As soon as San Lorenzo Valley High junior Gabriel Attia stepped foot on to the mat for last month’s California Interscholastic Federation State Wrestling Championships, he knew he wasn’t in Felton anymore.
“Compared to [the Central Coast Section], you can feel a difference,” said Attia about the level of competition at State. “There’s a couple at CCS that are good, and you can tell wrestling them that they’re up there. But when you’re wrestling someone that’s ranked and good in State, you just know.”
Attia’s first match was his most challenging, losing in a 13-3 major decision to No. 13 seed Noah Huss of Moorpark. Huss scored three points on a takedown in the opening period, followed by six more with a reversal and nearfall that was worth four points.
Attia put some points on the board with a big takedown to start the third period, but that’s as close as he would get.
“[Huss] was taller than me, and that kind of changes it up,” said Attia in terms of game planning. “I didn’t really like that, so I think I could have done better in that match.”
Attia rebounded in his second match, pinning No. 15 seed Brayden Kilgore of Rancho Cucamonga in the third period. Prior to taking Kilgore down to the mat, Attia had a 6-0 lead coming out of the gate with a takedown and a nearfall.
Kilgore battled his way to cut the deficit at 6-5 until Attia made his move for the takedown in the third period en route to victory.
Attia’s day came to an end after falling in a hard-fought 7-2 decision to No. 14 seed Milton Carter of St. John Bosco.
“I like heavy weights because for some, they’re really strong and that’s kind of what sets them apart,” Attia said. “For others, there’s a combination of strength and also really big. A lot of them are really strong or really tall.”
SLV senior Ollin Bates also made the trek to Bakersfield to compete in the 215-pound weight division. He fell to Jaxon Smith of Chaparral in a 4-0 decision in the round of 32.
In the consolation bracket, Bates lost to Stryker Conley of Frontier in a close 7-3 decision that went the distance. Conley jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Bates cut it down to one with a three-point takedown in the second period.
It wasn’t enough as Conley added three points with a takedown in the third, and final period.
Bates and Attia advanced to the CIF State Championships after a strong performance at the Central Coast Section Masters Meet at Watsonville High on Feb. 21.
“It’s just so cool how we’re such a small school, we only have a few wrestlers,” Attia said. “That’s really impressive and super proud of [Bates].”
Bates punched his ticket to the state tourney as a top-four finalist in the 215-pound division, while Attia was runner-up in the 285-pound division.
Attia lost in a tight 10-6 decision to Alisal senior Fabian Martinez.
“I got to go against him a few times, and every time prior he did the same thing,” Attia said. “I was working on how to counter him. Once I eventually beat him, I feel like he changed his practice plan for me. But it’s nice to have a good, even opponent, like a rival.”
Attia will head into the offseason to prepare for the 2026 football season in the fall before taking the mat for his senior season. He’ll be gunning for his fourth consecutive Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League individual title.
“My main goal is to get a fourth one,” Attia said. “When you win one, you get your name on the wall in the wrestling room. I’m just going for four names up there.”
Girls basketball
SV’s season ends at NorCal Regional semis: The magical postseason run came to a close for No. 8 Scotts Valley following a 42-36 loss to No. 4 Valley Christian in the CIF Northern Regional D-III semifinals on March 7.
Freshman center Isabelle Jas finished with a team-best 15 points for the SCCAL champion Falcons. Teammates senior Brooklyn Williams and junior Hanna Shehorn each added seven points, while senior Sammy Rebbert contributed five points. Senior Amaya Guerra had two points.
Scotts Valley won its first-ever CCS title after beating Notre Dame-Belmont, 53-42, in the D-IV championship Feb. 28. They finished with a 29-2 overall record, marking the best finish in the program’s history.
