From the Bench: Don’t wait to catch Poway High wrestling team
There is just a little over a month to go before the CIF State Wrestling Championships are here. That’s the time the buzz tends to flutter around Poway High and its perennial powerhouse squad.
But The Bench is here to tell you that this is not the season to wait until the beginning of March to start following the Titans. And this is not the season to miss a chance at catching the Titans at a local dual meet.
That’s because this Poway team is different than many of the recent others that won Palomar League and San Diego Section championships. This Poway team is even deeper than those and it has a real shot at making a historic run that should have everybody in the community buzzing along the way.
The Titans have not only won all five of the tournaments they have competed in this season, they have crushed them. The most recent being Temecula Valley’s Battle for the Belt, where Poway crowned a tournament-record four champions (Colt Doyle, DJ Garcia, Liam Sorahan and Ralphy Tovar) and captured the team title with 297 points. That was 151.5 points more than the second-place finisher.
The Titans are ranked No. 9 in the nation and No. 3 in the state by Flowrestling. Only four-time defending state champion Clovis (first) and Buchanan (seventh) are ranked higher in California.
Despite those rankings, these Titans have the best shot of any to win a state championship for the first time since 2009. And they have a chance to win everything else in between.
“This has not happened in a while, where we have this many good guys on a team,” said 170-pound senior Doyle, who has so far backed up his 2014 160-pound state championship with an undefeated season. “Yes, we have won section titles before, but we are looking for state titles. And if we are going to do it, I think this is the team that will do it.”
So does The Bench.
The senior leadership is there with Doyle, Ralphy Tovar, Andrew Tausch, Manny Laire, Liam Sorahan and Coleman Cowling. And as usual, the talent is there. Poway has nine guys ranked in the top 10 of the state, including Sorahan’s No. 1 ranking at 220 pounds.
While there are a few minor holes in the lineup, Poway still has an outside chance to send all 14 grapplers to the state tournament.
“We have some holes, but so does every team,” Doyle said. “I think we can send 14 to state and that would be amazing if we did. I think that would be cool, but there are some great wrestlers in the San Diego Section and we will have to work hard and tough it out to get 14.”
A little early support from the students and the community wouldn’t hurt either. Poway will be hosting the inaugural San Diego Section Dual Championships Feb. 10 and Feb. 12 at 5 p.m.
The Bench knows family and friends will be in attendance. But for those in the community that want to get behind the Titans’ drive for their fifth state title this would be a good time to show your support.
Don’t wait until the state tournament in March to take notice. Get to know this team now and support their journey all the way to Bakersfield, because this could be a ride that goes down as one of the best in Poway history.