) and Javier Flores (heavyweight) got pinfall victories for Victor Valley.