Since 1974, the Los Angeles City Section has been advancing wrestlers to the California state tournament. 1974 was the first year CIF allowed wrestling in the L.A. City Section. It was previously organized by the Youth Services branch. Also, all schools were allowed two wrestlers per weight class in the section tournament. All that changed in 1975 when only one wrestler from its respective school was allowed to compete in the section tournament. Due to the L.A. City Section having four state place winners in 2013, CIF allowed the section to advance two wrestlers per weight class to the state tournament. This occurred from 2014 to 2016.
106 – Ben Zuniga (Franklin) Class of 1981
Ben Zuniga competed for Los Angeles area school Franklin High. He was a two-time section champion winning titles at 103 and 105-pounds. As a junior, Zuniga finished 1-1 at the state tournament. At the time, the state tournament was run through the carry-over elimination system. In the carry-over system, the wrestler that defeated you must have advanced to the semifinal round in order for the loser to remain alive in the consolation bracket. As a senior, Zuniga advanced to the state quarterfinals before being defeated by the eventual state champion, Dan Thomas of Santa Ana Valley. Zuniga went on to drop two more matches to place sixth in the state.
106 – Jonas Robledo (San Fernando) Class of 1986
Robledo was a two-year starter for the Tigers as he was the backup for three-time section champion Curtis Silva as a sophomore and freshman. A two-time section champion, Robledo went 0-1 at the state tournament as a junior. Nevertheless, his senior season, he redeemed himself by advancing to the medal rounds of the CIF state tournament and becoming the first San Fernando wrestler to place at the state tournament placing sixth.
113 – Sergio Mendez (San Fernando) Class of 2013
Mendez was a three-time section champion for the San Fernando Tigers. He won titles in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2011, Mendez finished shy of becoming the first Tiger wrestler to place at the state tournament as a sophomore. His junior year Mendez finished the state tournament with a 2-2 record and did not make the second day. After moving up a weight class, Mendez won his third section title and entered the state tournament as one of the favorites. He got a surprising and unpleasant discovery at the state tournament as he was defeated in the first round by the eventual state champion Israel Saavedra of Modesto High. Mendez fought back in the consolation rounds and eventually became a state placer for the Tigers. He would go on to finish in fifth place. Mendez would eventually go on to become an NCAA qualifier for Cal State Bakersfield.
120 – Greg McMurray (El Camino Real) Class of 1990
McMurray was a three-year starter for the Conquistadores. As a sophomore, McMurray was defeated in the section tournament and finished in second place at City at 105-pounds. As a junior, McMurray won his first section title at 112-pounds by defeating Marcus Quek (Chatsworth) 8-0. At the state tournament, McMurray advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual state runner-up Gary Quintana of Selma. McMurray went on to win three additional matches in the consolation rounds to placed fifth after defeating San Diego Section Champion Pat Mack of Valhalla. McMurray moved up a weight class and won his second section title in dominating fashion. Due to his performance, he was selected by the coaches as the most outstanding wrestler of the tournament. At the state tournament, McMurray won his first match before being defeated in the second round by the Southern Section Masters Meet Champion. McMurray rebounded back by winning two more additional matches and advancing to the blood round. In the blood round, McMurray was pinned by Donnie Stephens of West Covina in the first round. A wrestler he had pinned last year in the first round of the state tournament.
126 – Johnny Parada (San Fernando) Class of 2014
Parada by far became the most decorated wrestler out of the Los Angeles Section as he was the first-ever wrestler to claim a CIF state tournament. What made his accomplishment much sweeter was the fact that Parada was defeated in the consolation rounds as a sophomore by Wyatt Wyckoff of Paradise 8-7. The following year, he went on to major decision Wyckoff in the finals of the California state tournament to become a state champion. Despite not repeating as state champion, Parada did go on to place fifth as a senior. As a Tiger, Parada was a three-time section champion at 113 and 126.
132 – Ali Naser (El Camino Real) Class of 2013
Naser was a three-time section champion for coach Terry Fischer and El Camino Real. As a freshman, Naser won the section tournament at 112-pounds and finished 3-2 at the state tournament. As a sophomore, he won his second section title by defeating Robert Mena of Granada Hills 16-1 at 125-pounds. He became a state place winner by defeating Tony Ramos of Imperial High 7-6 in the seventh-place match. He entered his junior season as one of the favorites to be a state champion. However, an injury at the finals of the North Torrance TOC prevented him from completing the season. Healthy and ready to wrestle, Naser moved up to 132 and defeated all opponents he faced throughout the regular season. In the section finals, Naser defeated Abraham Lopez of Bell 21-6. Naser went on to place fourth at the state tournament and then continued his collegiate career at Arizona State by becoming an NCAA qualifier.
138 – Miguel Gallegos (San Fernando) Class of 2011
Another great wrestler to roam the wrestling mats at San Fernando High was Miguel “Beto” Gallegos. Gallegos hit the high school scene with a bang as he went on to claim a section title at 112-pounds as a freshman. Moving up three-weight classes, Gallegos was once again in the section finals as a sophomore. His hopes of becoming a two-time section champion were shattered when Joseph Padilla of Bell High got the best of him and defeated him 9-7. As a junior, Gallegos decided to drop down a weight class and won his second section title at 125-pounds. Despite not having much luck at the state tournament, many wrestlers around the state knew Gallegos was tough. He made that known as a high school senior when he won his third section title at 135-pounds and had probably the best regular season of any San Fernando Tiger. At the state tournament, Gallegos finished with a 6-2 record and a fifth-place finish.
145 – Ramses Ochoa (Bell) Class of 1994
Ochoa was a three-year starter for the Bell Eagles and coach Franklin O’Connor. As a sophomore, Ochoa was triumphant in claiming a section title by pinning Mike Gomez of Los Angeles Wilson in 3:46 of their championship bout. Going for his second section title, Ochoa faced off versus another returning section champion in Ralph Palacios of Canoga Park. The match was tight and full of action. A late takedown by Palacios in the third period gave him the edge over Ochoa as he won 6-5 and denied Ochoa another section title. Ochoa won his second section title as a senior by defeating Adrian Abarca of Canoga Park 8-5. Thanks to his heroic wrestling, Ochoa helped Bell win their second team title and become the second Los Angeles school outside of Franklin High to win back-to-back section titles.
152 – Tony Cooper (Gardena) Class of 1978
Cooper was a pioneer in the South Bay by claiming two consecutive section titles in the late 70s. As a junior, Cooper advanced to the state tournament by claiming the 152-pound weight class. Despite not winning a match, Cooper made history for his school by becoming the first wrestler from Gardena to advance to the state tournament. As a senior, Cooper repeated as champion by winning the 154-weight class at the section tournament. At the state tournament, Cooper advanced to the semifinals before being defeated by Chris Bodine (Willits). Cooper would go on to lose two more additional matches and settle for sixth-placed.
160 – Raphael Reynolds (San Fernando) Class of 2005
Reynolds was not only a beast on the mats but the gridiron as well. He was a four-time section champion and pinned his way through the section tournament as a sophomore, junior, and senior. As a junior, he advanced to the quarterfinal round of the state tournament where he would go on to lose to the eventual state runner-up Bobby Pease of Los Gatos 5-3. In the consolation rounds, Reynolds would lose a nail biter of a match to Bryce Thompson of Clovis 7-5. Devastated after his loss, Reynolds knew that he had one last chance to redeem himself as a senior at the state tournament. He did that by placing fourth at the tournament. However, things didn’t look good at the beginning of the event as Reynolds dropped his first-round match 2-1. Reynolds’s first defeat did not intimidate him from achieving his goals as he won seven consecutive matches by defeating various section champions along his way to his historic placement.
170 – Willy German (San Fernando) Class of 2001
German-made history for the Tigers by becoming the second wrestler-ever from that program to win four section titles. Andy Moro was the first to accomplish such a feat for San Fernando High from 1996-1999. After claiming his third section title, German was voted by the coaches as the most outstanding wrestler of the meet. He would go on to display his wrestling technique at the state tournament and prove to everyone that L.A. City kids could wrestle. He would eventually take seventh by defeating North Coast Champion Brent Jacot of Del Norte 9-7. After having a great section tournament that saw him win his four-section title, German-made the trip to Stockton to claim his second state medal. At the state tournament, he faced Anthony Rubalcava of Grace Davis, the third-place finisher from the Sac-Joaquin Section in the first round. A mistake by German cost him the match as Rubalcava put him on his back and pinned him in the first period. Without panicking, German won three matches in the consolation rounds to get to the blood round. In the blood round, a late point awarded to Steve Williams of Vista gave him the advantage over German as he would go on to defeat him 3-2 and derailed German’s dream of becoming San Fernando’s first-ever two-time state medalist.
182 – Jonovan Smith (Birmingham) Class of 2019
A friend to everyone on the mats and outside, Smith became a successful wrestler for coach James Medeiros by winning three section titles at 160, 171, and 182-pounds. As a junior, Smith went on to win his second section title by earning a 19-4 technical fall over Joseph Velado of Palisades. At the state tournament, Smith would go on to take eighth place. He made history his senior season by becoming the second city section boy to advance to the state finals as he lost a tight 2-1 match to Nathan Haas of St. John Bosco. That summer, Smith would go on to make history once again by becoming a Fargo National Champion. Vlad Kochiev was the first-ever Birmingham and city wrestler to have advanced to the finals of Fargo as a high school senior.
195 – Hamzah Al-Saudi (Palisades) Class of 2018
Al-Saudi was a chubby little kid when he entered the Palisades wrestling room. That little chubby kid would go on to break many records for the Dolphins. His first section title didn’t come easy to him as he defeated Alonso Alvarez (San Fernando) in double overtime. As a junior, Al-Saudi won his second section title with a late takedown over Abraham Rivera (San Pedro) to defeat him 5-3. At the state tournament, Al-Saudi broke more records for Palisades as he won three matches. Winning his third section tournament was easier as it only took 1:33 to pin Moses Trujillo (Birmingham). Seeded # 4 at the state tournament, Al-Saudi advanced to the quarterfinal round before being defeated by # 5 Jacob Good of Clovis 11-2. The setback sent Al-Saudi to the consolation rounds where he needed to win his match to become a state placer. He became a state placer as he was triumphant in pinning his opponent in the second round. Al-Saudi went on to win two additional matches to place fifth at the tournament as a senior.
220 – Daniel Pena (Birmingham) Class of 2014
Pena made his mark on the city section after placing second as a sophomore at 220-pounds. The following year he dropped down a weight class and won his first section title. As a junior, Pena moved up a weight class and it paid off for him as he won his second section title by pinning Robert Ortiz (Belmont) at 3:55. At the state tournament, Pena advanced to the quarterfinal round by defeating Graham Grant of Saratoga 3-2. He was defeated in the quarterfinal round by Cortes Morales of Clovis West and sent to the consolation rounds. In the consolation rounds, Pena won his match 10-8 to become Birmingham’s second-ever state place winner. Pena would go on to place eighth at state while Grant took fourth.
285 – Alex Luna (San Fernando) Class of 1997
