Tigers send Joint, Solis to boys' state wrestling; Cadena takes sixth in Visalia

Meantime, Tiger senior Angel Solis came within an eyelash of earning a spot in the finals, but had to settle for third place, and of course a chance to accompany Joint to Bakersfield. The CIF State Wrestling Tournament will be held March 4-5 at Bakersfield's Rabobank Arena.

In Visalia, Lemoore’s best hope of Tiger girl winning the state wrestling title, Esperanza Cadena, couldn’t quite jump the final hurdle, losing in the semifinals and finishing sixth in the state.

In the boys’ semifinal match, Joint beat Dos Palos grappler Adrian Marufo and grabbed an early 2-0 lead and then scored a pin at the 3:12 mark.

In the final against Buchanan’s Brett Villarreal, the two managed to go scoreless in the first period. In the second stanza, Joint earned a point following an escape. He scored more points for scrambling and led after two 3-0.

Angel Solis, shown here in an earlier bout at Saturday's Masters in Lemoore, lost in the semis but earned a trip to the state championships March 4-5 in Bakersfield.

Joint made it 5-0 before Villarreal scored on an escape. A stall call cost Joint a point, but when the match was over, Joint easily beat his Buchanan counterpart and won the Master’s title.

Solis was cruising to the final before he was stopped in the semis by Anthony Montalvo 6-3. He ended up beating Bakersfield’s Noah Rodriguez 6-0 for third place and a trip to Bakersfield. Despite the late loss, Solis was optimistic about his chances at the State Championships. “I’ll just have to train harder,” he said, “and keep working harder in the room and outside the room.”

Cadena appeared to be cruising, winning her first three matches before falling on Saturday in the semifinals to San Jose’s Alex Hedrick. Hedrick went on to win the state title over Corona’s Alyssa Aceval. In the consolation bracket, Cadena lost to Walnut Creek’s Mia Dow.