8 Patriots compete at D4 CIF SJS Finals
Senior Sanders advances to Masters for third straight year
Eight Pioneer High School wrestlers competed in the Division IV CIF SacJoaquin Section Finals this past weekend in Sacramento County.
Junior Nidhi “Kyris” Sharma was the lone Lady Patriot to compete in the D4 CIF SJS Girls Northern Regional Tournament, held Friday at Foothill High School in Sacramento. Sharma tallied a 1-3 record in the 140-pound class, falling one match short of placing in the top 10.
Seven boys represented Pioneer on Saturday at Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova. Senior Cael Sanders placed second in the boys 140-pound division, losing a decision 7-2 to DeMarcus Turner of Grace Davis High School in Modesto. By finishing as runner-up, Sanders qualified for the D4 CIF SJS Masters held in Stockton for the third consecutive season.
Other results include sophomore Elias Lopez (167 lbs.) went 2-2. Freshman Sean Christison (146), sophomores Owen Zickler (159) & Riccardo Hernandez (192), and junior Madden Magallan (177), respectively, were 1-2. Freshman Valentino Lopez (128) was 0-2. The Patriots scored 40 points as a team, placing them 18th out of 30 teams.
“In the end, the coaches were proud of everyone's performance,” stated interim head coach Mike Tringali. “The degree of difficulty at this level shows the true desire of those who participated.”
Sanders returns to the Masters this upcoming weekend in Stockton. The tournament will be held on Friday and Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. each day. The sensational senior grappler will attempt to qualify for the CIF State Wrestling Meet in Bakersfield from Feb. 22-24.