Since he was seven years old, Bradley Espinoza (‘26) has been making the long drive to California’s Central Valley with his father, Jerome, to youth wrestling tournaments. This time, however, Espinoza’s trek north was to compete for a high school state championship.
At the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championships, held at Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, Feb. 26 through March 1, Espinoza placed ninth in the 157-pound weight class. Espinoza is the first BOHS male wrestler to advance to state since Ryan Gutierrez (‘16) in 2016.
Espinoza’s first day at the meet started slow with a loss to 13th seed, Alexander Ortiz (‘25), of Concord’s De La Salle High School.
Espinoza attributes his opening-day defeat to a lack of energy from trying to make weight. “I got tired quicker because leading up to [my first match] I ate and drank less, which caused me to be dehydrated and low on carbs,” Espinoza said.
On the following day in the consolation bracket, Espinoza, hydrated and rested, went undefeated, winning all four of his matches.
Espinoza won his first match, 12-1, with a major decision (when a wrestler beats their opponent by eight or more points); defeated his second opponent, 18-2, by a technical fall (when a wrestler beats his opponent by 15 or more points); and won both his third and fourth matches by identical 8-2 scores.
Bouncing back from the first day loss with four second-day wins advanced Espinoza to a “Blood Round” on day three. This match would determine the tournament’s top eight wrestlers in each weight class.
On his third and final day at the State Championships, Espinoza lost, 5-2, against James Curoso, of Clovis High School.
Despite the loss, Espinoza is not disappointed in his ninth-place performance. “I still wrestled well; my opponent was just really good,” Espinoza said. Curoso finished fourth overall in their weight class.
One factor that contributed to Espinoza placing in the top 10 in California was the support of his father, Jerome.
“My dad encouraged me [to] start wrestling, so I didn’t want to let him down,” Espinoza said.
Espinoza was also inspired by the location of the state competition.
“The kids’ tournaments that my dad took me to were in the Central Valley, so being there brought back a lot of memories and made me not want to lose,” the junior wrestler said.
To qualify for the State Championships, Espinoza placed third out of a 16-man bracket in the CIF-Southern Section Masters meet at Sonora High School Feb. 21-22.
Josiah Moreira (’26), who advanced to Masters with a fifth place finish at the CIF Boys’ Individual Championships, attributes his teammate’s successful season to his strong work ethic.
“Bradley is always working hard during practice and that really sets him apart,” Moreira said.
But it is also Espinoza’s love for the sport of wrestling that led him, and his father, back to the Central Valley.
“It would be hard to do well in practice and in matches if [I] didn’t enjoy the sport,” Espinoza said. “My main advantage is that I started wrestling when I was five, and now I really love wrestling.”
