Joint, Ayon, Solis are state champions, West Hills finishes sixth overall
Led by individual titles by Wayne Joint, Lupe Ayon, and Angel Solis, West Hills College Lemoore totaled 84.5 team points to finish in sixth place at the 2021 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships at Cerritos College in Norwalk. The two-day event wrapped up the season on Saturday night.
The sixth-place showing at the state championships was West Hills' best since finishing third at the 2012 finals.
Weight Class 141
Championships - #3N Wayne Joint (West Hills) def. #1N Kendal Frank (Sacramento City), 10-8 (ot)
In the wildest finishes of the night, it appeared as though Frank recorded a buzzer-beating takedown to win the state title, but the officials ruled that that takedown did not happen in time, which sent the match to overtime. Presented with a second chance, Joint got Frank down :23 seconds into the extra period and won the state championship. Trailing, 7-6 with less than a minute left in the third period, Joint got a takedown with :36 seconds left for an 8-7 lead, only to see Frank escape with :10 seconds left and set the table for the wild finish.
Weight Class 149
Championships - #1N Lupe Ayon (West Hills) def. #1S Juan Lopez (Mt. San Antonio), 6-1
It a match that pitted a pair of #1 seeds, the two were locked in a tight battle where neither knew one small mistake could cost him the title. Ayon struck first in the first period with a takedown, with Lopez escaping with 1:00 left. They started in a neutral position for the second period, with neither one able to add to their score. Ayon increased his lead to 3-1 with an escape point and clinched the championship with a takedown with only :27 seconds left in the match, while a riding point made it a 6-1 score.
Weight Class 197
Championships - #1N Angel Solis (West Hills) pinned #1S Nate Kendricks (Mt. San Antonio), 2:41
The match had the makings for a wild one, and the two didn't disappoint. Kendricks made a nice move to try and get Solis on his back, but great patience by Solis paid of, as he was able to roll Kendricks on his back. After a couple of minor adjustments, Solis earned the pin before the first period ended.
Justin Tripp placed fourth at 184 pounds. He reached the third-place match but suffered a 7-3 loss to Luke Hansen of Moorpark. By finishing among the state's top four, Joint, Ayon, Solis, and Tripp all earned All-American honors.
Also placing for the Golden Eagles, Taven Avila was sixth after dropping out of the fifth-place match because of injury.
Armando Martinez (125) and Will Torres (141) both qualified for the state championships but did not place.
Mt. San Antonio College won the team championship with 167 points. The Mounties were followed by host Cerritos in second with 138.5 points, Fresno City College in third at 117 points, and Sacramento City College in fourth with 107.5 points. Bakersfield College edged out West Hills for fifth, finishing a half-point ahead with 85 points (West Hills 84.5 points).