LA HABRA, CA. – With seven individual champions and 13 place winners, the Poway High wrestling team won the Sonora High Tournament of Champions with an amazing 372.5 points; second place was Yucaipa High with 217.5 points.
Winning individual titles were Dom De’Altonaga (106), Andre Gonzales (113), Jason Miranda (132), Christian Navida (145), Aaron Gandara (152), Alex Hernandez (170), and Braden Pease (182). It was the Titan's sixth consecutive team title as they won the event in 2015, 16, 17, 18, and in 2019.
Junior De’Altonaga had the tournament of his life as he defeated the No. 1, 2, and 3 seeded wrestlers in the tournament despite not being seeded himself. In the championship match, De’Altonaga won the tournament by pinning state qualifier Chris Calderon (Esperanza).
His win started a domino effect as Double Fargo Champion Andre Gonzales pinned his opponent to claim his third tournament title of the season. Senior Jason Miranda won his second tournament of champions title as his teammate Anthony Ching injury defaulted against him in the finals. Miranda went untouched in the tournament as he pinned his first three opponents before defeating Ethan Krey (Yucaipa) 7-0.
Double Cadet All-American Aaron Gandara won the 152-weight class by earning a fall in the finals over Washington state place winner Wyatt Springer (Lake Stevens). Gandara looked unstoppable as he recorded four falls, a 16-1 technical fall, and a 5-0 win over Nicco Ruiz (St. John Bosco) who is ranked No. 6 in California by Flo wrestling.
Alex Hernandez also won his second tournament of champions title by defeating state qualifier Noah Rupp (Maranatha Christian) 11-0 in the championship bout. Hernandez's closest match occurred in the semifinal round where he defeated state qualifier Braden Smelser (Valencia/Valencia) 9-2.
Next up for the Titans is the Battle for the Belt tournament in Temecula Valley High with their final dual meet of the season being against the No. 2 team in the San Diego Section Rancho Bernardo.