A trial between two undefeated titans of the Mountain League took place on Jan. 24, 2024, to decide who would walk away as champion.
Following a very successful season, the Bearcat boys wrestling team matched up against their toughest rival, the Righetti Warriors, on Jan. 24, 2024. They were yet to face the Warriors who they were tied with for first place for the league title. Being the last match going towards league, it determined who would take the title. This is a historic battle with Righetti taking first last year, and Paso taking it the year before, 2022.
“The hard work and dedication they’ve been showing has paid off.” Head Coach Nathaniel Ybarra said about the building done since last year’s season.
Going into the match the boys knew they were up against tough competition, but giving 100% on the mat was already a given. “Every single match from the Righetti match was needed,” Ybarra said.
The match started with the Bearcat losing the 106-pound weight class off of points, but they snapped back by winning 113, 120, 160, 132, and 138 weight classes all by pins. Righetti won the 144 weight class narrowly off of points before Paso pinned the competitors in the 150 and 157 weight class. The Warriors rallied back with pins in the 165 and 175 weight classes. Paso won their final weight class, 190, off of points, before losing the 215, and heavyweight classes off of a pin and a forfeit—a final score of 45 Bearcats, 32 Warriors.
Ahead the team will compete in CIF matching up against very competitive teams: “That’s one of the toughest tournaments in the state of California,” Ybarra said, “every team that’s there is top 25 in the state.”
With a young team mainly consisting of sophomores, Ybarra sees a bright future for the team in years to come, and for the program as a whole: “If we continue improving the system of elementary school wrestling to middle wrestling into high school wrestling, and you just get good at the system you’re going to have a successful program,” Ybarra said.
