Clark wins final dual at Granite Ridge

Clark defeats Granite Ridge today 68 - 19 to go undefeated in duals and tournaments this year. The boys will wrestle in the CIAL Jr. High Tournament this Saturday to determine individual champions. Good luck boys and congratulations on a great year so far.

Amateur Wrestling News National Rankings

Scott Sakaguchi ran his record to 26-1 on Wednesday night, capturing tournament titles at the Zinkin, POWERade, Doc Buchanan, and Temecula Valley Invitational.  Now he's the first Clovis High School wrestler to make an appearance in the Amateur Wrestling News National High School Rankings!

145
1. Dylan Alton-Jr, Central Mountain, PA
2. R.J. Pena-Sr, Salem, OR
3. Joey Napoli-Sr, Cumberland Valley, PA
4. Kendrick Sanders-Sr, South Dade, FL
5. Zach Clemente-Sr, LaSalle Institute, NY
6. Dylan Carew-Sr, Iowa City, IA
7. Scott Sakaguchi-Sr, Clovis, CA
8. Joe Cozart-Jr, Brandon, FL
9. Taylor Hodel-Sr, Vacaville, CA
10. Steven Hernandez-Jr, Bishop Gorman, NV
11. RaVaughn Perkins-Jr, Omaha North, NE
12. Taylor Massa-Fr, St. Johns, MI

Make It 25

On a night that had been circled on everyone's calendar since last season, the Clovis Cougars did not disappoint in their showdown of top teams in the state and nation.  #24 in the nation and #1 in the state Clovis defeated #23 in the nation and #5 in the state Buchanan in front of 2,000 fans in a packed gym at Buchanan High School.

In a dual where every match is "big", a few especially big performances were turned in by Alec Dieter, Cameren Kelley, and Blake Thompson.  Dieter defeated state-ranked Anthony Waters  5-2 in an early match at 135lbs.  Cameren Kelley brought the capacity crowd to its feet with a 3rd period fall over fellow state-ranked wrestler, Martin Fabbian, a wrestler who had defeated Kelley earlier in the season.  Blake Thompson pulled out the win that would crush the Bears hopes of a victory, riding Bryce Boucher the entire 3rd round to capture the 1-0 victory.

With defeat looming large for the Bears, Madison Gambrell sealed the deal with a quick fall at 112 pounds to ensure the Cougars would win the dual over rival Buchanan for the 2nd consecutive year.

130 - Damien Arredondo (B) dec Jon Gay (C), 5-4
135 - Alec Dieter (C) dec Anthony Waters (B), 5-2
140 - Matt Negrete (B) dec Ben Kelley (C), 6-4
145 - Scott Sakaguchi (C) mdec Nathan Roberts (B), 19-6
152 - Cameren Kelley (C) wbf Martin Fabbian (B), 5:05?
160 - Blake Thompson (C) dec Bryce Boucher (B), 1-0
171 - Stephen West (B) mdec Zach Nevills (C), 18-5?
189 - Tommy Burriel (C) dec Jake Gingold (B), 8-3?
215 - Holden Smith (B) dec Daren Barbo (C), 11-2
285 - Kyle Papendorf (B) dec Devon Barbo (C), 6-0
103 - Daniel Gaytan (C) dec Adrian Rodriguez (B), 2-0
112 - Madison Gambrell (C) wbf Michael Bronze (B), :30?
119 - Spencer Hill (B) dec Ben Omata (C), 9-7
125 - Clinton McAlester (C) dec Stephen Meredith (B), 3-2

FINAL DUAL SCORE
CLOVIS 31 - BUCHANAN 20

This win gives the Cougars their 25th dual meet victory in a row, a streak that dates back to January 24th of 2006, and their 2nd dual win in a row over rival and state power Buchanan.

Buchanan vs Clovis 1-28-09

Big Dual tomorrow night!! Need everyone there to support the boys!! It will be held in the small gym so might want to get there early!!! Please wear Blue & Gold !!!

Go Cougars!!!

Tim Brown Memorial

Congratulations to Blake Thompson for his 8th place finish & Tommy Burriel for his 2nd place finish! Nice work boys!!

Temecula Valley Invitational has 2 Channels

All the boys had first round bye and all won their 2nd round!
Update: all 7 boys have advanced to quarter finals Sat morning
Update: all 7 have advanced to Semi-finals.. est start time 1:00
Update: Gambrell, McAlester, Dieter, B Kelley, Sakaguchi, C Kelley all in the finals!! Daniel Gaytan 5th!

Final Update: Gambrell, McAlester & Sakaguchi bring home the belt!! Dieter, Kelley & Kelley runner-ups & Daniel Gaytan 5th! Great job boys!!! Team comes up with 2nd place!! Great job with only 7 wrestlers!!! Thanks to Coach Holscher for making the long trip!!

BUCHANAN IS NEXT!!!!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/temecula-valley-invitational
Channel 1

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/temecula-valley-invitational-2
Channel 2

CLARK DOES IT AGAIN!

Clark 57 Kastner 27 ,,,,, the unbeaten streak continues!!

Chieftans Unstoppable, Continue Winning Streak!

Clark continued their outstanding tournament performances for this year at the John Muir Jr. High Invitational Saturday in Corcoran. Clark has won every team tournament this year and continues their impressive streak started last year. Clark won the team title last year and again was the team champion this year with a solid team score of 294.5 points. Kastner came in second at a distant 223.5 points and Burton from Hanford at 211 points. Clark had three overall champions in Jason Ladd (105), Adrian Salas (162) and Nick Nevills (175). The following wrestlers finished second at the tournament: Matt Czeshinski (76), Dominic Martinez (85), Lane McAlester (95), and Matt Weiss (144). Overall, Clark had 13 wrestlers place at this tournament. An outstanding performance by the Clark wrestling team and thanks to the coaches, Coach Martinez, Flores, and Walsh.

Future Stars Get Shot

As the varsity squad took the week off, some of tomorrow's stars took to the mats at varsity tournaments in the Central Valley, looking to show everyone that 'back-up' at Clovis doesn't mean JV.

One group headed to Firebaugh for the Westside Invitational where they finished with a solid 5th place team performance. Andy Ia (103) and Ben Omata (119) both took home tournament championships. Bryan Lopez (112) and Devon Barbo (215) finished with a 3rd while Brady Bersano (130) finished in 4th. Several other Cougars reached the 5th/6th place match, but this was uncontested.

Another group ventured south to one of the longest running tournaments in California history, the Redwood Invitational. Jon Gay (130) and Taylor Ferguson (215) finished as tournament runner-ups. Gage Freeman (112) and Blake Thompson (160) finished with 3rd place in hand while Max Howard (285) took home a 4th. The team finished in 4th place overall.

Cougars Run Dual Win Streak to 23

Remember this date? January 24th, 2006. It was the last time the Cougars lost a dual meet. Since that time, nearly two years, the team has ripped off 22 consecutive victories, two undefeated Clovis West Shootout performances, and undefeated season, and a record-setting 8th state championship. Fast forward to today – the Cougars are the defending California State Champions and are once again ranked #1 in the state midway through January with a chance for that elusive Number 9.

Wednesday night in the first dual of the 2009 T.R.A.C. League season was no different than the fate of the previous 22 foes. Against a game but outgunned Clovis East squad, the Cougars reeled off 8 straight victories to open the dual and take an insurmountable 37-0 lead. Cameren Kelley got the ball rolling with a fall at 160lbs. Victories by Blake Thompson (171), Daren Barbo (215), and Devon Barbo (285), coupled with a forfeit to Tommy Burriel at (215), would give the Cougars the first 5 matches. Also adding victories for the team were Daniel Gaytan (103), Bryan Lopez (112), Ben Omata (119), Jon Gay (130), Ben Kelley (140), and Scott Sakaguchi (152). The #6 ranked Clovis East Timberwolves would win just three matches against the Cougars, leaving the final score 55-9, and running the streak to 23.

Up next for the Varsity team is the always bitter rivalry with Madera, at “The Pit” in Madera, next Wednesday, January 21st. In the meantime, Cougar stars of the future will travel to both Redwood and Firebaugh this Saturday for varsity tournaments against some of the Central Valley’s best.

Cougars Fall in Final Round

After two full days of wrestling at the 2nd toughest tournament in the state, all that remained between a tournament championship and the Cougars was a medal round. But it proved to be too much. Despite holding a 19-point lead entering the last round of the tournament with 10 medal winners, the Clovis team dropped 8 of 10 matches while rival Buchanan was able to win 8 of their 12 medal matches, including the two head-to-head match-ups, to lose the lead for the first time since the first round of the tournament on Friday. Buchanan went on to hold the Cougars off in the finals and win the 32nd Annual Doc Buchanan by a mere 3.5 points (228.5 to 225).

Scott Sakaguchi proved to be a bright spot at day’s end, winning the 145lbs championship and his third consecutive tournament victory. Tommy Burriel fell just short at 189lbs, dominating 4 opponents before falling to #8 in the state Lyndell Scarr (Ponderosa) in a hard-fought finals battle. Madison Gambrell also came away with a 2nd place finish at 112lbs after defeating #2 in the state Zach Zimmer (Clovis West) but falling to state #1 Vince Rodriguez (Clovis North). Other Cougar place winners included Daniel Gaytan (4th at 103), Clinton McAlester (4th at 125), Sonny Cervantes (4th at 130), Alec Dieter (4th at 135), Ben Kelley (6th at 140), Cameren Kelley (4th at 152), and Zach Nevills (5th at 171).

Up next for the Cougars is the first home league dual, kicking off action in the toughest league in the state, the T.R.A.C., against Clovis East on Wednesday night. JV starts at 5:30pm with Varsity to follow at approximately 7:00pm. You’ll be able to watch LIVE here or at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/clovis-wrestling.

Special Thanks

WE tell our children it's about the team and TEAMWORK, well everyone showed what TEAMWORK is all about. Without your help and support WE would not have been able to provide the stellar level of service. You jumped in, worked past your shift, and may I say even had a bit of fun working the snack bar. I appreciate all your hard work!!!! WE took the burden of concessions, gates, shirt sales, off the coaches shoulders and let them focus on our wrestlers.

Coaches you led the way and were awesome, great job!!

THANK YOU!

Wanted to thank all the parents/aunts/uncles/brothers/sisters/alumni who helped this weekend! You came thru and worked very hard this weekend !! All went smooth and had a very rewarding weekend!!! Special thanks to the Dieter Family who did an amazing job putting this together!!

We had comments from the Clovis High Admin that they were very pleased with the parent participation!!!

Go to the website below for more awesome action photographs of the Doc Buchanan Invitational by John Caton.

http://johncaton.smugmug.com/Clovis%20High%20Wrestling%202008-9

Doc Buchanan Central

It's a WHITE Out!

Wrestling fans of the Central Valley are ready for one of the biggest duals in the state this season - #1 Clovis vs. #10 Temecula Valley.

Plan to wear WHITE for this incredible dual, as we "white out" the gym! Offical white out shirts are available for $5 in the Clovis HS activities office, or just wear your own white shirt.

Doc Buchanan – LIVE Updates & Streaming Video

As we enter the 21st century, Clovis Wrestling is attempting to bring the sport of wrestling and the 32nd Annual Doc Buchanan Invitational along with us.

The Doc Buchanan Invitational features over 55 teams and some of the fiercest wrestling action in the Western United States. The tournament is ranked in the Top 10 nationally by Wrestling USA magazine and features two of the nation's AWN National Prep Top 40 – #15 Clovis and #29 Buchanan. The tournament is a showcase of some of California’s best, featuring six teams in the state’s Top 10, as ranked by The California Wrestler – #1 Clovis, #5 Gilroy, #6 Bakersfield, #7 Buchanan, #9 Liberty-Brentwood, and #10 Temecula Valley.

Individually, the Doc Buchanan features eight of the state’s top ranked wrestlers:
• 112 – Vince Rodriguez (Clovis North)
• 119 – David Kingsheim (Liberty-Brentwood)
• 125 – Brandon Rocha (Lemoore)
• 130 – Martin Gonzalez (Gilroy)
• 140 – Vlad Dombroski (Natomas)
• 152 – Scott Sakaguchi (Clovis)
• 160 – Stephen West (Buchanan)
• 171 – James Cook (Madera)

Also, the tournament is set to feature 65 of the state’s ranked wrestlers, over 35% of the total in California! In 2008, the Doc Buchanan resulted in 14 eventual state finalists, 33 state place winners, and over 100 state qualifiers representing 6 different CIF Sections!

Tournament Schedule
1st Session - Friday, January 9th @ 9:00am
2nd Session - Saturday, January 10th @ 9:00am
3rd Session - Championship Finals - Saturday January 10th @ 5:00pm

In order to follow the outstanding competition, the Clovis High School wrestling program is using cutting edge technology to bring the action to people around the globe.

LIVE Blog Updates
Go to the Clovis Wrestling Blog at http://cloviswrestling.blogspot.com/ Friday & Saturday, beginning both days at 9am and running all tournament long, in order to follow the Doc Buchanan Invitational LIVE from your home, office, laptop, or cell phone. The tournament action will be updated minute-by-minute from wrestling bloggers in both the North (Auxiliary) Gym and the South (Main) Gym. Read results, follow your favorite team, wrestlers, or weight class, and ask questions as the tournament unfolds.

LIVE Streaming Video
Go to the Clovis Wrestling Streaming Video channel at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/clovis-wrestling/ Friday & Saturday, beginning both days at 9am and running all tournament long, in order to watch live video of the Doc Buchanan Invitational. The video will focus on Clovis High School wrestlers but the feed will run interrupted all day long. When Clovis High School wrestlers are NOT on the mat, the feed will display other top match-ups from one of the best tournaments in the state of California. The action will be called by former Clovis High School wrestler and 3x California State Champion Troy Tirapelle, keeping you updated on match details as well as explaining wrestling situations, strategy, and giving expert analysis.

Please spread the word that wrestling technology has arrived at the 32nd Annual Doc Buchanan Invitational, courtesy of the Clovis Wrestling program.

Want to view the live blog AND watch the action?
You can! The Clovis Wrestling Blog at http://cloviswrestling.blogspot.com/ will have the video feed playing and the LIVE blog running simultaneously, provided you have a large enough computer monitor to position both in your viewing area together.

Want to make sure you don’t forget to tune in?
Enter your email address and specific time here to get a reminder email as we set to go LIVE for the Doc Buchanan Invitational.

#1 Clovis vs. #10 Temecula Valley

Thursday, January 8th @ Clovis High School
6:30pm Start Time
South (Main) Gym
Varsity Only

Purchase Tickets Online Now!

On Thursday, January 8th, two state powers collide in one of the biggest duals of the year and the first ever meeting between the Clovis High School Cougars and the Temecula Valley Golden Bears. The dual will begin at 6:30pm the night before the Doc Buchanan Invitational, one of the most prestigious tournaments in California and a Top 10 nationally ranked event.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the door on the day of the event, starting at 5:30pm. Also, you may conveniently pre-purchase tickets online through PayPal (with or without a PayPal account) and pick up those tickets at the ‘Will Call’ area on the day of the event, beginning at 5:00pm. The ‘Will Call’ area will be sectioned alphabetically by last name, giving you early and expedited access to entry. Online ticket purchasers will only need the name they purchased the tickets under and a valid form of identification to pick up pre-purchased tickets.

A sellout crowd is expected to witness this great night of wrestling and seating is likely to be scarce toward dual start time. Please plan on purchasing tickets now and arriving early to ensure guaranteed entry and adequate seating. Standing room only is projected and likely!

The Temecula Valley Bears are regarded as one of the premier programs in the goliath Southern Section with over 400 schools. They are the two-time defending Southern Section Champions and have won 3 of the last 5 section titles. With over 800 schools competing, Temecula Valley has finished in the Top 15 of the state in each of the last 5 years with 3 Top 10 finishes. In the last 5 years, they boast 29 individual state qualifiers and 13 state medal winners.

The Clovis Cougars are the defending California State Champions and record-holding 8x winners of the state championship title. Clovis has won 17 Central Section Championships and has finished in the Top 5 of the state a record-holding 20 times. The rich tradition at Clovis pits the Cougars only 5 state medalists away from being the first team to reach 100 state medal winners. Over the last 5 years, Clovis has had 21 state medalists and finished in the Top 5 of the state three times.