Scotts Valley High senior Danica Kelley captured her second straight section title after another dominant performance at the Central Coast Section Wrestling Championships this past weekend.
The standout Falcons athlete placed first after beating Joseline Hernandez of Alisal High in an 8-0 major decision in the 135-pound weight class championship bout at Watsonville High on Feb. 17.
“It’s a pretty exciting close to my senior year and it’s nice to have a good win going into State. I’m just happy to be finishing it off like this,” Kelley said.
The top four wrestlers in each of the 14 weight divisions advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation State Wrestling Championships at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield on Feb. 22-24.
Fellow teammate senior Kayce Martinovsky (140 pounds) will also make the trek to Bakersfield. She pinned Sophia Crews of North Salinas to take third place in last weekend’s tournament.
“I lost in the semis and that could have really easily allowed that to affect my [mentality],” said Martinovsky, who finished 4-1 with three wins by fall. “That’s happened a lot this season, I lose in the earlier rounds and I just let it mess with my head…the goal is always to win, but like I said, not everything goes to plan.”
Gilroy won the team title with a score of 170.5 points, followed by Alisal High (163.0) in second and Monterey (98.0) took third. Scotts Valley (49.0) was the top team from Santa Cruz County, placing 10th in the 87-team Masters Tournament.
Other local qualifiers include Aptos High senior Janie Houser (125) who took second after dropping a 2-0 decision to Gilroy High senior Mary Jane Porter in the final. Houser finished 3-1 with three wins by fall.
Watsonville senior Joselyn Gutierrez (130) took fourth place after dropping a 2-1 decision to Grace Saso of Mitty High. Gutierrez finished 3-2 with three wins by fall.
San Lorenzo Valley High’s Jennifer Black (115) failed to advance after going 0-2 in Saturday’s tournament.
Kelley said winning both section titles are special in their own way. She didn’t have the chance to compete at the CCS tourney her freshman year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and she placed second the following year.
“My junior year was special from a standpoint of like OK, I want it, that goal is accomplished, and I was excited in that one,” Kelley said.
Kelley—who earned the No. 2 seed in the CIF State Championships—said she just wanted to cap off her senior year with a bang before heading off to compete at the collegiate level.
“I really am aiming to win,” she said. “It’s the last shot at redemption at State. My last two years I didn’t do as good as I wanted to. But this year I feel like I’ve been wrestling way cleaner, and it’s kind of just the last hurrah before college. I’m pretty excited.”
Martinovsky also gets another crack to place on the podium at the CIF State Championships, which was a goal she set as a freshman.
“To have another shot, it’s a blessing and I’m ready,” she said. “I’m ready for the competition and just to wrap up my senior season like that is more than a blessing.”
On the boys side, Aptos High junior Lucas Zuniga (285) took second and punched his ticket to Bakersfield. He was pinned by Gilroy High senior Cody Merrill—the No. 1 ranked high school wrestler in the nation at 220 pounds and Oklahoma State University commit.
The top four wrestlers in each of the 14 weight divisions advanced to this upcoming weekend’s CIF State Championships.
SLV senior Logan Hede (165) had a 2-2 record and was eliminated in the consolation bracket after dropping an 11-6 decision to Anthony Gutierrez of Westmont High. Fellow Cougars teammate Grady Cloyd (175) was 0-2, while both Ollin Bates (190) and Gabriel Attia (215) went 1-2 in the tournament.
Scotts Valley sophomore Angelo Vignato (126) was eliminated after losing two straight matches.
Gilroy (360.5 points) won the 87-team event. Los Gatos (207.0) took second, and Palo Alto (98.5) was third.
Aptos (22.0) took 20th and was the top program from Santa Cruz County. San Lorenzo Valley (18.0) tied for 24th and Watsonville (7.0) placed 39th. Scotts Valley and Monte Vista Christian did not register a point.
