On February 20 and 21, the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championships took place in Stckton’s Adventist Health Arena, in which over 100 schools brought the top 8 wrestlers from their region in hopes of placing top 5 and advancing to state. Qualifying for state is considered to be one of the highest achievements of a high school wrestler’s career, aside from placing or winning. Two of West High’s very own athletes, junior Ivan Tapia and sophomore Jiraeh Faiaipau did just that.
Last year Faiaupau qualified for state and made it to the top 12, so her achievement this year was no surprise. Tapia, on the other hand, wrestled junior varsity last year, so his improvement was major. His success came as a surprise even to himself as he remarks, “I was shocked that I made it that far… it took a bit to process before I realized that it was a huge achievement.” Many wrestlers who spend years wrestling aren’t able to even place at the Master’s tournament.
A feat as big as his takes very deliberate and extensive training along with a strong mentality and sense of discipline. When asked what they believe played the biggest role in his success, Tapia accredited off-season training and extra workouts and runs done early in the mornings. In a sport filled with athletes who started at a young age, the work done outside of the wrestling room is just as important as after-school practices.
The CIF State tournament took place February 26th to 28th and Tapia had 1 win and 2 losses, which eliminated him from the tournament. Despite his accomplishments, he understands growth is necessary. Tapia reflects, “I should’ve kept wrestling my matches even if the chances of me winning were slim (like me)”. After wrapping up the 2025-2026 season, West High’s outstanding wrestlers look forward to next year and the chance to place at the State tournament.
