Three Temecula Valley HS Wrestlers Qualify For CIF State Meet

They came 10 strong, but for Temecula Valley High, only three would emerge out of Day 2 of the CIF-Masters Meet, which was hosted by the Golden Bears on Friday and Saturday.

Senior Zach Mitchell (145 pounds), junior Brett Sayre (171) and senior Zack Smith (heavyweight) all advanced to State, which will begin on Friday at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.

"It was a tough tournament," said head coach Arnold Alpert, whose Golden Bears won a CIF Dual Meet title last week . "Thirty percent is not too good if you think about it that way. But I was proud of the team. They all wrestled their butts off and I'm proud of each and everyone of them. I had a good group of wrestlers, not a great one. But they will keep improving and that's great for next year."

Mitchell had a moment to remember, barely qualifying for State with a pinfall victory over Morro Bay's Kent Beecham in the final minute.

"I just had to go all out," said Mitchell, who lost his first match on Friday and managed to post a 5-1 record from that point on. "I just kept on shooting and shooting. I was determined to get to (State)."

Added Albert: "(Zach) just kept plugging away. Once he got him in the air I knew it was all over."

Sayre took fifth place,  winning his final match by default and going 4-1 over  two days. Smith pinned Oak Hills Anthony Jimenez at 1:53 to take seventh place. He finished 4-2 over the two days.

All three will be making their first appearances at State. Mitchell said it's nice knowing that company will be joining him along the way.

"It's nice to have that family," he said. "We will all be there for motivations and to help get us pumped up."

Overall, the Golden Bears finished 14th in the team standings with 50 overall points. Calvary Chapel Santa Ana won the team title, edging Oak Hills, 93-88.5.