Wrestling: PHS, RB qualify combined 16 to state tourney

Wrestling used to be the furthest thing from Brandon Kier’s mind when he was growing up.

Football and baseball dominated his attention.

Then came the worst day of his life … until it turned out to be the most important day of his life.

Kier sustained a dislocated hip in a football game.

“Worst pain I’ve ever felt,’’ he said. “It was hard to even sleep for a couple of weeks and I was on crutches too.’’

The injury, coupled with his size, forced Kier to take wrestling a bit more seriously, especially once he got to Granite Hills as a freshman.

A year later, Kier transferred to Poway and he forgot all about his football dreams and the serious hamstring injury.

He admitted to being a little intimidated the first time he walked into the Poway wrestling building.

“I saw all the championship teams and the names of state champions on the wall,’’ Kier said. “I was confident enough to think I had a shot to put my name on the wall.’’

The week to find out if that is going to happen has arrived as Kier, now a 5-foot-7 San Diego Section and Masters champion again, and 10 of his Titan teammates finish preparations to compete in the two-day state championships in Bakersfield’s Rabobank Arena beginning Friday morning.

Poway’s Chase Zollmann (113 pounds), Rancho Bernardo’s Chasen Blair (182) and Poway’s Chris Bailey (195) are all ranked No. 2 in the state. Blair, who captured the 184-pound Masters title, is one of five wrestlers from Rancho Bernardo who will compete at the state championships (Erik Salcido, Hamed Samee, Adrian Charbono, and Blake Yates).

Kier, now 37-3 for the season, heads into his final competition with Poway as the No. 6-ranked wrestler in the state at 128 pounds.

“I don’t think I’m really No. 6,’’ said Kier, honestly. “I beat the No. 1 guy 8-1 in the Freak Show during preseason and I’ve beaten the No. 3 guy too.

“My weight class is a tossup. It’s so close it will come down to whoever has the best weekend.’’

As a sophomore, Kier did not qualify for the state meet.

He lost out on that chance to teammate Scott Kiyono, a junior who will also be in Bakersfield competing, defeated Kier in a wrestle-off for the 122-pound slot.

Kiyono won and competed. Kier lost and played cheerleader that weekend.

“He sucked it up, didn’t pout, worked harder than ever in the offseason and came back last year to win CIF, win Masters and finish eighth at the state meet,’’ said Poway coach Wayne Branstetter. “With a big chip on his shoulder, Brandon caught up with a lot of work.

“He’s certainly out in the work since that wrestle-off with Scotty to be a state champion.’’

Kier’s plan since last year’s state meet was simple.

He loved being a state-meet placer but he felt he should have been up with Bailey, who finished fourth last year and is back for his final try at winning a state title as well.

“I try to have a short memory on the mat,’’ Kier said. “I’ve used that eighth as motivation to get 1 percent better every day, mostly on the mental side.

“I’m down to the wire now and every second counts. At the Canyon Springs Tournament this year, there was one second left and I got taken down.

“I let up and lost. Lesson learned.’’

This weekend is not the end of Kier’s mat career.

Next year, Kier and his 4.0 grade-point-average will be competing at Stanford.

Palo Alto has been his dream location for many years.

“You’ve got be determined early on and keep bad things in check to get to Stanford,’’ Kier said. “When the coach called me (to tell me I had been accepted to the school), words wouldn’t come out of my mouth. I called my mom and when I told her she started screaming all over the place.

“I’m interested in a business degree and I’m going to network with people who have won Nobel Prizes.

“I went to bed that night with a big smile on my face that night.’’

Monahan is a freelance writer.