Sandoval wins state title

Sandoval had the goal of winning a state title last spring as a senior at PHS and while he ended up falling just short, he still had an oustanding f inish, taking third in the state event. So, essentially, Sandoval just continued that goal when he got to Fresno. "At the beginning, it was my goal when I started the season," he said. "It was my goal to win state."

While Fresno fell short of winning its fourth straight title, it was still a successful meet for the Rams, who finished as the state runner-up with 133.5 points behild state champion Sacramento City College, which finished with 171 points.

In one of the more exciting championship matches on Saturday, Sandoval held off Palomar College's J.R. Lule 7-6 for the state title. Sandoval trailed 4-3 when he scored an escape and a reversal in the second period to take a 6-4 lead.

He also earned enough riding time in which he would allow Lule to escape to earn a bonus point. So even though, Lule scored a takedown with a two seconds left in the match to technically tie the score 6-6, Sandoval knew the bonus point would give him the 7-6 win and the title. "I knew I could give up a takedown," Sandoval said.

Making Sandoval's state title more impressive was the fact he suffered a sprained ankle in the semifinals. Sandoval's semifinal match was at noon and he won 10-5 to advance to the finals which were at 7 p.m., so Sandoval had seven hours treat to recuperate. "I couldn't walk on it," he said. "It threw my whole game plan off. I had to come up with a new game plan."

A big reason why Sandoval was able to deal with the adversity, he said, was the coaching he received from PHS wrestling coach Tim Vanni. "Tim Vanni is one of my best coaches ever," Sandoval said. "He got me ready to be at the next level. I just felt ready. Everything I was facing, I was prepared for."

Still, Sandoval admitted, "I was really nervous" about the championship match.

Sandoval lost just one match all year to Bakersfield College's Max Ramirez at a tournament at Cuesta College. After losing to Ramirez 6-5, Sandoval came back to pin Ramirez in the third place match. Sandoval said he was expecting to see Ramirez in the state finals. "It was supposed to be a rematch," Sandoval said.

"I'm still kind of hungry," said Sandoval about winning the state title. "I'm not satisfied. I really don't know how I feel."

He plans to return to Fresno City to go for another state title next season and then hopes to transfer to a four-year school where he will continue his wrestling career. Sandoval becames the fourth PHS wrestler to win a state title at Fresno City, joining Yero Washington, Eddie Ramos and Benny Esquivel.

"It feels good to represent Porterville, my town," Sandoval also said about winning the state title.