285 POUNDS: In the land of the heavyweights, there’s Seth Nevills (Clovis, Sr.) and then the rest of the field! Nevills is scheduled this weekend to become only the third wrestler in the boy’s division to win his fourth consecutive state championship – joining an incredibly exclusive duo of four-timers in Darrell Vasquez (Bakersfield, 2002) and former teammate Justin Mejia (Clovis, 2017). He is also looking to win an unprecedented ninth overall state title for the Nevills clan, following titles by older brothers Zach, Nick, and AJ. Keep in mind the Penn State-bound Nevills has never lost to a CA competitor and it’ll require a truly seismic upset of historical proportions for any wrestler to top Nevills this weekend, let alone survive a full six minutes against him. A phenomenal wrestler on his feet, Nevills could go down as one of the best upper weight wrestlers in our state’s history. Close behind and a strong contender to reach the finals is returning state medalist and two-time Cadet All-American Jake Levengood (Vacaville, Sr.), who is undefeated against CA competition this year. The Southern Section has a trio of excellent wrestlers that will be more than ready to challenge for the medal stand. They include champion Tony DaCosta (Torrance, Sr.), runner-up Josh Tarango(Canyon, Sr.) who is making his state debut, and two-time state qualifier Randy Gonzalez Jr.(Lakewood). Nicholas Villarreal (Gilroy, So) is a two-time Central Coast champion and looks ready to make a run at the title after coming up short last season. As the weight class is often quite unpredictable, any number of different wrestlers can find themselves on the medal podium on Saturday night. Central Coast runner-up and two-time state qualifier Anthony Gomez (Christopher, Sr.) looks ready for a deep run, as well as Central runner-up Xavier Moran (Selma, Sr.), who’s also making his second trip to state. Keep an eye on San Diego champion Andrew Johnson (Poway, So.), Mike Jeffus (Turlock, Jr.), and Daniel Garcia (Hesperia, Sr.).
