Cameron Cox of Dos Pueblos earned a spot in the CIF State Wrestling Championships.
Cameron Cox finished sixth at the CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet on Saturday and qualified for the State Meet in Bakersfield next weekend.
Cox is the first DP state qualifier since Chuy Lopez in 2010 (8th-place finisher). The 132-pounder has been outstanding during the postseason. He won first place at the CIF Central Division Championships last week and reached the semifinals at the Masters Meet at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario.
“He was on a roll (Friday), but today was a lot tougher,” said DP coach Anthony Califano.
In the semis, he lost a tough 4-2 decision to eventual champion Julian Flores of San Marino. Cos wrestled Andres Estrada of Northview in the third-place semifinals and suffered a 9-3 loss. He finished the tournament with a 5-3 setback against Richard Pocock of California High in the fifth-place match.
“It was great to know on Friday night that Cameron had qualified,” Califano said. “He’s was on fire Friday. He had two pins and a decisive win over the Temecula Valley kid (Christian Mateos). It was the rubber match with the Temecula kid. He was up 6-0 in the first period and won 11-7. I think Saturday the pressure was off for Cameron and he didn’t have the same intensity.”
Califano said he’s confident Cox will bounce back at next weekend’s CIF State Championships at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.
“Next week is a new week; it’s even-steven across the board. He’ll be alright,” said Califano.
The coach lauded the hard work Cox has put in during his career.
“It is great for the program but Cameron deserves the credit,” he said. “He had put in a lot of time in, especially during the off season. Also, his parents, David and Erika, have really supported Cameron reaching his goals.”
