Grand Terrace, CA—While most wrestling squads begin their seasons at tournaments, Colton opened their 2024-25 campaign on Nov. 13 with a dual meet against Grand Terrace.
Varsity boys started strong, winning seven of their nine matches en route to a 60-17 trouncing of the Titans. As a team, the girls squad struggled, winning two of their six matches.
For the boys, the tone of the dual was set by captain Elias Velasquez, who won his first match of the season in a dramatic 4-3 decision that went into extra rounds.
“I knew he was good,” Velasquez said. “I knew he was gonna fight. I was confident in my skills. I knew what I had to do.”
Other winners for varsity boys included Angel Sanchez, Aiden Duron, Manuel Perez, Joel Benitez, Arturo Flores, and Elio Diaz.
One of the most decisive victories came for Aiden Duron, who dominated his opponent, pinning him halfway through the second round. Duron struggled in his first year, but has come back in his second year stronger and more confident.
“Last year, I was scared of every match,” he said. “I feel like I got stronger from last season. I’m more agile, and I have a lot more confidence than I had last year.”
The girls were led by Diana Ruvalcaba, who decided to join wrestling for the first time in her senior year. This first match was not just a challenge for her because she was transitioning to wrestling after her CIF qualifying season on cross-country, but because she didn’t even expect to wrestle.
“So I weighed in and I find out that I’m not going to wrestle today,” she said. “So I kind of let out a sigh of relief, but then I felt bad because I wanted to wrestle because I’ve been working for this. And then I go check in and I find out I am wrestling, and my heart almost drops. But then I realized that I got what I wanted, and I just gave it my all.”
Running cross-country had Ruvalcaba in great shape, and it showed, as she outlasted her opponent, taking her the distance and winning on a 2-1 decision.
JV boys also dominated, most winning matches by default. Of the two who wrestled, Ulysses Benitez won his match by pin early in the second round.
Now the wrestling squad takes the next two weeks to refine their skills at the Carter tournament on Nov. 15-16, and then at the Los Osos tournament on Nov. 23. Their next dual will be against Moreno Valley on Dec. 4 in the Mac Gym.
Results*
Varsity Boys
113: Elias Velasquez, Win by Decision 4-3 (OT)
120: Joshue Jimenez, Loss by pin
126: Angel Sanchez, Win by pin
132: Uziel Murillo, Loss by technical pin 16-0
138: Aiden Duron, Win by pin
144 : Christopher Acero, Loss by pin
150 : Manuel Perez, Win by pin
165 : Joel Benitez, Win by pin
215 : Arturo Flores, Win by pin
285 : Elio Diaz, Win by decision 14-9
Girls
110: Tamara Gallardo, Loss by pin
115: Diana Ruvalcaba-Nunez, Win by decision 2-1
125: Leslie Quiroz, Win by pin
130: Norel Cuellar, Loss by decision 10-6
140: Cambria Duron, Loss by pin
155: Brianna Gratianne, Loss by decision 11-6
JV Boys
126: Ulysses Benitez, Win by pin
285: Joseph Melara, Loss by pin
*Results only feature matches wrestled; default victories are not listed.
