Rancho Buena Vista High opened its doors in 1988. By the following year, the Longhorns had their first wrestling squad. Their first wrestling coach was Marty Nellis. Nellis was a two-time state qualifier and first-ever state place winner for California power Poway High. After college, Nellis went on to compete at Humboldt State where he was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American. With Nellis knowledge, the RBV team was one of the top teams not just in San Diego but throughout California. After Nellis, the following coaches were Chris Findell, Chris Picus, Juan Mora, and now the current head coach is Iggie Ramires – Lazos. Rancho Buena Vista has had great wrestling teams. However, their best team was the 2001 team that beat state power Poway High 27-25 in a wrestling dual-meet to end Poway’s 26-year hold of the Palomar league championships. That year, Rancho Buena Vista placed third at the CIF state tournament, had four state place winners and two individual state champions in Juan Mora (135) and Ryan Halsey (171). A lot of their wresting success during the summer was thanks to longtime “No Mercy Wrestling Club” head coach Ruben Leon. For the past 27 years it has been under the guidance of Coach Leon. No Mercy wrestlers have earned 28 California State USA Wrestling and 8 AAU Grand National team titles from kids & girls to senior men’s divisions. No Mercy wrestlers have represented the USA overseas at the World Championships and at the Junior and Veteran’s level. A lot of the success for the upper weight wrestlers came thanks to the helped of Bill Halsey. Halsey was a Southern California Champion for Norwalk High. After high school, Bill went on to win a CCCAA state championship for Cerritos College before being an NCAA qualifier for UCLA.

106 – Moses Delfin, Class of 1995

Delfin began his scholastic career competing at Fallbrook High where he won his first masters meet title as a junior. That same year, he advanced to the CIF state tournament with high hopes of becoming a state place winner. He had an easy opening match as he won 16-6 to advance to the second round. In the second round, Delfin lost a close (8-7) match to Joseph Calavitta of Calvary Chapel and was sent to the consolation rounds. Calavitta would go on to win two California state titles and compete for Division I power the University of Minnesota. After winning four straight matches, Delfin once again met Calavitta. Delfin was hoping for a different outcome but unfortunately, he was defeated once again, this time 6-4. Another loss by Delfin in the tournament caused him to place sixth in the event. After winning his second masters title and placing at state as a junior, Delfin was ready to win an individual state title for the Longhorns as a senior. His dreams of becoming a state champion were derailed by Giovanni Rebolledo of AB Miller as Delfin was shockingly defeated 9-7. Not giving up on his dream of placing at the state level, Delfin won six consecutive matches to place third. Along the way, he defeated Ryan Escobar 8-3. Escobar would go on to be an NAIA National Champion and two-time NCAA qualifier for Division I power Illinois. After high school, Delfin would go on to compete for Cal State Bakersfield. At Cal State Bakersfield, Delfin was a three-year starter where he placed 5th, 5th, and 1st at the PAC-12 tournament. His junior year, Delfin helped Cal State Bakersfield win a PAC-12 title and he placed sixth at the NCAA tournament.

113 – Oscar Nellis, Class of 2017

Nellis was a three-year starter for the Longhorns. As a sophomore, Nellis was triumphant in placing second at the San Diego Section Division I tournament. At the masters meet tournament, Nellis redeemed himself by defeating Ben Martinez (Eastlake) 6-5 in the quarterfinal round. Martinez had defeated Nellis at the Division I tournament finals. After being defeated by Chase Zollmann of Poway, Nellis wrestled his way into the third-place bout where he won 4-1 and punched his ticket to the state tournament. Nellis did not have much success at the state tournament as he was defeated in both matches, he competed. During the summer, Nellis found success in Greco-Roman as he was triumphant, in becoming an All-American at Fargo, one of the most arduous tournaments in the country. After being a state qualifier as a sophomore, Nellis was determined to be a state place winner as a junior. He kickstarted his postseason tournaments by winning the San Diego Section CIF Division I tournament by winning all matches via bonus points. At the masters meet tournament, Nellis advanced to the finals but lost a 9-3 match to Naval Academy starter Jacob Allen of Poway High. Nevertheless, Nellis once again punched his ticket to the state tournament. Placed on the out bracket, Nellis lost his first match at state to Cole Reyes of Frontier. Nellis won three consecutive matches in the consolation rounds before being defeated by current Cal Poly wrestler Antonio Lorenzo of Del Oro High. Continuing his success during summer wrestling, Nellis competed for Team California at the Junior Greco-Roman Duals. During that event, Nellis earned a 12-0 win over Dylan D’Emilio of Ohio.  D’Emilio would go on to become the 32nd wrestler in the 82-year history of the Ohio High School Athletic Association individual tournament to capture four titles and finish with a 208-6 record for Genoa High; He is currently a freshman at Ohio State. For his senior season, Nellis moved up to the 113-pound weight class where he won his second San Diego Section Division I tournament. Nellis entered the masters meet tournament as one of the favors. At the masters meet tournament, Nellis once again advanced to the finals but was defeated in the championship bout by Carson Sauriol of Poway 9-4. At the state tournament, Nellis won his first two matches to advance to the quarterfinal round for the Longhorns. Unfortunately, Nellis was defeated by Matthew Olguin of Buchanan and sent to the consolation rounds. In the consolation round, Nellis wrestled the last match of his scholastic career and lost to Brandon Paulson of Clovis High. Currently, Nellis competes for Minot State where he is a starter at 133-pounds.

120 – Nick Leon, Class of 2001

Nick Leon did not have much success in high school as a freshman and sophomore. Nevertheless, he was a beast on the mats for the longhorns during summer wrestling. As an eighth-grader, Leon became a Fargo All-American in Freestyle by placing sixth at 83.5lbs.  As a freshman, Leon once again became a Fargo All-American by placing fourth in Greco-Roman at 88lbs. He had his best performance at Fargo during his sophomore season when he became a double All-American in the Junior Division. In both styles, Leon was fifth at 98lbs. Competing in the 106-weight class as a junior, Leon punched his ticket to the CIF state tournament after placing third at the San Diego Section masters meet tournament. At state, Leon won his first match 3-1 before being sent to the consolation bracket by the eventual state champion Orlando Galvan of Loara 11-9. His run at the state tournament ended when he was defeated by fellow San Diego Section wrestler Garriott Carpenter of Madison High via a fall. As a senior, Leon moved up to the 119-weight class and advanced to the finals of the San Diego Section Division I tournament where he lost to Pat Payne of Poway 5-4. Leon was winning the match when Payne got a takedown 21 seconds left on the match to win. After placing third at masters, Leon once again punched his ticket to state. At the state tournament, Leon won his first two matches to advance to the quarterfinal round. The quarterfinal round was not too kind to Leon as he was defeated by Christian Bowerman of Liberty 3-2. Leon became a state place winner for the Longhorns after defeating Alonso Paez of Livingston 4-2. After being defeated by Anthony Archuleta of Sultana High, Leon won his last scholastic match by defeating Brandon Bautista of Gilroy 8-2 in the seventh-place bout. After high school, Leon went on to compete at Embry-Riddle University where he was an NAIA National Qualifier in 2005.

126 – Dave Pearson, Class of 2001

Dave Pearson was a three-year starter for the Longhorns. A native of the Hawkeye state, Pearson won his first San Diego Section Division I championship at 125-pounds. Pearson advanced to the finals of masters and defeated Frankie Ibarra of Hilltop in the finals to advance to the state tournament for the first time. At the state tournament, Pearson opened the competition by defeating Chris Sanchez of Buchanan 11-4. His run in the championship bracket came to an end when he was defeated by Tommy Vargas of Pacific High 13-5. A late takedown by Javier Campos of Selma ended Pearson’s state tournament participation as he lost 3-1. For his senior season, Pearson moved up a couple of weight classes. At 140, Pearson won his second San Diego Section Division I tournament. The same occurred at masters when he won his second master’s tournament by defeating Hector Carrillo of Brawley High in the finals. Unfortunately for Pearson, he lost his first match state via a 6-5 score to Craig Martin of Elk Grove High. After pinning his opponent in less than 2-minutes of his first consolation match, Pearson was defeated by Cooper Fuch of Milpitas High 3-1 to end his scholastic career.

132 – Juan Mora, Class of 2001

Mora had great success on the mats not just in high school but during summer wrestling. As a freshman, Mora made great strides by earning All-American honors at Fargo in the Greco-Roman portion of the tournament. Nevertheless, before all of that happened, Mora had taken second at the San Diego Section Division I tournament and fourth at the masters meet tournament. At the time, only the top three wrestlers per weight class would go on to participate in the state tournament. During his sophomore season, Mora once again finished second at the San Diego Section Division I tournament. A heavy favorite to advance to state, Mora made a few mistakes at masters that cause him to place sixth at the tournament and once again failing to advance to state. However, a bright moment happened for Mora during the summer as he was a Fargo Cadet runner-up in the Freestyle portion of the tournament. Motivated to advance to state as a junior, Mora won his first San Diego Section Division I tournament at 135-pounds. At the masters meet tournament, Mora was upset in the finals and was defeated by Keith Kroeger of Granite Hills. However, Mora had a great run at the state tournament that saw him advance to the quarterfinal round. During his second match, Mora defeated Risto Marttinen of Dana Hills 19-6. Marttinen would go on to be appointed assistant wrestling coach at Cal State Fullerton at one point in his career. As an athlete, Marttinen was a four-year starter for the Titans and compiled a 53-65 record including a 21-13 mark as a senior. In the quarterfinal round, Mora was defeated 8-0 by the eventual state champion Alex Tirapelle of Clovis High. Tirapelle was a four-year NCAA qualifier for the University of Illinois and a two-time All-American. Mora would go on to wrestle his way into the third-place bout before falling via a fall to Miguel Gutierrez of Foothill/Bakersfield. His senior campaign was the best season for Mora. However, during the postseason he stumbled in the finals at both Division I and master’s tournaments to Paul Baird of Poway. However, at the state tournament, Mora was on fire as he won his first four matches via bonus points. Mora became Rancho Buena Vista’s first-ever state champion by defeating Pacifico Garcia of Clovis 9-3 in the finals. Garcia would go on to compete for San Francisco State where he was an NCAA Division II National Champion. After high school, Mora accepted a wrestling scholarship to Cal State Fullerton. During his sophomore campaign, Mora placed third at the PAC-10 tournament and qualified for the NCAA tournament where he finished 0-2 at 141-pounds. Entering his junior season, Mora placed fourth at the PAC-1O tournament and qualified to nationals where he finished 1-2. His senior season was the best for Mora as he won his first PAC-1O title and finished a match shy of becoming a Division I All-American. A native of Mexico, Mora represented Team Mexico at the 2007 Pan-Am Championships.

138 – Marco Ahlgren, Class of 1990

Ahlgren was an exchange student out of Sweden. A Greco-Roman specialist who wrestled for Rancho Buena Vista high school, in 1990. Ahlgren finished his senior season second at the San Diego masters and thus, advancing to the state tournament where he drew Ralph Olivas of Clovis High in the first round at state. After a hard-fought battle, Olivas came out victorious via a 7-2 win and went on to win the state tournament. What made Ahlgren’s accomplishments so great was the fact that he won seven consecutive matches at the state tournament to place third and becoming the Longhorns first-ever state place winner. Marco’s face looked like a train wreck when he received his medal on the awards stand.

145 – Bernie Truax, Class of 2018

Truax was a varsity starter as a sophomore, Junior, and Senior. As a sophomore competing at 113-pounds, Truax won his first Division I tournament by defeating Ben Martinez of Eastlake via a score of 11-1; Martinez is currently the 125-pound starter for Cal Poly. At masters, Truax advanced to the semifinal round but was defeated by Kenji Beato of Mt. Carmel 7-2. He rebounded back by winning two additional matches and placing third at masters to qualify for the CIF state tournament. His first shot at the state tournament was not the best as Truax was defeated in the first round by future Cal Poly teammate Wyatt Cornelison of Clovis 8-4. In the consolation rounds, Truax was knocked out by Robert Arellano of Selma 11-1; Arellano was an NCAA Division III qualifier for Central College this past season. During the summer, Truax wrestled at Fargo where he became an All-American by placing fourth in the Greco-Roman tournament at 126-pounds. For his junior campaign, Truax moved up to the 138-weight class. People were thinking he was going to be having trouble in his new weight class, but he did not; He adjusted well to the weight. Truax once again won a Division I title by winning all matches via bonus points. He also found success at masters as he advanced to the finals before losing a hard-fought 7-4 match in the finals to Josh Tolentino of Poway High. Earning the # 10 seed at state, Truax kickstarted the state tournament by defeating Marcos Hernandez of Frontier 8-2. He then followed that with a 13-4 win over Noah Cortez of Dinuba to advance to the quarterfinal round. In the quarterfinal round, No. 2 seed, Brett Villareal of Buchanan, suffered a career-ending injury versus Truax and he had to default from the tournament. Due to the result, Truax advanced to the semifinal round and placed at the California state tournament as a junior. In the semifinal round, Truax blanked out No. 3 seed J.J. Figueroa of Bakersfield High 3-0 to advance to the state finals. The finals were not so great for Truax as he was defeated by Jaden Enriquez of Mission Oaks 16-6. For his final season in high school, Truax moved up a weight class. Competing at 145-pounds, Truax won his third Division 2 title by defeating Josh Tolentino of Poway 7-6. At masters, Truax won the 145-weight class by defeating section rival Tolentino for the third time that season 3-2. Truax entered the state tournament during his senior season as the # 4 seed at 145. He won his pigtail match by earning a 16-1 tech fall over Caleb Bedrosian of Coalinga. Truax then went on to defeat three additional wrestlers to advance to the semifinal round. Up 1-0 with 10 seconds left in his semifinal match, Truax did a mistake that would cause him to lose the match 2-1 and get sent to the consolation rounds. In the consolation rounds, Truax defeated future Cal Poly wrestler Jake Ryan of Oakdale 4-3 to advance to the third-place bout. In the third-place bout, Truax defeated Izaak Olejnik of Bakersfield 3-0 to take third at the state tournament. Olejnik is currently a freshman at Northern Illinois where he was a MAC runner-up and an NCAA Division I qualifier. Truax is currently a freshman for Cal Poly. He started for the Mustangs in the 165-weight class where he was third at the PAC-12 tournament and qualified for the NCAA Division I tournament.

152 – Joseph Granger, Class of 2014

I am not sure if Granger was a varsity starter for the Longhorns as a sophomore. However, after digging through some records, I did notice Granger won El Cajon Invitational at 138-pounds by defeating an Arizona state champion. Nevertheless, he did not compete during the postseason. As a junior, Granger moved up to the 145-weight class where he placed third at both Division I and the masters meet tournament to punch his ticket to the CIF state tournament. At the state tournament, Granger lost his pigtail match to Christian Pagdilao of Corona/Santiago via a score of 4-2. Pagdilao would go on to win the state tournament and later become an All-American at Arizona State. Granger went on to win a match before being eliminated by Nicolas Lang of Livermore 7-6. For his senior season, Granger decided to compete at 152-pounds. He was triumphant in winning Division I by pinning all foes he faced during that tournament. At the master’s tournament, Granger placed third behind Kenneth Moore (Hoover) and Cody Doyle (Poway). Moore wrestles for Northern Illinois where he finished fourth at the MAC tournament during the 2019-20 campaign.  Doyle had a great wrestling career for NJCAA power Clackamas Community College. At the state tournament, Granger pinned his first three opponents, including Andrew Morgan of Fountain Valley in less than 2-minutes of their match to advance to the semifinal round. Morgan would go on to compete at Campbell University where he was a two-time NCAA Division I National Qualifier. In the semifinal round, Granger lost via a 17-2 technical fall versus Paul Fox of Gilroy, the eventual California state champion. Fox went on to compete at Stanford where he was a three-time PAC-12 place winner and a Division I All-American. After the loss to Fox, Granger went on to win an additional match, before falling in the third-place bout via a 3-2 score to Tyler Zimmer of Clovis West. Zimmer went on to compete for Columbia University where he was a four-year starter. After high school, Granger went on to compete for Cal Poly, a Division I school.

160 – Lionel Halsey, Class of 1995

Lionel was the first-ever Longhorn to become a three-time section champion and state qualifier for Coach Marty Nellis. The eldest of the Halsey clan, Lionel won his first section title at 152-pounds by defeating Erik Manning of Mt. Carmel in the finals. At the state tournament, the young Halsey won his first match via a score of 4-1 over Doug Blake of Diamond Bar. Unfortunately, Halsey loss his second-round match to Erin Pectol of Tulare Union 4-2 to get sent to the consolation bracket; Pectol would go on to place sixth at state that year. In the consolation round, Halsey lost his final match at state to John Pickens of Ocean View via a 1-0 score. Determined to do better as a junior, Halsey moved up a weight class and won his second section title at 160-pounds. At the state tournament, Halsey dominated his first three opponents by outscoring the opposition 37-6 to advance to the semifinal round. The semifinal round was not too kind for Halsey as he was defeated 18-3 by Albert Romero of Canyon Springs. In the consolation rounds, Halsey defeated Jason Webster of Corona/Centennial 11-6 to advance to the third-place bout. Webster went on to compete for Cal State Fullerton where he was a two-time Division I National Qualifier. In the third-place bout, Halsey would go on to lose 8-5 to Victor Perry of Orland High. Perry would go on to be a two-time All-American for Sac-City College. Staying at 160, Halsey went on to win his third section title as a senior. Once again, Halsey dominated his first three opponents as he pinned two of them and defeated the other one 17-6 to advance to the semifinal round. In the semifinal round, he wrestled Jason Webster, an opponent he had defeated in the consolation rounds at state last year. However, this year, Webster won the match 7-6 to send Halsey to the consolation rounds. In the consolation rounds, Halsey continued his dominating ways as he earned a fall and won his third-place bout via a 10-3 score. As a two-time state place winner, Halsey got an offer to compete for PAC-12 power Cal State Bakersfield. At Cal State Bakersfield, Halsey was a four-year starter for the Roadrunners. His freshman season, he did not qualify for nationals as he placed sixth at 167-pounds at the PAC-12 tournament. However, as a sophomore and still competing at 167, Halsey punched his ticket to nationals by placing third in the conference tournament. After losing his first match at nationals, Halsey won his first consolation match (18-2) before being eliminated from the tournament by fellow Californian Ed Mosley of Harvard University. As a junior, Halsey moved up to the 184-weight class and placed third at the conference tournament. His third-place performance was good enough to advance to nationals. At the national tournament competing in a new weight class, Halsey ended the tournament with a 1-2 record. His senior season was the best for Halsey. As a senior, he placed second at the PAC-12 tournament and recorded 14 pins during the season. At the national tournament, Halsey won his first match, but then lost a nail bitter of a match to Kevin Welsh of Edinboro 5-3 in overtime; Welsh went on to placed sixth at nationals. In the consolation rounds, Halsey won two more matches via bonus points, before falling 6-3 to Rob Rohn of Lehigh in the blood round. Rohn would go on to be an NCAA National Champion during the 2002 season. As a Roadrunner, Halsey recorded more than 101 wins and 35 career pins. His career pins rank him at # 4 for the Roadrunners.

170 – Ryan Halsey, Class of 2001

Ryan became the second Halsey brother to compete at Rancho Buena Vista. As a freshman, Halsey placed second at the San Diego masters meet tournament at 135-pounds behind Brody Barrios of Poway. Barrios went on to claim two California state titles in 1999 and 2000 and was an NCAA qualifier for Cal Poly. At the state tournament, Halsey won his first match before being defeated in the following round by the eventual state champion Ricky Palomino of Independence High 17-1. Halsey won another match in the consolation bracket before being eliminated by J.J. Jarvis of Pleasant Valley via a fall. Jarvis went on to compete at UC Davis where he was a PAC-12 champion and an NCAA qualifier. Halsey moved up to the 152-weight class and was defeated in the finals of masters by Barrios. At the state tournament, Halsey won his first match 9-5 before being eliminated from a championship contention by Eddie Lucatero of San Benito 3-2. In college, Lucatero was a CCCAA state champion for Moorpark College before transferring to Menlo College where he was a two-time NAIA All-American. Halsey went on to win one more match at state before being eliminated by Jon Nowicki of Ceres High 12-0. During the summer of 1999, Halsey was triumphant in claiming a Fargo Cadet Freestyle Championship and garnering All-American honors in Greco-Roman. As a high school junior, Halsey entered as the # 1 wrestler in California at 171-pounds. He looked great in the first round of state as he defeated his opponent 16-1. However, in the second round, Halsey was upset by Brill Mooney of East Bakersfield 8-5. That lost sent Halsey into the consolation rounds for a third straight year at the state tournament. Halsey won four additional matches in the consolation rounds before being defeated by Conan Williams of Calvary Chapel via a fall. Williams would go on to continue his collegiate career at Michigan State. In the fifth-place bout, Halsey was pinned by Greg Barnes of Oak Ridge to place sixth in the state tournament. Once again during the summer, Halsey went on to be a Fargo double All-American and was a runner-up in the Junior Freestyle portion of the tournament. Staying at 171-pounds, Halsey won his second San Diego Section tournament. At the state tournament, Halsey won his first three bouts via bonus points to advance to the semifinal round. In the semifinal round, Halsey used a slick blast double move to win 8-6 over Anthony Moreno of Parlier and moved on to the finals of the state tournament. In the final, Halsey won a close 8-5 match over Willie Parks of Calvary Chapel to become Rancho Buena Vista’s second state champion. Park competed for Iowa Central College where he was a 2002 NJCAA champion at 184-pounds, after Iowa Central College, Parks transferred and competed for Iowa State. After claiming a state title, Halsey attended the prestigious NHSCA tournament where he finished as the runner-up behind a two-time New Jersey state champion. Nevertheless, his success during summer continued as Halsey once again claimed All-American honors at Fargo and even won a Junior Greco-Roman title. After high school, Halsey attended Cal Poly. Halsey competed for the Mustangs from the 2002-03 season until the 2005-06 season, amassing a 115-38 overall record. During his redshirt freshman year, Halsey placed first in Greco Roman and seventh in freestyle at the Junior Fila World Greco Roman Team Trials. He later represented the USA on the Junior Fila Greco Roman World Team in Istanbul, Turkey, and won the International Tournament in Bordeaux, France in Greco Roman. As a freshman, Halsey went 29-10, winning the Pac-10 Championship in the 184-pound division. He was named Cal Poly’s first-ever Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year and helped the Mustangs to a 31st place finish at the NCAA National Championships. Halsey also placed fourth at the University Nationals in freestyle and Greco Roman. His sophomore season saw a 28-10 overall record, a second-place finish at the Pac-10 Championships and a 16th team finish at the NCAA National Championships. Halsey reached the 30-win mark as a junior, going 30-9 overall after being ranked preseason No. 7 by Intermat Wrestling. A fifth-place finish at the Pac-10 Championships led to a third NCAA berth and a 3-2 record at the national championships. He capped off his career with a 28-9 record and a fifth-place finish at the Pac-10 Championships and earned a fourth NCAA National Championship berth. A 1-2 record at the NCAA Tournament closed out a stellar career that left Halsey holding the school record for most pins and ranked third for all-time wins at Cal Poly.

182 – Jaymeson Davis, Class of 2004

A two-year starter for the Longhorns, Davis made great strides during his junior season when he advanced to the finals of masters before losing to state champion Paul Byrd of Poway.  At the state tournament, Davis lost his first match via a 6-4 score versus Matt Bryant of Beyer. In the consolation rounds, Davis defeated his first opponent 2-1 before being eliminated from the event by Eric Helmstreit of Terra Nova 6-0. For his senior season, Davis moved up to the 189-weight class where he once again took second at the master’s tournament. At state, Davis defeated future two-time state champion Ryan Flores of Buchanan 12-6. Flores would eventually go on to compete at Columbia and American University where he was a three-time EIWA Champion and a multiple-time All-American. His second-round match was not what he expected as he lost a 5-1 versus Arman Kucukkoseoglu of Ayala High. In the consolation rounds, Davis won three additional matches before being defeated twice and settling for eighth place at the California state tournament.

195 – Jesus Ambriz, Class of 2011

Ambriz started his career for the Longhorns as a sophomore competing at 215-pounds. That year, Ambriz placed third in Division I and advanced to the masters meet tournament where he placed sixth and did not qualified for the state tournament. Competing at 215 as a junior, Ambriz did better at the Division I tournament as he took second behind Poway’s Porfi Sosa. Ambriz entered the master’s tournament as the # 3 seed. After winning his first two matches, Ambriz was defeated by Seville Hayes of Mar Vista 7-6. Hayes would go on to win a CCCAA state championship for Palomar College before transferring to Cal Poly. Ambriz failed to place at masters as he lost his last match 3-2. Entering his senior season, Ambriz decided to drop to the 189-weight class. He found success at 189 as he was able to win the section tournament by defeating Augie DeSantis of Escondido High in the finals. At the state tournament, Ambriz won his first three matches to advanced to the semifinal round. In the semifinal round, Ambriz got a rude awakening as he was pinned by Morgan McIntosh of Calvary Chapel, the eventual state champion. McIntosh went on to compete at Penn State where he was a two-time NCAA All-American. After losing another match, Ambriz won his fifth-place bout to finish in fifth place at the state tournament. Ambriz went on to compete at Cal State Bakersfield where he was a two-time PAC-12 place winner.

220 – Brandon Halsey, Class of 2004

A three-year starter for the Longhorns. Halsey wrestled to a high school record of 150-16 with 80 pins. As a sophomore, Halsey advanced to the finals of the masters meet tournament where he was defeated by Paul Baird of Poway. At the state tournament, Halsey won his first match via tiebreaker over Craig Wilkerson of Northview. However, he was defeated in the second round by the eventual state runner-up Andrew Spradlin of Bakersfield High. Halsey won a match in the consolation bracket before being defeated by Dan Murphree of Vintage High 10-2. Murphree went on to compete in college at UC Davis. During the summer of 2002, Halsey gained All-American status at Fargo competing at 171-pounds. For his junior season, Halsey moved up to the 189-weight class where he won his first San Diego Section title by defeating Matt Gidney of Vista in the finals. At the state tournament, Halsey easily won his first two matches to advance to the quarterfinal round. In the quarterfinal round, Halsey was defeated by Ben Reynolds of Cupertino by a score of 5-2. Nevertheless, Halsey won two additional matches in the consolation round to settle for seventh place. Once again during the summer, Halsey garnered All-American honors at Fargo in the Junior Division. Halsey’s best season in high school came during his senior campaign. Moving up to the 215-weight class, Halsey won his second master meet title. At the state tournament, Halsey advanced to the semifinal round where he defeated Erik Nye of Red Bluff 8-4. Nye went on to compete for Sierra College where he was a two-time CCCAA state champion and competed at Arizona State. Halsey became the third Longhorn to win an individual state champion when he defeated section rival Colton Nichols of Poway 7-2. Nichols would eventually go on to win a California state title the following season and compete for two-seasons at Cal State Bakersfield. During the summer, he solidified his spot as one of the top 215 wrestlers in the country by winning both divisions at the Fargo National tournament. After high school, Halsey went on to compete for Fresno State. However, the program was dropped and Halsey decided to transfer to Cal State Bakersfield. As a sophomore for the runners, Halsey was named the PAC-12s Most Outstanding Wrestler after pulling off the biggest upset of the tournament in the finals. The 197-pounder knocked off top-seeded Matt Monteiro 10-7. Amazingly, Halsey became the third Roadrunner to be named the Pac-10 Most Outstanding Wrestler, joining former NCAA Champions Paul Keysaw and Stephen Neal as the lone wrestlers from Bakersfield to earn the honor. At the national tournament, Halsey turned heads as he knocked out the # 1 seed Max Askren of Missouri 5-4 in the first round. Halsey would go on to lose his next two matches to be eliminated from the event. Uncertain about what happened during his junior campaign, Halsey returned to the mats for the runners as a senior where he placed second at the PAC-12 tournament.    Halsey, who won the 197 lb. Pac-12 title in 2007, was the clear crowd favorite over No. 1 Brent Chriswell of Boise State, but he was unable to repeat as a champ in a 2-1 double-overtime loss. The two top-10 nationally ranked wrestlers ended regulation tied 2-2. After a scoreless sudden-death period, Halsey went up 3-2 with an escape in the first overtime. Trying to hold on for the win in the second overtime, Halsey was changed with a penalty for locking hands, then gave up the escape point to Chriswell. At the national tournament, Halsey closed out his collegiate career for the CSUB wrestling team with a 14-4 major decision over Cornell’s Cam Simaz, claiming a seventh-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division I National Championships. Halsey became the 43rd wrestler in the Roadrunner history to garner All-American status. Halsey closed out his career at CSUB with a 52-14 record, including a 24-5 mark in 2009.

285 – Nikola Dragovic, Class of 2003

Before being on the varsity squad, Dragovic made waves at Fargo as he became an All-American in both divisions. As a junior for the Longhorns, Dragovic won his first masters title by defeating David Pickett of Poway in the finals. At the state tournament, Dragovic advanced to the quarterfinal round where he was defeated by Arturo Basulto of Arroyo Grande 6-3. Basulto went on to win the California state tournament and then competed in college for Cal Poly. In the consolation rounds, Dragovic lost his next bout to finish top 12 in the state. As a senior, Dragovic won his second masters title and once again advance to the state tournament. At the state tournament, Dragovic won four consecutive matches to advance to the semifinal round where he lost a 7-6 match to the eventual state champion Kyle Devan of Vacaville. Devan went to play football at Oregon State before being drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2008. He went on to compete for the Jets, Colts, Eagles, and Titans. He is currently the offensive line coach for the University of Arizona. Dragovic went on to win two additional matches to place third at the state tournament to finish his last two seasons for the Longhorns with a 108-5 record. After high school, Dragovic went on to play football for UCLA.