Short and sweet leads to 3-peat for Brawley

Despite a shortened season, the Brawley girls wrestling bring home their third straight title

YUMA, Ariz. ( KYMA, KECY-TV ) - Normally, the Imperial Valley and San Diego Section will have two girls wrestling divisions. This year, due to the current pandemic and the lack participation, it was reduced to one division.

"We're the only section to have CIF ( California Interscholastic Federation )," Brawley girls wrestling head coach Raymond Leon said. "The rest of California was not allowed to."

The season was very short and Leon said his team only had about a month to prepare. In contrast, schools in the San Diego area had an addition two months to prepare.

The Wildcats did not let the loss of time or conditioning get the best of them. The Wildcats girls wrestling team went on to win their third straight CIF San Diego Section Division championship.

The Wildcats also produced two state champions along the way.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPPcH6qnilK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link in Arianna Gonzales and
Savannah Gomez.

"I had a total of seven girls in the finals," Leon said. "We took 12 girls and normally we take 14. Some girls came in a little heavy and it was hard to get them down to their wrestling weight."

Leon said the season was difficult, not only was there limited time to prepare, but the school needed to test the athletes for COVID-19 every week.

"We also had to do the hydration test for the girls," Leon said. "Everyday it seemed like we were doing something."

Leon said at first, the girls were a little sluggish because they were out of the normal routine. There was no organized practice and Leon said it as up to the girls to stay in shape. Despite the challenges, Brawley won their third straight division title. Leon says it doesn't quite compare to the first title but it's close.

"The first one was exciting and challenging because we had never won it and so all I can say is it was exciting," Leon said. "This one, is almost about the same because we came in not prepared because the girls again were out of shape. I take my hats off to the girls because they did work hard."