Prep Wrestling: Titans make history at Masters

Accomplishing any feat for the first time in school history is tough to do when you’re part of the Poway High wrestling program. Just about everything has already been done before.

But this year’s Titans have found a way to separate themselves from team’s of the past. And they did it again Saturday night at the CIF San Diego Section Masters Championships at El Centro Southwest High.

Poway crowned a school-record eight individual champions and qualified a school-record 13 to next weekend’s state tournament in Bakersfield.

Chase Zollman (108 pounds), Jason Chua (115), Brandon Kier (122), Manny Lair (134), Ralphy Tovar (147), Colt Doyle (162), Chris Bailey (197) and Liam Sorahan (222) all won titles.

Senior Philip Pham’s third-place finish at 172 earned him a trip to state. The 13 grapplers for Poway going to state is at least a tie for the most in school history. The Titans qualified 12 the last three years in a row.

The history-making performance backs up Poway’s record-setting day at the Division II tournament last weekend. The Titans had 14 in the finals and 13 finished as champions there. Poway has not lost a dual or a tournament this season.

Doyle, Sorahan and Tovar, who are all ranked No. 1 in the state at their respective weight, had little trouble on the way to their titles. Doyle and Sorahan will enter the state championships undefeated.

Taking second for the Titans were: Scotty Kiyono (128), DJ Garcia (140), Andrew Tausch (184) and Coleman Cowling (287).

Rancho Bernardo qualified two to the state tournament, including Chasen Blair who beat Tausch 3-0 for the 184-pound Masters championship.

Corbin Grenowich will also represent the Broncos at state. The senior fell in the semifinals, but bounced back with a 5-4 win in the advance-to-state-or-season-over, third-place match.