Lemoore High School hosts Masters Thursday thru Saturday. Next stop CIF State Wrestling Championships

This year’s CIF State Boys and Girls Wrestling Championships are combined into a one-weekend, a three-day event starting Feb. 21-23 at Bakersfield’s Rabobank Arena. Last years state tournament was held at the Visalia Convention Center.

Hundreds of boys’ and girls’ grapplers will inhabit the school’s Event Center Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The boys begin their quest for Bakersfield glory on Thursday at 11 a.m. and return on Friday at 10 a.m. The girls join the boys on Friday and return Saturday morning at 10 a.m. to decide who goes where.

“This is the last step before the state tournament,” said Tiger Coach Marcio Botelho, who hopes to send several of his wrestlers to the tournament.  “Everybody in our Central Section, including the new schools from the coach (Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Arroyo Grande, and others), they’re part of our section now.’

Both the girls and boys will compete in Bakersfield’s Rabobank Arena at the same time, a first for California wrestling. To get there, local wrestlers will have to earn a spot in the top 10 in Lemoore.

Lemoore’s Division 1 wrestlers had a tune-up of sorts this past weekend at the Central Section Divisions at Clovis North High School. As a team, the Tigers finished 11th overall, far behind the Section’s top finisher, Buchanan High School. Lemoore was the only West Yosemite League school to make the top 20 at the tourney.

Lemoore’s best placer was Wayne Joint, who at 128 pounds, took third place overall. Lemoore’s WYL champ Will Kloster finished sixth overall at 162 pounds while Dylan McDonald, at 108 pounds was sixth.

In other action Xander Romero, 115, was ninth and Jesse Gaytan, at 122 pounds, finished fifth overall. Alex Yanez was ninth at 154 pounds, and Koy Davis finished 11th at 172 pounds. Flavio Florez was 11th at 222 pounds as was Hector Duran at 197 pounds. Finally, Arturo Valdez, at 287 pounds was 12th in his division.