Analy brothers Trevor and Preston Bagan punch tickets to state
Analy wrestlers Trevor and Preston Bagan have been competing one way or another since they were old enough to roughhouse as toddlers on the living room floor, and that early training and drive has served them well through the years.
On Saturday, the brothers achieved a rare feat at the North Coast Section Championships in Union City, each logging top-three finishes to advance to the state meet.
The goal of most participants was a top-three NCS finish, good for advancement to the prestigious CIF State Championships in Bakersfield on March 2-3.
Senior Trevor Bagan, a defending NCS champion and state qualifier in 2017, repeated the feat with a second place finish in the 122-pound weight class. Bagan advanced with four straight wins before narrowly losing a controversial match in overtime in the finals to settle for second place.
Sophomore Preston Bagan was nearly as good, navigating the 106-pound division with just one loss before defeating Zavion Fernandez 2-0 in the third place match to punch his ticket to state.
It is believed to be the first time in Analy school history that the Tigers have qualified brothers to the state championships in the same season.
Also representing the Tigers at NCS was Zach Fogg, who went 0-2 and was eliminated in the first day of competition. Also qualifying to NCS was 187-pound Alex Perreira.
Lions go to NCS mat
El Molino was well represented at the NCS meet, sending 108-pound freshman Erik Dimond, 128-pound freshman Asher Weathersbee and 134-pound senior Angel Aguilar.
Dimond, in his first NCS appearance, turned in a solid showing in winning a pair of matches to finish at 2-2. Aguilar wrapped up a strong high school career with a 1-2 record, while Weathersbee gained valuable experience and finished at 0-2.
“It was really cool,” El; Mo coach Ron Wright said. “Erik and Asher really showed progress this year and we look for our two freshmen to continue to grow and improve in the off season.”
On Monday, the Lions held their annual wrestling banquet, handing out several team awards. Angel Aguilar was named the team’s Most Valuable Wrestler, while Dimond earned Most Improved Wrestler and the Heart of the Lion award went to freshman Hannah Ricioli.
