Buchanan Crowns Three Champs in Winning The Doc B Team Title

Buchanan sends five to the finals and pulls away from three California rivals in one of the west coasts top wrestling events

(from left ) Leo Contino (160), Ashton Besmer (135) and Paul Ruiz (116) all sport the famed Cowboy Hat given to champions at The Doc B. Besmer was named Outstanding Wrestler and Buchanan won the team title. / Buchanan Wrestling Instagram

With the only team race drama at The Doc Buchanan Tournament at Clovis High School in California, one of the biggest wrestling events on the West Coast, being around third place, Saturday’s finals were more of a showcase than a round that would decide the pecking order of the standings. No. 25 Clovis, No. 10 Poway, and No. 11 Gilroy were the third through fifth place teams going into the final round and that’s how they would end as well. 

No. 8 Buchanan had a comfortable 19-point lead over No. 7 St. John Bosco (193-174) as the finals began with the top five spots all occupied by the California powerhouses. The team chase for first was over as the Doc B affair uses the “Old-School” tradition of the championship finals being wrestled on one mat with the consolation finals being completed earlier. Buchanan had five in the finals, while St. John Bosco had just one.

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Top 30 National High School Wrestling Team Rankings (1/4/2024)

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The Tournament Director at Doc B, Michael Noel, chooses to run the finals in a non-traditional manner with the weight classes being shuffled. Other tournaments start at a different weight than 106lbs but then run the matches in weight class order. Doc B throws that convention out the window as they started at 165, then moved to 113, and followed that with 190lbs, and then kept switching-up throughout the round. 

Since there were no team race implications, the order of the finals was set based on local intrigue and the caliber of the opponents facing off, with Gilroy’s No. 1 Daniel Zepeda closing the action with a 4-1 win over No. 4 Noah Nininger (Staunton River, VA) at 150lbs. For Zepeda, who famously gave Bo Bassett his last high school loss, it was his first Doc B title. As a sophomore Zepeda was second and placed fourth last year. The senior is a two-time state champion and captured a Fargo title over the summer.

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2024-25 National High School Wrestling Rankings (1/3/2025)

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Buchanan crowned three champions out of their five finalists with two of them pulling off major upsets. Of the two, the rankings suggest that No. 28 Ashton Besmer (132) defeating No. 7 Manuel Saldate (SLAM! Academy, NV), 8-5, was the greater upset. To reach the finals, Besmer authored a grander surprise with a win over No. 6 Moses Mendoza (Gilroy) in the wildest semi-final of the afternoon. Points were thrown on the board with reckless abandon and the score was tight until near the end when Besmer built a 22-15 advantage. 

Freshman Paul Ruiz, who is ranked 20th nationally at 113, shocked the crowd on hand along with U17 Freestyle World Bronze Medalist, No. 2 Henry Aslikyan (Birmingham, CA), with an overtime tiebreaker win, 9-8. Given Aslikyan’s World standing, one could argue this was the more unlikely outcome of the two. 

Buchanan’s third champion was expected to capture his Cowboy Hat (Cowboy Hats are given to the champion of each weight class) as Leo Contino was not only the No. 1 seed but also ranked 12th nationally to his foe’s No. 18 rank. Contino handed SLAM!’s Gabriel Delgado a 4-0 shutout loss. Failing to secure Cowboy Hats were No. 8 Rocklin Zinkin (120) and No. 4 Joseph Toscano. The Bears only had one placer who did not reach the finals, Ivan Arias, who took third at 150. 

St. John Bosco’s nine awaredees paced the field, but their sole finalist, No. 9 Jesse Grajeda was pinned in his 138lb final by No. 3 Sergio Vega (Sunnyside, AZ), 4:35, while holding a 3-2 lead. Vega is a Fargo and Super 32 Champ. 

No. 17 Isai Fernandez was third at 175 for the Braves. Placing fourth were No. 7 Jorge Rios (106), No. 21 Sean Willcox (120), and No. 6 Nathan Carillo (126). No. 23 Michael Romero placed sixth at 144. Mason Savidian was seventh at 190. Landing in the eighth position were Tigran Greyan (157) and No. 7 Joseph Antonio (165).

Clovis’ No. 3 Nikade Zinkin won a rematch of the Zinkin Classic finals in December with a 7-5 decision of Buchanan’s Toscano. Zinkin, who is a two-time Doc B runner-up, won the earlier meeting, 4-1. At 106, Anthony Garza fell to U17 Freestyle World Champion, No. 1 Samuel Sanchez (Esperanza, CA), 7-1, in his final bout.

The hosts’ other five placers were No. 20 Mark Marin (3rd at 185), No. 21 Adrien Reyes (5th at 175), Raymond Rivera (6th at 138), Adan Sanchez (7th at 285), and Thunder Lewis (8th at 126).

Three California wrestlers locked down their second consecutive Doc B crowns, and all three did so with relative ease in their championship showdowns. Two of the three rolled through all their opponents with no trouble at all. Heavyweight. No. 6 Coby Merrill, of JW North pinned all five of his adversaries in the first period including 1:25 over No. 13 Trayvn Boger (South Summit, UT) in the final. Merrill, a junior, is a two-time state runner-up. 

No. 3 Angelo Posada (Poway) decked his first three foes in the first round, then posted a technical fall in the semis before a 10-0 major decision was registered over No. 11 Khale McDonnell (Fountain Valley, CA) in his championship bout. Posada, who was second here as a sophomore, is a current Fargo, Super 32, and state champion.

The third two-timer, No. 2 Ronnie Ramirez (Walnut) cruised to a 13-4 major decision of No. 7 Antonio Rodrguez (Los Gatos, CA) to earn his hat. It was at least his fifth consecutive win over Rodrguez according to our records. Ramirez, who is also a two-time state champ, was tested before his encounter with Rodriguez.

The Mustang went into overtime in a quarter final match that was decided in the tiebreaker rounds over No. 13 Edwin Sierra (Poway). In the semis, the senior squeezed by No. 12 Isiah Cortez (Gilroy), 4-2. Cortez upset the Braves’ Carillo twice at Doc B, once to reach the semis and again in the consolation finals.

No. 11 Levi Bussey of Granite Bay, California was working with a comfortable lead in his 190lb final with No. 15 Brokton Borelli (Los Banos, CA) only to see Borelli not fold, but mount a fierce comeback that pushed Bussey to the final buzzer where he won, 13-11. Bussey placed seventh here last year. 

Two wrestlers from the East Coast traveled home wearing Cowboy Hats. No. 2 Landon Sidun (Norwin) came all the way from Pennylvania to taste some different competition and beat Rocklin Zinkin, 5-3, in his spotlight moment. Sidun won a state gold as a freshman last year and is now a two-time PowerAde champ after securing that crown over the holiday break.

No. 5 Dominic Bambinelli’s mileage was similar to Sidun’s as he arrived from Mill Creek, Georgia. Bambinelli posted an 11-2 major decision over No. 13 Mario Carini (Poway) to secure his top spot. Bambinelli is looking to become a four-time state champ this year and has also finished second at the last two Super 32 Tournaments.

The final champ worked his way to California from Liberty, Missouri and left with the 175lb glory as No. 11 Peyton Wetpfahl downed No. 23 Mason Ontiveros (Pitman), 7-1. 

In the interest of thoroughness and to satisfy potential curiosity, the order of the finals was: 165,113, 190, 157, 285, 106, 175, 215, 132, 138, 120, 126, 144, and 150. 

Team Scores (Top 15)

(all teams from CA unless otherwise stated)

1-Buchanan 205

2-St. John Bosco 174

3-Clovis 141

4-Poway 138

5-Gilroy 136

6-Sunnyside (AZ) 99.5

7-SLAM! Academy (NV) 80.5

8-Pomona (CO) 79.5

9-Clovis North 77.5

10-Layton (UT) 73

11-Fountain Valley 68.5

12-Esperanza 61.5

13-Liberty (MO) 60.5

14-Pitman 58

15-Ponderosa 55.5

Individual Results

Championship Finals

(The weights listed here are the base + three-pound allowance. 106=109. We referred to the base weights above)

109-Samuel Sanchez (Esperanza) DEC Anthony Garza (Clovis), 7-1

116-Paul Ruiz (Buchanan) DEC Henry Aslikyan (Birmingham), 9-8 TB2

123-Landon Sidun (Norwin (PA)) DEC Rocklin Zinkin (Buchanan), 5-3

129-Ronnie Ramirez (Walnut) MD Antonio Rodriguez (Los Gatos), 13-4

135-Ashton Besmer (Buchanan) DEC Manuel Saldate (SLAM Academy (NV)), 8-5

141-Sergio Vega (Sunnyside (AZ)) F Jesse Grajeda (St. John Bosco), 4:35

147-Nikade Zinkin (Clovis) DEC Joseph Toscano (Buchanan), 7-5

153-Daniel Zepeda (Gilroy) DEC Noah Nininger (Stauton River (VA)), 4-1

160-Leo Contino (Buchanan) DEC Gabriel Delgado (SLAM Academy (NV)), 4-0

168-Dominic Bambinelli (Mill Creek (GA)) MD Mario Carini (Poway), 11-2

178-Peyton Westpfahl (Liberty (MO)) DEC Mason Ontiveros (Pitman), 7-1

193-Levi Bussey (Granite Bay) DEC Brokton Borelli (Los Banos), 13-11

218-Angelo Posada (Poway) MD Khale Mcdonnell (Fountain Valley), 10-0

288-Coby Merrill (JW North) F Trayvn Boger (South Summit (UT)), 1:25

3rd Place

109-Nathaniel Granados (Merced) DEC Jorge Rios (St. John Bosco), 6-4

116-Gabriel Ramirez (Canyon View (AZ)) DEC Jadyn Wren (Clovis East), 10-3

123-Mikey Ruiz (Randall (TX)) DEC Sean Willcox (St. John Bosco), 7-3

129-Isaiah Cortez (Gilroy) DEC Nathan Carillo (St. John Bosco), 7-6

135-Moses Mendoza (Gilroy) DEC Justyce Zuniga (Toppenish (WA)), 2-1

141-Elijah Cortez (Gilroy) DEC Geronimo Rivera (Layton (UT)), 4-1

147-Drew Gorman (Buford (GA)) DEC Carlos Stanton jr. (Sunnyside (AZ)), 11-6

153-Ivan Arias (Buchanan) MD Jason Worthley (Westfield (UT)), 13-4

160-Beau Priest (Bakersfield) DEC Alias Raby (Anderson), 7-4

168-Slava Shabazyana (Birmingham) DEC Tucker Roybal (Union (UT)), 11-4

178-Isai Fernandez (St. John Bosco) DEC Brody Kelly (Immaculate Conception (IL)), 4-1 SV

193-De`alcapon Veazy (Ponderosa (CO)) DEC Carter Vannest (Pitman), 4-2

218-Melvin Whitehead lll (Liberty (NV)) MD Wes Burford (Oakdale), 10-2

288-Mark Marin (Clovis) DEC Anthony Nava (Toppenish (WA)), 1-0

5th Place

109-Mj Rundell (Oak Park River Forest (IL)) DEC Tyler Sweet (Clovis North), 6-4

116-Aiden Garcia (Palma) DEC Drake Vombaur (Severance (CO)), 7-1

123-Paulo Valdez (Hesperia) DEC Isaiah Jones (Bixby (OK)), 7-1

129-Antonio Mills (Mill Creek (GA)) DEC Robert Jones (Poway), 7-3

135-Billy Townson (Poway) DEC Deven Casey (Immaculate Conception (IL)), 3-1 UTB

141-Leo Maestas (Clovis North) DEC Raymond Rivera (Clovis), 7-0

147-Derek Barrows (Pomona (CO)) DEC Michael Romero (St. John Bosco), 4-0

153-Niko Valenzuela (Fountain Valley) MD Josh Fish (Westlake (UT)), 14-2

160-Mark Del bosque (Clovis North) DEC Austin Paris (Grand Country (UT)), 8-6

168-Kalob Ybarra (Pomona (CO)) DEC Bradlee Farrer (Pleasant Grove (UT)), 8-1

178-Adrien Reyes (Clovis) DEC Leister Bowling (Mead (CO)), 3-2 UTB

193-David Calkins jr. (Liberty-Brentwood) DEC Elijah Hawes (Layton (UT)), 8-2

218-Brock Rios (Frontier) MD Foley Calcagno (Immaculate Conception (IL)), 10-0

288-Kaydon Williams (Corner Canyon (UT)) DEC Tatum Williams (Fruita Monument (CO)), 7-0

7th Place

109-Mas Hatano (Folsom) F Arcadius Cruz (Orting (WA)), 4:24

116-Carlos Melgoza (Kingsburg) DEC Hunter Jauregui (Fountain Valley), 6-2

123-Lander Bosh (Layton (UT)) DEC Czar Quintanilla (University (WA)), 8-1 SV

129-Siraj Sidhu (Del Oro) DEC Thunder Lewis (Clovis), 13-11

135-Adyn Bostick (Sunnyside (AZ)) F Alan Salguero jr. (Orting (WA)), 4:24

141-Joshua Requena (Camarillo) DEC Nick Dardanes (Brush (CO)), 6-3

147-Arseni Kikiniou (Poway) DEC Braden Priest (Bakersfield), 2-1 TB2

153-Matthew Luna (St. Francis) M FOR Max Del bosque (Clovis North)

160-Ian Fritz (Pleasant Grove (UT)) DEC Tigran Greyan (St. John Bosco), 7-2

168-Travis Grace (Gilroy) FOR Joseph Antonio (St. John Bosco), 0-0

178-Anthony Vargas (Central) FOR Emerson Claeys (Pomona (CO)), 0-0

193-Mason Savidan (St. John Bosco) DEC Kage Mir (Bishop Gorman (NV)), 7-2

218-Hayden Martin (South Anchorage (AK)) M FOR Ross Cinfel (Clovis North)

288-Adan Sanchez (Clovis) DEC Daniel Moylan (Poway), 4-3