Showers this morning, becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. High 64F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..
Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 56F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Updated: February 24, 2026 @ 4:29 am
Two of the Peninsula Athletic League’s most promising lightweights missed the chance to compete for Central Coast Section hardware.
Sophia Darer
Terra Nova senior Sophia Darer and El Camino junior Niko Selianitis each suffered season-ending injuries midway through the CCS championships. Darer is a two-time CCS champ, while Selianitis was vying for his first section title.
Niko Selianitis
Darer saw her bid for a CCS girls’ wrestling three-peat derailed after ailing from a shoulder injury for over a month. The senior dislocated her shoulder Jan. 10 at the Napa Valley Girls Classic, wrestling Peninsula senior Leila Witzerman in the finals of the 112-pound bracket.
“I thought it wasn’t a good idea to take a break,” Darer said. “I thought if I keep going, it will get better, and eventually it didn’t.”
Darer went on to capture the PAL championship at 110s Feb. 7, then earned the No. 1 seed Feb. 14 for the CCS Northern California Regionals. But her road through the winners’ bracket got derailed in the second round by Capuchino sophomore Olivia Lewis. Darer settled for eighth place and did not wrestle Saturday in the CCS Masters finals at Watsonville High School, marking an inauspicious end to a great varsity wrestling career.
“I already won CCS twice,” Darer said. “I know I was going to win this year. I knew I was going to place at state this year. But I’m happy for my teammate who placed fifth, and happy for everybody at PAL who made it to state this year ’cause it’s a tough one.”
Alisal senior Isabel Garcia went on to capture the CCS girls’ 110s championship
Selianitis was in a prime spot to compete for his first CCS boys’ wrestling crown at 106s. As a sophomore, he took fourth place at CCS and advanced to the CIF State Wrestling Championships. This year, he was hampered by a knee injury that cost him two months at the beginning of the season.
The junior returned, though, and was in fine form for the postseason. He captured the PAL championship at 106s, the stormed through the CCS Northern Regionals with four straight wins.
The following day, Sunday, Feb. 15, Selianitis bowed out of the two-tiered tournament due to an injury to his other knee. El Camino head coach Japheth Aquino said his star wrestler is hoping to avoid surgery.
“It’s kind of the same thing that happened ... in early December,” Aquino said. “He’s going to have to rest it and see if he’s ready in 4-6 weeks.”
Gilroy sophomore Roman Foncesca won the boys’ 106s championship.
Darer and Selianitis were still in attendance Saturday at Watsonville High.
Darer watched as Terra Nova senior Ava Mendoza wrestled to a fifth-place finish to medal at girls’ 130s. Her younger sister, junior Emily Darer, went 2-2 on the day at 100s.
El Camino qualified six other wrestlers for the Masters — two girls, Mariah Lejender at 115s; and Allison Carcamo Oliva at 135s; and four boys, Sage Gon at 120s; James Newton-Busalacchi at 157s; Lucas Valdez 165s; and Davian Martinez at heavyweights.
Aquino said he advised Selianitis not to attend the CCS Masters due to the emotional toll.
“I told him you’re crazy to be here because you could have probably did it on one leg,” Aquino said. “But he wanted to be there to support the team. ... Good for him. It makes him hungrier for next year.”
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Poetry Without Borders 2026 is an annual poetry contest for youth of all ages. It is being j… Read morePoetry Without Borders 2026
With playing described as “stylish and full of fire,” Ensemble Mirable has captivated listen… Read moreEnsemble Mirable: Baroque Masterpieces on period instruments
“Powerful, moving, and exhilarating” Read moreSongs For A New World
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
Dirk van Ulden said:
Brian Wright said:
Let's say Trump's lies. I apologize or the profanity in my earlier comment. I get frustrated and angry with the Pathological Liar in Chief.
Brian Wright said:
Thank you, and sorry, this reply was meant to add to my comments to Terence.
Brian Wright said:
Let's say Trump's lies. I apologize or the profanity in my earlier comment. I get frustrated and angry with the Pathological Liar in Chief.
Brian Wright said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.