By Zach Cavanagh
San Clemente girl wrestlers continued to make history at the CIF State Championships on Saturday, Feb. 25, in Bakersfield.
Berlyn Davis captured third-place bronze at 143 pounds and Eden Hernandez earned a sixth-place finish at 111 pounds to become the first San Clemente girls wrestlers to place at the state tournament at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield. It was also a family affair for the Tritons, as Hernandez’s brother, Benjamin, finished eighth in the boys 132-pound bracket.
Davis, who won the program’s first CIF-SS Masters girls championship the previous weekend, opened the 143-pound bracket with a bye and won her first two matches by fall in 1:02 and 2:20. Davis fell in her third match in 3:36 and battled back through the consolation round.
The consolation round can be a long route, and Davis certainly had to work. Davis won by fall in 3:36, took a tight 3-2 decision, won by fall in 3:20 and won a 6-2 decision to reach the third-place match. Once in the medal round, Davis made quick work with a 50-second fall for the bronze.
Eden Hernandez also had a bye in the first round and won her first two matches with a 6-2 decision and a 12-0 major decision. Hernandez got sent to the consolation bracket with a one-point decision loss, but she bounced back quickly.
Hernandez won by fall in one minute flat and took two decisions, 7-1 and 9-3. However, her run stopped short with a 2-0 decision loss to settle for sixth place.
Benjamin Hernandez, like his female counterparts, also earned a first-round bye and won his first two matches by decision, 5-2 and 8-2. He took a 2-0 decision loss to head to the consolation bracket, where he picked up big wins in a 9-6 decision and 10-4 decision. Hernandez fell in a 5-2 decision to finish eighth.
Dominic Morales was the fourth Triton to wrestle at the state championships, but Morales lost his first two matches by fall and was eliminated.