Del Oro High School made a statement Saturday at the Sierra Foothill League Tournament, qualifying all 14 boys wrestlers for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Tournament and crowning seven individual champions.
The Golden Eagles claimed the SFL title and advanced 10 wrestlers to the finals as they dominated the competition at Whitney High School in Rocklin.
At 144 pounds, Kam Rush delivered one of the tournament’s most compelling storylines. Entering as the No. 2 seed behind Folsom’s Kai Yi-Berg, Rush lost to Yi-Berg 8-1 earlier this season and had finished second at the SFL Tournament three times in his career. This time was different.
In a tightly contested championship match, Rush capitalized in the third period with a takedown and added two near-fall points to secure a 5-3 decision, finally breaking through for his first individual league title.
Jamison French had a similar redemption arc at 165 pounds. Also seeded second, French battled his way into a rematch with top-seeded Kayden Hoang of Folsom. Hoang edged French 6-5 in last year’s 157-pound SFL finals. In another razor-thin showdown, French outlasted Hoang 8-6 to claim his first league championship.
Also, Del Oro’s Christian Perez (120) captured his third SFL title, while Nate Mitchell (126), Cooper Sheesley (150) and Evan Hilmen (175) each secured their second league crowns. Chase Young added to the Golden Eagles’ dominance with a title at 157.
Del Oro received strong performances throughout the lineup. Benson Tanner (106), Declan Leonard (113) and Logan Alexander (132) each finished as league runners-up, while Russ Von Seipler (190) and heavyweight Jase Gervacio earned third-place medals. Eli Berry (138) placed fourth, and Jaxen Wright (215) added a fifth-place finish to round out the Eagles’ medalists.
The Division I section tournament is at Lincoln High School in Stockton. The top eight in each weight class will advance to the SJS Masters Tournament at Stockton Arena the following weekend.
Del Oro girls win SFL
Del Oro’s girls wrestling team kicked off the postseason with a dominant performance, winning seven weight classes and capturing its second consecutive SFL championship at Whitney.
Seniors Ashlyn Hemm (110 pounds) and Kaiya Maggini (125) each earned their third SFL titles, while sophomore Brynn Madden (145) secured her second. Maggini received the league’s Girls Outstanding Wrestler award.
Desirey Fernandez (115), Ximena Vazquez (130), Sophia Gonzales (135) and Caroline Gordon (140) also claimed league titles.
Other varsity medalists included Makayla Clark (100) placing fifth, Chiara Young (120) finishing fourth and Makena Long (155), Katherine Gordon (170) and Sierra Gutkowski (190) each taking third.
Del Oro will send 11 wrestlers to the Sac-Joaquin Section North Regional at Foothill High School this weekend with the top wrestlers earning a trip to the Masters Tournament.
