Stars and Surprises at California Girls Championships

Veloria Pannell of Los Gatos upset the #1 seed on Day 2. Photo by Dan Glenn for American Women’s Wrestling.

by Derek Levendusky and Dan Glenn

BAKERSFIELD, CA - The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Girls Championships went down in Bakersfield, California last weekend, February 24-26 at the Mechanics Bank Arena. When it was all over, the weekend was full of surprises and not-so-surprising results, with new and familiar names reaching the podium and winning state titles, while others hit the top of the podium for the first time.

FAMILIAR NAMES ON TOP
Winning state titles were many familiar names at the national level, top high school girls who are frequently in the national rankings or have had success on the biggest stages of high school wrestling like Fargo or Folkstyle Nationals.

At 101, it was Iowa-bound senior Brianna Gonzalez, the 2021 Junior Fargo co-champ, who won the event last summer with her sister Emilie, who took second at CIF State at 106. Brianna defeated Marina’s Kaelani Shufeldt in the finals by 5-1 minor decision. She and her sister recently announced their commitment to Iowa. Current #2 ranked Paige Morales, the double champ at Fargo last summer, won it at 106 with a 5-0 decision over Emilie Gonzalez.

Sophomore Anaya Falcon, ranked #4 in national rankings, won the 111-pound class coming out of the 3-seed spot, pulling the upset 6-4 over #2 seed Lexy Beadles in the semis before taking out Super 32 champ Nyla Valencia 5-2 in the finals.

Nationally ranked #7 Elena Ivaldi won the 121 class as the #1 seed, scoring three falls to start her run to the finals before winning a tight one 6-4 over Birmingham’s Luiza Nogueira in the semis. She’d move on to face and defeat Del Oro’s Lillian Avalos in the finals 8-2. Ivaldi is a junior.

#3 ranked Fargo champ Savannah Gomez of Brawley won it all at 137, dominating her way to the title without getting scored on, scoring four falls and a decision, including a fall over Downey’s Stephanie Chavez in the finals at 1:29. Gomez is also a junior.

Samanatha Calkins, ranked #1 in the country at 200, won the 189-pound title. The senior from Liberty smashed her way to the title with four falls, though she had a nail-biter in the semis with a 4-2 win over Saiheron Preciado-Meza.

UPSETS
Two of the biggest upsets happened on Days 1 and 2.

On Day 1, 131-pound Veloria Pannell of Los Gatos had the worst possible spot in the 32-girl bracket, having to face the number one seed, Hailey Chapman of Rim of the World in round one. Pannell made the most of the opportunity out scoring Chapman with a 4-1 victory, silencing any would-be critics by winning her next three matches, earning a place in the State Championship Finals. She lost in the finals 5-2 to Menlo-Atherton’s Alexia Bensoussan, a young woman that also pulled off a huge upset, defeating #2 seeded Hannah Ripper of Miramonte in the semis. She did so in dominant fashion, getting a 17-2 tech fall to advance to the final.

Ella Jauregui of Palo Alto pulled the massive upset win over Cadet world champion Katie Gomez 10-8 in the quarterfinals. Photo by Dan Glenn for American Women’s Wrestling.

Day 2 featured the upset of the tournament as Ella Jauregui of Palo Alto surprised everyone, defeating Cadet World Champion Katie Gomez 10-8 in a close quarterfinal match at 126. Jauregui, a senior, pinned her next opponent in her semifinal match before falling to 2x State Champion and 2021 Fargo finalist Jennifer Soto 2-1. Gomez would come back to take third.

At 116, Selma’s Arieana Arias came out of the 7-seed spot to upset #2 seeded Leilani Lazaro 8-2 and eventually make the final where she’d edge Isabella Marie Gonzales 6-4 for the title. Gonzalez had taken out #1 seeded Carissa Qureshi by fall in the semis to make the final.

REMEMBER THE NAME
Some new names made their mark at this year’s CIF State Championships as well, as previously unranked Jo Forman of Montclair powered her way to a state title at 150, winning 9-7 over Marina’s Alexandra Lopez in one of the most competitive finals. Merrill West’s Kalila Shrive, also previously unranked at the national level, won the title at 160 with a 3-1 decision over Gilroy’s Kaiulani Garcia. Also previously unknown at the national level Mariyah Casados of Vista Murrieta with a fall over the Cinderella of the weight Haley Gumpfer, who’d upset the #1 seeded Angelina Renteria in the semis. #3 seed Neila Fritts of Capistrano Valley won the final 1-0 at 235 over #1 seeded Annika Miles of Elk Grove.

Here’s all champs and finishers:

101
1. Brianna Gonzalez (AR-S)
2. Kaelani Shufeldt (MAR)
3. Marisol Rodriguez (JL)
4. Abbeygael Cabuag (SOB)
5. Madison Avila (MAD)
6. Avy Perez (BIR)
7. Alicia Serratos (LHL)
8. Destiny Moreno (MIL)

Photo by Dan Glenn for American Women’s Wrestling.

106
1. Paige Morales (CEN)
2. Emilie Gonzalez (AR-S)
3. Karen Salais (CLX)
4. Diana Olivarez-Gomez (BUC)
5. Mikayla Garcia (JL)
6. Cynthia Meza (CLV)
7. Birta Mccaskill (Mira Mesa (SD)
8. Kacey Schafer (MAR)

111
1. Anaya Falcon (WAL)
2. Nyla Valencia (SOB)
3. Lexy Beadles (CLV)
4. Kiely Tabaldo (Menlo-Atherton)
5. Kylee Golz (FAI)
6. Amaya Yoshizumi (BEV)
7. Karissa Turnwall (PVY)
8. Austria Holland (Nipomo (CS))

116
1. Arieana Arias (Sel)
2. Isabella Marie Gonzales (CE)
3. Isabella Ngo (Dixon)
4. Carissa Qureshi (POR)
5. Leilani Lazaro (NV)
6. Isabel Perez-Zoghbi (Merced)
7. Jordyn Chrisco (MAR)
8. Victoria Wells (GB)

121
1. Elena Ivaldi (DO)
2. Lillian Avalos (PIT)
3. Leah Gaitan (TV)
4. Luiza Nogueira (BIR)
5. Jazzy Vega (Westmon)
6. Alejandra Valdiviezo (POW)
7. Makayla Correa (PVY)
8. Valerie Glenn (GIL)

Photo by Dan Glenn for American Women’s Wrestling.

126
1. Jennifer Soto (GIL)
2. Ella Jauregui (PA)
3. Katie Gomez (BIR)
4. Loretta Lopez (EG)
5. Esperanza Dorantes (SDM)
6. Tehya Ledesma (HLC)
7. Gianna Dibenedetto (BEV)
8. Jasmine Macias (WAL)

131
1. Alexia Bensoussan (Menlo-Atherton)
2. Veloria Pannell (LG)
3. Hailey Chapman (RIM)
4. Cameron Ortiz (SDM)
5. Hannah Ripper (Miramonte)
6. Milana Sims (MCA)
7. Giselle Guerra (DW-SS)
8. Tegan Nguyen (PD)

137
1. Savannah Gomez (BRW)
2. Stephanie Chavez (DW-SS)
3. Reyna Montenegro (PVY)
4. Taydem Khamjoi (Cesar Chavez)
5. Yazmine Perez (MMO)
6. Oriyana Castex (LC)
7. Charli Jewell (FO-S)
8. Riley Rangel (RIP)

Photo by Dan Glenn for American Women’s Wrestling.

143
1. Jo Forman (MTC)
2. Alexandra Lopez (MAR)
3. Alana Ontiveros (PIT)
4. Mariz Soliman (Temescal Canyon)
5. Drea Smith (CE)
6. Leilani Frazer (Vintage (NC)
7. Kyrra Young (VCN)
8. Alexis Jimenez (Valley View (SS)

150
1. Leah Brown (WHI)
2. Savannah Lewis (NV)
3. Desiree Jones (VCN)
4. Mikayla Lancaster (GRE)
5. Kylie Leaty (YC)
6. Princess Monsalud (BUR)
7. Aalijah Pineda (Valencia)
8. Katelyn Cardoza (RIP)

160
1. Kalila Shrive (MW)
2. Kaiulani Garcia (GIL)
3. Najeh Russo (BCO)
4. Angelinah De Leon (WIL)
5. Sophia Yurkovich (LB-NC)
6. Audrey Segura (RED)
7. Maya Blackman (Fresno)
8. Juliana Marquez (SDM)

170
1. Mariyah Casados (Vista Murrieta)
2. Haley Gumpfer (CR)
3. Alyssa Arana (SF)
4. Maliya Castillo (RID)
5. Jacklyn Green (GW)
6. Angelina Renteria (Hueneme)
7. Kaley Rice (MTC)
8. Foshay Mallard (Crawford)

189
1. Samantha Calkins (LB-NC)
2. Galilea Garcia (Schurr)
3. Saiheron Preciado-Meza (LAK)
4. Naomi Roby (GV-CS)
5. Casey Rankin (CR)
6. Jessica Mendieta (Vintage)
7. Angela Gutierrez (GRI)
8. Alexandria Perez (LCC)

235
1. Neila Fritts (CV)
2. Annika Miles (EG)
3. Gemma Templeman (RIV)
4. Valeria Rocha (El Cajon Valley)
5. Monique Bravo Lerena (RID)
6. Angelina Leal (OLY)
7. Illana Serrano (Alisal)
8. Janiah Carr (CS)

Photo by Dan Glenn for American Women’s Wrestling.