Coach Daniel Cormier’s Gilroy boys wrestling team set a state record by winning five individual titles at last weekend’s CIF State Championships. In the team competition, the Mustangs placed third, slightly behind Buchanan and Poway.
Of the five wrestlers competing in a title match, all five won. The Mustangs also placed wrestlers at third and seventh in other weight classes.
“The kids wrestled really, really well. It was very exciting,” coach Cormier said. “We have a great group of kids and they knew they could be really good and they all won! Anytime you set a record in this state, it’s something to be proud of, especially since we’re Gilroy. We’re from Gilroy and we did it!”
The primary highlight was the victory for Gilroy’s Daniel Zepeda at 150, his third state crown. Zepeda became the 28th wrestler all-time to claim three or more state titles. The Mustang senior, ranked No. 1 in the country, had previously won at 138 last year and at 132 in 2023. In this year’s final, Zepeda defeated Anderson’s Alias Raby 5-3.
At 126, senior Isaiah Cortez, now a two-time state champion after winning at 120 in 2023, beat Paris Ruiz of Buchanan by majority decision, 9-0. Buchanan coach Troy Tirapelle described Cortez, ranked ninth nationally, as a “buzz saw.”
At 132, Gilroy junior Moses Mendoza, tabbed No. 6 nationally, defeated Billy Townson of Poway 3-1 for the title. Mendoza, third at 120 last year, won his first state championship via his strong defense.
At 138, Elijah Cortez, brother of Isaiah Cortez, was victorious, topping Jesse Grajeda of St. John Bosco 3-2. It was his second state title, as he won at 126 in 2023, and required the dead-even match being decided by the “Ultimate Tiebreaker.” Grajeda, who scored a point first, was given the choice of where to start the 30-second extra session. He chose “bottom” but could not “escape” as Cortez maintained position for the win.
At 175, Gilroy’s Tyler Eise, a senior ranked No. 5 nationally, defeated Mason Ontiveros of Pitman 13-4. Eise is a transfer from Colorado.
All five champions have major college commitments. The Cortez brothers are headed to Cornell, Mendoza will attend Michigan, Zepeda is going to North Carolina State and Eise to Nebraska.
Other top Gilroy performances in Bakersfield came from Kaleo Garcia, who finished seventh at 190, and from Travis Grace, an Oregon State commit, who landed in third at 165.
On the girls’ side, although Monterey won the Central Coast Section title and Gilroy was third, down in Bakersfield at the CIF State meet, Gilroy was the highest finisher among all CCS schools, finishing in 10th place.
Top performances at the CIF State meet came from Tamara Grace, second at 135, Sarai Cortez, seventh at 140 and Jocelynn Mendoza, eighth at 125. All three finished second at the CCS championships, as did Jaelle Cortez at 105.
Boys win 22nd team title at championships
An excellent performance in Bakersfield followed up on the previous weekend’s CCS championship at Independence High in San Jose. The Gilroy boys dominated the meet to claim their 22nd consecutive team title. Yes, that’s 2003 through 2025.
“Never take for granted the opportunity to come out here and dominate this section,” coach Cormier told his team after the match.
With five individual state champions on the roster, it is clear how dominant Gilroy is within the section. There are some other solid wrestling programs in the section but no other CCS school had a wrestler reach a state final and no other CCS school finished in the top ten in the state.
The Mustangs are on the elite stage with a handful of southern California schools and a few from the Fresno/Clovis area.
In addition to the five state champions who also won at the CCS meet, Gilroy had five other CCS titlists. Other Mustangs who finished first at CCS included Eli Mendoza at 106, Travis Grace at 165, Kaleo Garcia at 190, Brian Haran at 215 and Juan Carlos Puga at 285.
In summary, Gilroy had 10 titlists in 14 weight classes and picked up second-place finishes in two of the other four.
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