El Camino boys’ wrestler Niko Seliantis is using the postseason to get back on his feet. The junior had been sidelined due to injury since December, returning just in time for the Peninsula Athletic League championships Saturday, Feb. 7, at Aragon.
Seliantis has gone 6-0 since his return, most recently topping the 106-pound field Saturday at the Central Coast Section Northern Regionals. He now advances to the CCS Masters tournament to compete for a podium spot and a trip to the CIF state championships. El Camino’s top lightweight previously won the PAL championship at 106s.
The highlight of his Saturday run came in the semifinals with a 9-6 sudden victory over Santa Clara senior Nicolas Barlahan. Seliantis scored a three-point double-leg takedown in overtime to advance to the finals.
“He looked winded but he said it was a good match,” El Camino head coach Japheth Aquino said. “He was pretty confident about coming out on top in that one.”
Seliantis had never before faced Barlahan, but went into the finals with plenty of experience against Bellarmine junior Jason Liau. The two met three times in the club offseason, with Seliantis recording a 3-0 record in head-to-head competition. Seliantis earned a 13-5 major decision win in the finals to head to the Masters finals as the top seed from the north.
Serra earned three top seeds with wins in the boys’ finals. At 113s, junior Ryder Doleschal recorded a second-period pin over Bellarmine junior Jacob Pham; 157s saw junior Sebastian Garcia earned a 10-1 major decision over Los Gatos sophomore Jisias Rodriguez; and at heavyweights, sophomore Soloman Zumbardo recorded a 7-0 decision over Bellarmine senior Casey Huchim.
The PAL recorded three top seeds in the girls’ CCS Northern Regionals. Topping the field were M-A junior Eva Bhattacharya at 100s; South City senior Khloe Meisenbach at 140s; and Half Moon Bay junior Pluto Halterman at 190s. St. Francis junior Katherine Love, a San Mateo native, topped the field at 130s.
The top eight finishers from the boys’ regionals advance to the CCS Masters finals to mix in a 16-wrestler bracket with the top eight from the south region. The top six finishers in the girls’ Northern Regionals advance to compete with the top 10 finishers from the south.
Other county qualifiers for the boys’ Masters finals were ...
106s: Luca Gordon, Serra, fourth; Jorge Arceo-Lopez, Menlo-Atherton, eighth.
113s: Gabriel Osorio, Carlmont, fifth.
120s: Jayden Xie, Mills, fourth; Sage Gon, fifth, El Camino; Abe Coakley, Serra, sixth; Ronin Blackner, Capuchino, eighth.
126s: Jesse Chavez Jr, Capuchino, third; Henry Fallice, Junipero Serra, seventh.
132s: Brenden Siu, Capuchino, seventh; Colin Chuang, Serra, eighth.
138s: Luis Gonzales Molinero, San Mateo, seventh.
144s: Colin Chung, Menlo-Atherton, fourth; Justice Commendatore, Mountain View, fifth; Dominic Andrini, Serra, sixth.
150s: Nicolaas Foks, Carlmont, fifth; Miles Reeth, Burlingame, sixth.
157s: Asher Supple, Menlo-Atherton, fourth; James Newton-Busalacchi, El Camino, sixth; Daniel Casemiro, Capuchino, seventh; Lance Navarro, Carlmont, eighth.
165s: Ian Keyak, Serra, third; Ravi Krishnan, Burlingame, fourth; Lucas Valdez, El Camino, fifth; Alexis Sanchez, Capuchino, eighth.
175s: Leon Bleess, Serra, second; Andrew Dent, Carlmont, seventh; Billy Ferreria, Capuchino, eighth.
190s: Troy Roser, Hillsdale, third; Basilio Tiniacos, Menlo-Atherton, fourth; Luke Hanna, Serra, fifth; Jayson Liu, Aragon, seventh.
215s: Andres Haro, Half Moon Bay, second; Tristen Klemish, Serra, third; Kaua Vasconcellos, Capuchino, fifth.
285s: Davian Martinez, El Camino, third; Carlos Latu, Woodside, seventh.
Other county qualifiers for the girls’ Masters finals were ...
100s: Emily Darer, Terra Nova, sixth.
105s: Anjali Sid, Menlo-Atherton, fifth; U’iwailanni Lobato, Carlmont, sixth.
110s: Eva Shen, Carlmont, third; Olivia Lewis, Capuchino, fourth.
115s: Jeannette Healy, Carlmont, fourth; Mariah Lejender, El Camino, fifth.
120s: Hannah Villareale, San Mateo, second; Lauren McClellan, Half Moon Bay, third.
125s: Yuki Ahmann, Sequoia, fourth; Cali McFadden, Aragon, fifth; Melanie Feng, Mills, sixth.
130s: Kat Abramenko, Half Moon Bay, second; Ava Mendoza, Terra Nova, third.
135s: Nora Scopazzi, Burlingame, second; Allison Carcamo Oliva, El Camino, fourth.
140s: Halona Nacua, Aragon, sixth.
145s: Ruby Peraza, San Mateo, fifth.
155s: Nataly Cuculista, Westmoor, sixth.
170s: Ashley Viana, Burlingame, second.
190s: Kelailah Johnson, Mills, third.
235s: Mele Moegangongo, Burlingame, third.
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