After sending just one wrestler each of the last two seasons, the Valencia Vikings wrestling program advanced two wrestlers to the state tournament this year.
Sophomore Slater Hicks and junior Alejandro Navarro are heading to Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield for the CIF wrestling championships. Hicks (126 pounds) placed second in the gold bracket at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet held on Saturday at Sonora High School, while Navarro (132 pounds) placed fifth in the blue bracket.
The top five wrestlers in each bracket in each weight class at the Masters Meet earned automatic berths into the state tournament.
It’s the first time that Valencia has had multiple wrestlers qualify for the postseason’s state final since 2020, according to Valencia head coach Brian Peterson.
Hicks, a state qualifier for the second straight year, breezed through the first three rounds, winning by pin and two technical falls.
In the final, Hicks matched up against St. John Bosco’s Nathan Carillo. Hicks got the better of Carillo twice last year, but last year’s state runner-up won this year’s bout by a 2-1 decision.
“It was razor-close match,” Peterson said in a phone interview on Monday. “It was decided on a referee stalling call. So, it’s not like the other guy really beat him. It was more just, we stalled a little bit more. He got warned once; we got warned twice. So, that’s what it came down to.”
Navarro lost in the quarterfinals before winning his first two consolation-round bouts. He was then bounced to the fifth-place match, where he won by a 10-4 decision.
Navarro’s win for fifth place came in what was essentially a win-or-go-home bout.
“We dominated that match for the most part,” Peterson said. “It wasn’t that tough of a win in that fifth-place match.”
Valencia’s Dayle Cailles and Henry Egami also competed at the Masters Meet, as did Trinity Classical Academy’s Hudson Sweitzer, but they did not advance.
It’s the first time Navarro will be competing at the state championships. Hicks is making his second trip in two tries, though he’ll be seeking his first state medal.
“We’re excited and we’re ready for state,” Navarro said.
The state championships are set to begin on Thursday at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield and will run through Saturday.
Camarillo High’s two state qualifiers were working out with the two Vikings in Valencia on Monday as the Coastal Canyon League rivals were working together to prepare for what all four wrestlers hope will be a fruitful trip.
“We’re working right as we speak, right now,” Peterson said. “We’re doing our best to try to prepare them last-second, you know, work on a couple moves that we might be struggling with, talk about how we can seal up any kind of weaknesses we might have and just stay in good shape and stay healthy.”
