A remarkable season will continue for El Molino sophomore Hannah Ricioli, as she prepares for a historic trek to the prestigious CIF State Wrestling Championships in Bakersfield.
One week removed from winning her school’s first-ever individual league girls title, Ricioli went 4-1 in the 150-pound bracket at the North Coast Section Championships on Feb. 15-16, securing her first trip to state.
Seeded third, Ricioli drew a first round bye before pinning her first opponent to advance to the second day. She recorded a 16-1 technical fall in the quarterfinals but then lost to Beyonce Garcia, ranked No. 6 in the state, in the semifinals. Ricioli bounced back with a crucial win by fall in the Consolation finals to reach the third place match, where she scored a pin over Sierra Van Rossem of Newark Memorial to stamp her ticket to state.
“You couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces,” El Mo coach Ron Wright said, reflecting on the third place match. “My hand is still sore from all the high-fives.”
The NCS meet, held on Feb. 15-16 at James Logan High School in Union City, consisted of preliminary rounds on Friday, with the championship matches contested on Saturday. For the first time in the sport’s history, the NCS meet included a separate tournament for girls.
The goal for most participating athletes was a top-three finish in their weight class, good for advancement to the elite CIF State Wrestling Championships to be held at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield on Feb. 22-23.
In all, the Lions qualified three wrestlers to NCS, including Ricioli, sophomore Erik Dimond and freshman Ardenne “Chevy” Chevrolet.
Competing in the 134-pound weight bracket, Dimond went 0-2 in his second trip to NCS to finish a strong season with an overall record of 16-14.
“Like the great teammate that Erik is, he came out to the girls tournament for the remainder of Friday and all day Saturday in support of Chevy and Hannah,” Wright said. “Erik was sad to be eliminated so early, but said he was happy to be able to eat whatever he wanted now.”
Chevrolet also wrapped up a break-out freshman campaign at the NCS meet, battling both opponents and a sore knee to advance to the second day with a 2-1 record, including two pins. She advanced with a 15-0 tech fall but was eliminated in her next match to finish the tournament with a 3-2 record and 15-14 on the season.
“Chevy had an incredible first year of wrestling, and there are few wrestlers who show as much toughness and grit as this girl,” Wright noted. “And she does it all with a smile.”
Tigers go to mat
The Analy wrestling team was well-represented at the NCS meet by 115-pound senior Preston Bagan, 120-pound sophomore Zach Fogg, 138-pound senior Jimmy Carreras and 145-pound sophomore Lorenzo Robles to the meet.
Bagan, a former league champion and 2018 state qualifier, led the way with a 3-3 NCS record to earn an eighth place medal. It was Bagan’s second NCS medal earned in a remarkable four-year career. Other Analy results included Fogg (1-2), Carreras (0-2) and Robles (0-2).
“We hope to continue to send several wrestlers to NCS and get them on the podium,” Tiger’s coach Francisco Manriquez said. “I have big plans for this program but it’s going to take time and hard work. I’m very proud of Preston and the rest of the team for how well they stuck together throughout the whole season — everyone improved, and that’s what I was looking for.”
