The high school wrestling season goes into prime time this month.

Esperanza state champion Sammy Sanchez – and now a world champion – will have to approach the season with caution.

Sanchez was a CIF State champion last season as a freshman at 106 pounds, the only Orange County boy to win a CIF State title. He was the Orange County boys wrestler of the year. Sanchez won a world championship this past summer in the U17 World Championships at Athens, Greece.

He tweaked a knee during practice earlier this season. Sanchez is healthy enough to compete now, but he and Esperanza coach Christian Holiday decided it is wise to wait.

Holiday said Sanchez will be on the mat at The Battle for the Belt at Temecula High School, Jan. 16-18. Sanchez will wrestle at 120 pounds this season.

He of course intends to repeat as CIF Southern Section and CIF State champion. If he does, that would be difficult to top winning a world championship.

“That’s the toughest tournament in the world,” he said. “It’s the highlight of my wrestling life.”

Sanchez stayed in Greece afterwards to spend some vacation time with his family. Then, it was back to work.

Getting back to work is never a problem for Sanchez. Holiday said that Sanchez maybe works too much.

“I’m constantly telling him to slow down, to back off.” Holiday said. “Sanny’s just immensely competitive.

“During practice I have to tell him to stop. I’m afraid he’s going to bend a guy backwards and wind up ripping his own leg off.”

Sanchez said he has improved at “leg riding,” which is a move to control an opponent’s leg to further immobilize that opponent. He said he still needs to  improve his overall quickness on the mat.

He will not wrestle in this weekend’s Doc Buchanan Invitational in Fresno. Sanchez has his eye on the Battle for the Belt in Temecula, Jan. 16 and 17. Then comes the Holiday Classic at Esperanza, Jan. 23 and 24.

Sanchez said he does not have a particular wrestler as a target, an opponent he is looking forward to competing against.

“I’m really only focusing on the state meet, and trying to be the best,” he said.

NOTES

The No. 1 girls wrestler in Orange County is Marina sophomore Aubree Gutierrez, last season’s Orange County girls wrestler of the year. She was the only county girl to win a CIF State title last year, winning a state championship at 110 pounds. …

Marina, which finished fifth in the CIF State meet girls team standings, also returns junior Eva Garcia, who was fourth at 158 pounds in the state meet. Rianna Bernal, who was third in last year’s state meet at 125 pounds while a junior at Lemoore High, transferred to Marina. …

The Doc Buchanan Invitational starts Friday (Jan. 9) and concludes Saturday at Clovis High School. It is the 48th edition of the event that annually attracts nationally-ranked wrestlers. This season’s “Doc B” is no different, with more than 50 nationally-ranked individuals. Calvary Chapel, Fountain Valley and San Clemente are among the Orange County school that will be represented there. …

The Five Counties wrestling tournament is at Fountain Valley, Jan. 16 and 17. It is annually one of the top events in the sport in Orange County.

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