High school wrestling: Top storylines for NCS and CCS championships

CCS AND NCS FINALS: WHEN AND WHERE

The North Coast Section will hold its boys and girls championships on Friday and Saturday. The boys meet will be held at James Logan High School, the girls at Albany High.

The Central Coast Section Masters Meet for the boys and girls will be held on Saturday at Watsonville High School.

The all-day events start at 8 a.m.

NCS BOYS

All eyes will be on De La Salle, which is set up to capture championships in multiple weight classes as the Concord powerhouse seeks a seventh consecutive team crown. De La Salle goes into this weekend’s NCS championships with five No. 1-seeded wrestlers. TJ Arvizu, a 2023 NCS champion and two-time East Bay Athletic League champion, will be among the contenders at 152 pounds. The No. 1 seed at 122 pounds, Manny Martir, is also highly accomplished wrestler for the Spartans. He is aiming for a second section crown. … Granada, another top team in the EBAL, is ranked No. 32 in the state, according to Cal Grappler. Jack Baker, at 108 pounds, is on a collision course to face fellow top-ranked wrestler Connor Jeong of Castro Valley. … Alameda sent four wrestlers to NCS: Tarek Kaci (146 pounds), Jake Guthmore (152), Jacob Song (159) and Sebastian Sanchez (157). It’s quite the leap for a program that didn’t have a program just two years ago. Song enters Friday’s opening round as a No. 1 seed at 159 pounds. … David Calkins Jr. from Liberty will be a favorite to win gold at 192 pounds. Cal Grappler has Calkins ranked as the seventh-best wrestler in the state and the best in the greater Bay Area. … De La Salle sent the most wrestlers to NCS with 14, followed by Granada (13), Las Lomas (13), Ukiah (13), Amador Valley (12), Del Norte (12), Liberty (12), Napa (12) and Windsor (12).

NCS GIRLS

Perhaps the most interesting division this year is at 135 pounds. Monte Vista’s own Maci Stemmons, who boasts a record of 33-3, will look to become champion, but will face stiff competition in Maria Carrillo wrestler Noelle Alexander (26-5) who is also a favorite to win at 135 pounds. Other contenders include James Logan’s Evelyn Bernardo (28-13), Hayward’s Emilia Gaytan (20-5) and Amador Valley’s Dakota Ionescu Catrina (23-12). … Two EBAL rivals could very likely see each other in the 100-pound championship. Lauren Nguyen (31-9) from Granada and Graciela Caro from Amador Valley (36-8) could easily be in the championship match. James Logan’s Kylia Mease (32-8) could also be in the first place mix as well. … Pittsburg senior Jax Saeed has had an impressive year to this point. She comes into NCS having won 11 of her last 12 matches and is competing at 235 pounds this weekend.

CCS BOYS

The CCS Masters brackets for both the boys and girls won’t be released until Friday morning. But there are some obvious favorites. Let’s start with the boys. … Gilroy has continued to dominate the CCS and this year is no different. Cal Grappler has the Mustangs as the third best team in the state. Led by head coach and former two-time UFC Champion Daniel Cormier, Gilroy has a wrestler ranked inside the top 10 in the state in eight different weight classes. Junior Isaiah Cortez has an amateur record of 51-1 and most recently won the Blossom Valley Athletic League title. 285-pound Cody Merrill should be a favorite to come out of his CCS bracket. Merrill, an Oklahoma State commit, took first place in the CCS Southern Regional this past weekend and hasn’t lost a match since Oct. 2021. … Standing in the way of many Gilroy wrestlers will be Los Gatos. Head coach Greg Varela had led Los Gatos to a No. 13 ranking on Cal Grappler. Ethan Parco is the team’s best wrestler. Parco won the CCS Northern Regional and should get a favorable seed heading into Saturday. …West Catholic Athletic League powerhouse St. Francis should also be a serious contender this weekend. 132-pound wrestler Bryce Luna is 33-8 and most recently made it to the final four of the California Invitational Tournament.

CCS GIRLS

Kianna Lien from Mountain View High could be the early favorite to win the 100-pound title. The freshman won three matches last weekend to capture the CCS Northern Regionals at 100 pounds. … Angelinah De Leon from Santa Clara won the CCS Northern Regional 155-pound title and could be in for more as a top contender on Saturday. … Gilroy is just as strong on the girls side and could have multiple wrestlers win big on Saturday. In the CCS Southern Regional, the Mustangs had five different wrestlers win their respective weight class. Senior Kauilani Garcia (155 pounds), sophomore Tamara Grace (130), freshman Jocelyn Mendoza (120), senior Maddison Heinzer (105) and sophomore Jaelle Cortez (100) should all be serious contenders for a CCS title this weekend.