After a season of low numbers, finding the right time for practices, COVID testing weekly and getting back to normalcy, our Lady Saints came back with something to prove. Starting the year at the Walnut invitational we seen sisters meet up in the finals as Jenae Acero and Juliana Marquez both battled through each end of the bracket and meet in the finals. As we normally have our wrestlers wrestle each other no matter what, it was just fitting that these two didn’t wrestle and move on to the next week with both being labeled Co-Champs. Going into our Crosstown Rivalry with Bonita HS, lead by team captain Cameron Ortiz, our Saints came out on top 66-12. Cammie came out on fire and showcased her skills as she dominated her opponent eventually pinning her for the win. Lead by Penelope Camarillo, Izcalia Baldelomar and freshman Charlene Smith, our wrestlers battled hard at the Valencia JV tournament coming home with some hardware. To test our team out we traveled to Marina HS for a 4-way dual and it was a great way to test our Saints as we started out with a 60-6 victory over Bonita HS followed by a 48-18 win over Western HS and eventually losing off criteria against State Champion Marina HS 42-42. Next up was the Santa Ana Varsity tournament, we came out HOT! Coming out on fire was team Captain Jenae Acero and sophomore Alani Marrujo, both coming home with the championship. During our Christmas break we got some great mat time at Santa Ana JV tournament followed by our very own Lady Saints JV Classic, getting us ready for our 8th Annual Gny Sgt. Richard D. Madrid Memorial. Our girls did not disappoint anyone as we witnessed two of our captains Jenae Acero and Cammie Ortiz along with freshman sensation Juliana Marquez all winning it! The emergence of our third captain Esperanza Dorantes coming off battling injuries, showed up and continued right where she left off and came home with the championship at the Bonita Top Gun tournament. At Ayala all of our Saints were battled tested and was a great momentum builder as our girls needed to be pushed for the upcoming CIF tournament. Coming home with six placers! Next up was CIF team Duals at Bonita HS, having only 10 out of the 14 weight classes covered we knew we had a hill to climb. But that hill wasn’t as big as we thought it would be as we took on Hueneme HS first round and came out with a 54-24 victory. In the second round we would face an El Toro team that had all 14 weight classes covered and we needed to bring our A+ game. Down 42-36 we needed to secure a pin in order to tie and go to criteria, with all the pressure a wrestler normally would have, we made sure our first year wrestler just focused on her opponent. The rise of Aliana Finchum came to order as her opponent and her were going back and forth both putting each other on their backs nearly pinning each other. As the match continued, we noticed Ally gaining momentum and as we screamed for her, she turned her opponent again and finished with a pin and tied the match 42-42. But just as giving up forfeits against Marina earlier during the year, this was the end result against El Toro as we walked out with our heads up knowing that we didn’t lose wrestling, we lost due to forfeits. Our focus then shifted to league finals where we had all 10 varsity wrestlers qualify for CIF Individuals with 5 of them winning league! Hosting CIF was a great experience and proved to be a highlight as we were runner-up and had the most CIF Champions with 3, Captains Espi Dorantes, Cammie Ortiz and Freshman Juliana Marquez. The following week we had 8 qualify for CIF Masters held at Marina HS where once again our Lady Saints proved to be a force. Captain Espi Dorantes and freshman stud Juliana Marquez both becoming the first ever CIF Masters champions for San Dimas Lady Saints Wrestling. But not only were these two history makers, we made history again by sending the most wrestlers to state for the program with 4 as captains Jenae Acero and Cammie Ortiz finished with a 4th and 3rd place finish. Lastly, the toughest test yet was to come as we headed to the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield. Our girls put up the toughest fight they have ever had to and it became reality as Juliana Marquez finished in 8th place, Espi Dorantes finished in 5th place and Cammie Ortiz finished in 4th place, once again creating history for the program for having the most state placers in 1 year. Jenae Acero didn’t go out without a fight and battled her way through the competition and making us very proud. This year was exciting and motivating for the program as we head into the next season hungry for more! Get ready for more history being made and keep following us on our journey!