Charis Tolentino Shines at the CIF State Wrestling Championship
February 28, 2023
After placing second at the Masters San Diego Section, Sophomore Charis Tolentino qualified to compete at the prestigious CIF State Wrestling Championship held at the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield from February 22nd to 25th. Traveling through a snowstorm on the Grapevine, Tolentino was able to get one last practice session in at the warmup mats.
Tolentino explained, “Leading up to State, I was very nervous. When warming up and practicing, I was super overwhelmed because I knew that I was practicing on the same mats as state champions, wrestlers who were nationally ranked, and athletes who had been wrestling all their lives. I felt like I didn't deserve to be there, but my dad kept reminding me to enjoy the experience and be happy that I was even part of the State tournament.”
“When I finally wrestled, I realized that although qualifying for State is a big deal, it is just another tournament. . . . All I wanted to do was give it my best and leave it all on the mat. I wasn't really scared of my first opponent, and I won but my other two matches got to my head.”
On Day 1, Tolentino’s first match was against Navjot Waraich of Dublin High. During the first round, the wrestlers engaged in cautious hand fighting. In the second round, Tolentino chose down and was able to score a reversal finishing her opponent with a pin. In her second match, Tolentino faced the number six seed, Monee Cordero of Highland High. Though Tolentino was able to score against Cordero, Tolentino attempted a shot and was lateral thrown to a pin. On Day 2, in her last match, Tolentino was tied to Karissa McDaniel of Armijo High, but was pinned in the third round. Tolentino finished with being in the top 16 girls in the state.
Tolentino continued, “After watching my next opponents wrestle, I felt intimidated and inadequate, like I wasn't good enough to be there. However, looking back I know this experience will help me to have better control of the mental aspect of wrestling. The sport is so emotionally and mentally straining; it requires your heart. When I lost those two matches, I was very disappointed, but my coaches and family reminded me that I was blessed to just be at State. I also had many opportunities to learn from more seasoned wrestlers and it was such a cool experience to watch the State finals.”
“Now that I've gone to State and seen what good competition is like, I know that I have a lot to improve on. Additionally, because I was able to make it to State as a sophomore, I now see that my goals in wrestling are attainable. I've also seen that my hard work in the off-season paid off and I want to continue to train through the summer and get stronger to come back even better next year.”
California has the biggest pool of wrestlers of all the 50 states. In the latest 2023 poll, there were 27,004 boy wrestlers and 6817 girl wrestlers. Girls’ wrestling is still the fastest growing girls’ sport. California also is one of six states with a “true champion” meaning there is only one state champion for each of the 14 weight classes in both boys’ and girls’ championships. To “make it to state” is to be either in the top 40 for boys or top 32 for girls in the state. 268 schools sent representatives for the girls’ brackets this year. The three-day competition boasted close to 42,200 fans in recent years with 2023’s numbers still totaling. To compete at such a venue both inspires and intimidates knowing that only the best of the best will be at State with all the competitors vying for the coveted champion win in one of the fourteen weight classes.
Tolentino explained, “I would like to thank my family, coaches, and team for their constant support when I practice and compete. Also, I would like to thank the administration at Coastal Academy: Ms. Flood, Coach Henton, Principal Bartrom, Vice Principal Benattia and Mr. Cameron Curry for giving me the opportunity to represent our school. Finally, I'm so grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to compete at such a high level of wrestling. I thought I wouldn't even be able to wrestle at CIF because of my injury, but he has blessed me and allowed me to make it all the way to State. Overall, I'm so grateful for a wonderful season and I’m already preparing for the next one!”