Marina girls’ wrestling advances to Division 1 final of CIF Duals

Marina's Madison Baxter competes during the CIF Division 1 girls' wrestling dual meet championships at Hillcrest High.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Feb. 4, 2025 4:22 PM PT

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RIVERSIDE — Marina arrived at its first appearance in a CIF Southern Section girls’ wrestling dual meet final via one of the more improbable comebacks in the young history of the championships.

Top-seeded Covina Northview began the semifinal round with five consecutive pins, but Marina rallied from the 30-point deficit to twice tie the score. Then a consultation of the rulebook decided the match in the Vikings’ favor on Saturday in the Division 1 dual meet championships at Riverside Hillcrest High.

Mary Jane O’Neil secured a pin of Mia Hooper in the 125-pound match while straddling the boundary to end the competition with the score knotted at 39-39. The junior got up, had her hand raised in victory, and then she jumped into the arms of teammate Isabella Lorenzana.

Marina's Isabella Lorenzana pins her opponent during the CIF Division 1 girls' wrestling dual meet championships.

“I felt that throw coming towards me, so I knew it was either [Hooper] throws me, or I throw her,” O’Neil said. “I’d rather try my throw and fail than get thrown and get pinned. … I took that risk, and I threw it, and I squeezed, and squeezed, and squeezed, and I made sure to keep that toe in because that’s the new rules now — keep the toe and then you get the win. I just pulled the arm, kept the head, and I was just looking up, hoping that they would call it.”

The officials then gathered at the scorer’s table, reviewing several criteria before landing on the least number of forfeits tiebreaker. The lone walkover of the match was conceded to Lorenzana in the heavyweight match.

Alyssa Flexen (170) was the first to break the streak of victories by fall for Northview. April Andrade (190) and Madison Baxter (100) also secured pins that bookended the forfeit, tightening the score to 30-24.

Zoe Vallejo’s decision over Abigail Marquez, 13-8, reestablished a two-match lead for Northview, but Nohea Booth (110), who had been like another coach on the bench, had a momentum-turning match to follow.

Marina's Nohea Booth wins her match during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls' wrestling dual meet championships.

Booth escaped from a takedown by Marie Saldana with 42 seconds left in the third period to even the bout at 5-5, then got the deciding takedown with 26 seconds remaining and was able to ride out the time.

“The biggest part of my wrestling is my teammates being there for me,” Booth said. “I just want to make sure I’m that person for somebody else. I have my partner, and she’s the reason I go so far. Madi[son Baxter] is the person that pushes me. … I know the way that some of my teammates wrestle. I spend more time with them than anybody else. I know how they work, and sometimes, all you need is that extra voice telling you what might work for you.”

Aubree Gutierrez got a first-period pin in the 115-pound match to complete the comeback, as the Vikings drew even at 33-33. Then it was O’Neil in the biggest moment after Samantha Rivera’s pin in the 120-pound match had retaken the lead for Northview.

Khalie O’Neil, 11, Mary Jane’s sister, and her friend Arya Gutierrez, 10, were screaming words of encouragement from the edge of the mat.

Marina's girls' wrestling team, including Aubree Gutierrez, center, celebrate a win in the CIF dual meet championships.

“They’re incredible friends, and they’re always there in your corner,” O’Neil added.

Marina will travel to take on Corona in the final on Thursday at 7 p.m. Corona won the first Division 1 title in 2021 and has been the runner-up in each successive year.

The Vikings defeated Montclair, 75-3, and Hillcrest, 46-31, in the first two rounds.

Marina's Rachel Critz pins her opponent during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls' wrestling dual meet championships.

Girls’ wrestling is in its infancy as a CIF-sanctioned sport, but it has continued to grow. The section expanded to two divisions in 2023. For the first time, the CIF girls’ wrestling dual meet championships have three divisions this year.

Newport Harbor exited in the first round against Walnut, 36-21, but the Sailors were thrilled to be a part of the tournament.

Senior Selah Beatty expended quite a bit of energy in her bout, as the sparring parties had each accrued double-digit point totals before she registered a pin midway through the second period.

Newport Harbor's Selah Beatty competes during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls' wrestling dual meet championships.

“I was just really tired during my second period,” Beatty said. “I looked at my teammates and coaches, and they’re just telling me to keep on going, just battle hard, as strong as you can. I tried to pull up as much conditioning as I could, and strength, and I tried to finish it.”

Newport Harbor is still drawing inspiration from recent alumnus Duda Rodrigues, who enjoyed two undefeated seasons, culminating in her second state title — at 155 pounds — last season. The Sailors are trying to keep the beat going.

“We weren’t expecting to come here because our team’s so small,” said senior Charlie Falomir, who was a Masters qualifier as a junior. “There’s so many great opportunities, and there’s people watching us. I’m really grateful that we got to experience this. … It’s a great opportunity, especially for our freshmen. Selah and I are going to be gone, but we want to leave a great program for them when we leave.”