Reynalyn Geronimo made the CIF State meet as a freshman. (Photo by Martinez Productions)
Two of the most successful high school wrestlers in the area headed north today to Bakersfield, where they will compete Thursday through Saturday in the CIF State meet.
The only two Menifee area wrestlers to qualify for the State meet are from Paloma Valley High, which traditionally has one of the most competitive programs in Southern California. Senior Anthony Saldana will compete at 132 pounds representing the boys team and freshman Reynalyn Geronimo will compete at 100 for the girls team.
Saldana’s first matchup will be against the winner of a first-round bout between Ronaldo Wilham of Pitman High in Turlock and ninth-seeded Bryce Pasvogel of Clovis North. Competition through the first three rounds will take place on Thursday, followed by the quarterfinals on Friday, then the semifinals and championship rounds on Saturday at Dignity Health Arena.
“I think they put me in a good spot to be able to get to the podium,” said Saldana, who qualified for State with a fourth-place finish in the Masters meet. “I’m not hyper focused on anyone; it comes down to how hard you want to wrestle.”
Qualifying for the State meet in her first year of high school by placing second at the Master meet, Geronimo faces a challenge in taking on second-seeded Kayliegh Fernandez of Golden West High in Visalia.
“Tough draw,” said coach Luis Robles. “They didn’t seed her even though she beat Olivia Munson, who is seeded eighth.”
In the Masters semifinals last weekend, Geronimo scored a 7-4 decision over Munson, who was seeded No. 1 at 100 pounds.
“I faced her a couple months ago and she pinned me,” Geronimo said. “I knew what she was going to do. She did a lot of slide-bys and I defended that. I also had a lot of duck-unders. I countered all her moves. In the last 30 seconds, I got a takedown.”
Geronimo lost in the championship bout, but she said she has put that behind her as she gets ready for the State meet.
“I’m excited,” she said. “Going to state has been my goal for a while.”
At Masters, Saldana pinned Daniel Campos of La Quinta in the first round, then scored a 4-3 decision in the second round over Chino’s Jonathan Madera, a four-time State qualifier.
“I just stuck to my game plan,” Saldana said. “I played it smart. I wasn’t taking any outrageous shots that could hurt my chances.”
Saldana lost an 8-0 decision to top-seeded Nathan Carrillo of St. John Bosco of the semifinals on the way to a fourth-place finish. Qualifying for the State meet is especially satisfying for him after transferring to Paloma Valley from Vista Murrieta High for his senior season.
“I came here because of Paloma’s reputation for wrestling, the whole atmosphere,” Saldana said. “Before, I would win but I would be by myself. Here, I have a really great team who cares about me. We’re always there for each other.”
(Photo by Martinez Productions)
