Seven wrestlers head to state

The board already hung on the tennis court fence Tuesday afternoon at Edison High, congratulating five Chargers wrestlers on advancing to this weekend’s CIF State Wrestling Championships at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.

But Erick Zumwalt (135 pounds), Victor Diaz (140 pounds), Aaron Lopez (152), Scott Sire (160) and Weston Hawkins (189) all hope they have at least one more great performance in them.

So does Chad Schaeffer of Marina at 145 pounds, as well as Fountain Valley heavyweight Barry Gee. All seven locals have qualified for state after good performances over the weekend at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Temecula Valley High.

For Edison, it’s the most state qualifiers in Coach Luis Renteria’s five years as head coach.

“These are pretty much the guys who have been doing well for us the whole year,” Renteria said. “They’ve been carrying the team. All of these kids had a good tournament. They’ve been working hard all year, they stuck with it and now it’s paying off. Four of the five are seniors, and that’s what happens when you stay for four years and you take your lumps.”

Hawkins, the only returning state qualifier, had the best individual finish, third at 189s. Sire was fourth at 160s. Diaz was fifth at 140 pounds, as was Lopez at 152s. Zumwalt was a pleasant surprise to place sixth at 135s, Renteria said.

Marina’s Schaeffer took third at 145 pounds and Gee was eighth at heavyweight. The top nine in each division qualified for state.

Edison, the Sunset League champion, finished fourth as a team at Masters, behind Calvary Chapel, Sultana and Laguna Hills. All five state entrants also won Sunset League titles at their weight class at league finals.

“We’re kind of getting fitter as it goes on,” Sire said. “Peaking, I guess.”

Hawkins was in the semifinals at 189s before running into a big force in Calvary Chapel junior Morgan McIntosh, who topped him by technical fall, 27-10. McIntosh was undefeated last year and won state at 171 pounds.

“It was pretty tough,” Hawkins said in a bit of an understatement. “I’ll be comfortable [returning to the state meet]. I mean, I’ve just got to show up and wrestle. Everybody does.”

Zumwalt isn’t as well known as his older brother Jordan, a linebacker who signed with UCLA for football. But he has also advanced to the big tournament for his sport as well.

“I was pretty happy with it, the way I wrestled the first day,” said Zumwalt, who advanced to the semifinals.

Edison is definitely hoping for a big finish to the wrestling season.

“I think we’ve all worked hard for this since the season started,” Diaz said. “Me, I’m just going to take it like any other tournament. It’s just another tournament.”