Bakersfield bound: 14 Auburn-area wrestlers qualify for state championships

The Sac-Joaquin Section concluded its wrestling season last weekend with the annual Masters Championships at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton. The Auburn area had multiple strong performances. In total, 14 area wrestlers punched tickets to Bakersfield for the CIF State Wrestling Championships at Mechanics Bank Arena this Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 27-March 1. Here is how each school fared: Del Oro: The Golden Eagles had three Masters champions among 11 wrestlers who qualified for the state championships. For the boys, Christian Perez won the 120-pound championship and Siraj Sidhu was the 126-pound champion. Declan Leonard claimed third place at 106 pounds. Nate Mitchell (113), Kameron Rush (132), Chase Young (150) and Evan Hilmen (175) also qualified for state. The Lady Eagles will send four to Bakersfield, including 115-pound champion Kaiya Maggini. Kate Luzuriaga placed second at 155 and Ashlyn Hemm was third at 105. Freshman Brynn Madden continued her breakout season with a fourth-place finish at 140. Placer: The Hillgals will send three to the state championships of the four who competed at Masters. Junior Aeryn Cox placed third at 140 pounds, going 4-1 on the weekend with three pins. Placer coach Jeff LaShell praised Cox for her effort, noting, "She wrestled incredibly tough all weekend. She was also smart and patient and threw her moves with confidence and assertion." Junior Katie Blachowski placed second at 130 pounds. Blachowski went 3-1 with all three wins by pin. LaShell said her intelligence on the mat set her apart from the competition. Senior Sora Lasko placed fifth at 145 pounds, claiming the final state championship spot in the weight class. Lasko went 4-2 with three pins, one of which came in the fight-place match against Mountain House's Rachel Prasad to punch her ticket to Bakersfield.