Fountain Valley’s Khale McDonnell a repeat champion at host tournament
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Khale McDonnell’s repeat as a Five Counties Invitational champion was merely another step toward what he’s really after: a state championship.
The Fountain Valley senior was unstoppable en route to the 215-pound title at the Barons’ annual event, among the state’s most prestigious wrestling tournaments, pinning three opponents, outlasting a fourth, then dominating Oakdale’s Wes Burford, 13-3, in one of eight finals pitting top seeds against No. 2 seeds.
Teammates Mikel David Uyemora, at 157 pounds, and Christian Stoeber, at 165, also reached title bouts, and Hunter Jauregui finished third at 113 as Fountain Valley finished fourth in the team battle behind three of CalGrappler’s top four California teams.
Second-ranked Buchanan, from wrestling-rich Clovis, captured its second successive Five Counties championship with 291 points, ahead of top-ranked Bellflower St. John Bosco (284.5) and No. 3 Gilroy (258).
“We did a great job,” Barons head coach Brad Woodbury said. “This is a tough tournament, top teams in the state, and they did an outstanding job. We had a couple of key guys out [injured 144-pounder Vinnie Gutierrez and Primo Catalano at 190], but that’s OK. We’ve still got a long ways to go here, another month or so to the state meet.”
Other Barons who won medals were Liam Qureshi (fourth at 120), Niko Valenzuela (fourth at 150), Chris Qureshi (seventh at 106), Brady Mercer (seventh at 132) and Jimmy Loya (eighth at 144).
The tournament featured five of the state’s top 10 teams and 10 of the top 20 — No. 3 Poway, the defending state champion, was the biggest absentee — and Buchanan, Bosco and Gilroy were the class, sending a combined 18 wrestlers into the 14 weight-class finals and winning nine championship belts.
McDonnell, who is ranked second in the state and ninth nationally, won the 190-pound title at Five Counties last year en route to a CIF Southern Section Inland Division triumph and fifth-place showing at the state meet. His older brother, TJ, won the state title at 190 two years ago.
“Just another tournament helping get me better for state ...,” McDonnell said, while greeting well-wishers on an adjacent mat. “Another [hurdle] until the big one comes.”
The competition showcased his growth this season, said Fountain Valley assistant coach Jackson Hemauer, McConnell’s chief coach.
“Khale had a beautiful tournament,” Hemauer said. “He wrestled some opponents he had wrestled in the past and separated the gap. That’s a big thing that we’ve been expecting of him, to establish himself as a tier above everybody, and it’s another good steppingstone of our ultimate goal of getting to the state tournament and ending up on top there.”
McDonnell’s prime competition for the state crown is Poway’s Angelo Posada, No. 1 in the state, third nationally and champion last year at 175 pounds. Posada, headed to Stanford, cruised to a 10-0 victory over McDonnell two weeks ago in the Doc Buchanan tournament in Clovis, one of the nation’s biggest events.
“I had a close match with him earlier, over the summer, and fell short, definitely, at Doc B,” McDonnell said. “But I’ve been training with my coaches and working hard, doing everything right, and I think I’m going to get that state title when the last weekend of February comes around.”
TJ‘s title is a big prod. McDonnell will join him at Oregon State in the fall.
“My older brother won it, and my little brother [eighth-grader Mason, projected to wrestle at 190 as a freshman] is, for sure, going to,” he said. “I can’t be the only brother that doesn’t do it.”
Newport Harbor senior Demian Pryima, seeded second, also reached a title bout, falling on technical fall to top seed Michael Romero of St. John Bosco at 144 pounds. Two of his teammates also won medals with fifth-place finishes, Anthony Manno at 157 and Asa Goff at 215.
“It gets easier once you get to wrestle the better guys, because you don’t have as much pressure on you,” said Pryima, a Ukrainian immigrant and defending CIF Southern Section Inland Division titlist who outscored his first four opponents, 45-1. “When you wrestle guys that are good but that you’re better, got that pressure. You’re thinking about not losing. Once you get to the good guys, you can wrestle all out. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
Uyemora, who won a Masters Meet title last year at San Marino, fell 2-0 to Buchanan’s Leo Contino, the state’s No. 1 at 157, on a second-period reversal.
“I always expect the best from myself,” he said. “I’m not very satisfied at how I did, but I’m excited to keep training and wrestling and hopefully beat him [at the state meet].”
Stoeber, a sophomore, was the lowest seed, an eighth, to reach a final after toppling Pitman’s second-seeded Brodie Johnson in the quarterfinals . Top-seeded Travis Grace, one of four Gilroy wrestlers to win championships, romped to a 10-0 decision for the title.
“I know I could have done better, but you know,” Stoeber said. “He was super strong, super technical.”
Five Counties Tournament
At Fountain Valley High
Team Results
1. Clovis Buchanan 291; 2. St. John Bosco 284.5; 3. Gilroy 258; 4. Fountain Valley 217.5; 5. Brawley 172.5; 6. Pitman 168.5; 7. Mayfair 141.5; 8. El Cajon Granite Hills 109; 9. Kingsburg 107; 10. Northview 105.5; 12. Newport Harbor 93; 62T. Costa Mesa 26; 62T. Marina 26; 68. Huntington Beach 23; 78. Edison 15.5.
Championship Matches
106 — Jorge Rios (St. John Bosco) maj. Jax Vang (Buchanan), 12-4.
113 — Carlos Melgoza (Kingsburg) dec. Aaron Meza (St. John Bosco), 2-1.
120 — Rocklin Zinkin (Buchanan) dec. Sean Willcox (St. John Bosco), 9-2.
126 — Nathen Carrillo (St. John Bosco) dec. Isaiah Cortez (Gilroy), 6-5.
132 — Moses Mendoza (Gilroy) tech. fall Ashton Besmer (Buchanan), 16-1.
138 — Elijah Cortez (Gilroy) dec. Paris Ruiz (Buchanan), 6-1.
144 — Michael Romero (St. John Bosco) tech. fall Demian Pryima (Newport Harbor), 20-4.
150 — Daniel Zepeda (Gilroy) pins Chris Anguiano (Millikan), 1:55.
157 — Leo Contino (Buchanan) dec. Mikel David Uyemora (Fountain Valley), 2-0.
165 — Travis Grace (Gilroy) maj. Christian Stoeber (Fountain Valley), 10-0.
175 — Mason Ontiveros (Pitman) tech. fall Patrick Roberts (Buchanan), 16-0.
190 — Carter Vannest (Pitman) dec. Mason Savidan (St. John Bosco), 4-1.
215 — Khale McDonnell (Fountain Valley) maj. Wes Burford (Oakdale), 13-3.
285 — Coby Merrill (JW North) pins Nicholas Sahakian (St. John Bosco), 5:46.
Local Medalists
106 — 7. Chris Qureshi (Fountain Valley).
113 — 3. Hunter Jauregui (Fountain Valley).
120 — 4. Liam Qureshi (Fountain Valley).
132 — 7. Brady Mercer (Fountain Valley).
144 — 2. Demian Pryima (Newport Harbor); 8. Jimmy Loya (Fountain Valley).
150 — 4. Niko Valenzuela (Fountain Valley).
157 — 2. Mikel David Uyemora (Fountain Valley); 5. Anthony Manno (Newport Harbor).
165 — 2. Christian Stoeber (Fountain Valley).
215 — 1. Khale McDonnell (Fountain Valley); 5. Asa Goff (Newport Harbor).
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