Section wrestlers not resting on laurels

Selma High’s Alex Cisneros is a California high school wrestling champion, becoming one of only six freshmen to accomplish that feat when he won the 103-pound division last season.

That can’t be taken away from him.

Yet defending champion status provides no guarantees when the best wrestlers from around the state gather today and Saturday at Bakersfield’s Rabobank Arena for the CIF State Championships.

“You can’t overlook anyone in front of you,” said Cisneros, who again enters the meet as a Central Section champion and ranked No. 1 in the state, this time at 112 pounds.

Cisneros is one of six Fresno-area wrestlers favored to reach the elevated stage under the spotlight for Saturday’s finals round.

Clovis West 119-pounder Zach Zimmer and Madera 171-pounder James Cook also carry No. 1 rankings into the tournament, which starts at 9 a.m. today. Selma’s Nick Pena (130) and Justin Lozano (160), and Clovis West’s Chris Martinez (125), are all ranked No. 2.

But as Zimmer and Cook have learned from past trips to the state meet, navigating successfully through a 40-man bracket is no easy task. And the challenge gets no easier with a target on your back.

Zimmer (45-1) caught the state’s attention when he reached the 103-pound final as a sophomore, then made a spirited run at the 112-pound title last season before finishing fourth.

He’s spent most of this season as the wrestler to beat at 119 pounds.

“It’s a lot of pressure, but you have to deal with it and perform,” Zimmer said. “You have to wrestle as if you were the underdog and wrestle your best.

“Everyone’s tough once you are at the state meet.”

Cook (36-2, 26 falls) is out to become just the 20th four-time medalist in the state meet’s 38 years. He placed seventh at 152 pounds as a freshman and followed that up by reaching the 152-pound final as a sophomore, dropping a 3-2 decision to Vista-San Diego’s Anthony Meza.

High expectations have followed Cook ever since. He opened last season top-ranked at 171 pounds, but a broken foot suffered while playing football hindered his performance and Cook ended up placing fourth at 160 pounds.

Cook has been top-ranked in the state at 171 pounds this season since proving his health with a title run at the Doc Buchanan Invitational in early January.

Along with high expectations, Cook hopes the No. 1 ranking provides an intimidation factor in his final run at a state title.

“I might have a mental advantage over some of the guys,” Cook said. “I know I get worried over someone I know is ranked, so it might help me from that aspect if others feel the same about me.

“I watch all these videos of other guys, worrying. And my coaches are always saying, ‘Those kids are probably doing the same thing, worrying about you.’ “

Pena and Martinez are each past medalists, while Lozano had yet to place in two previous trips to the state meet.

Pena was third at 125 pounds last season and sixth in the same weight division in 2008.

Martinez, fifth at 119 pounds last year, saw his final pre-state meet ranking climb to No. 2 after upsetting previous No. 1 Vince Martinez of Clovis North 6-4 in sudden death overtime for his third Masters title last weekend.

“I try not to think about that,” Martinez said of his state ranking. “I don’t look at the quarters or the semis or the finals, I just take it one match at a time. I’m trying not to let the nervousness get to me. I’ve just got to stay focused on what I want to accomplish.”

By Nick Giannandrea / The Fresno Bee