SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: Mondays with Escarcega: Walnut's Ronnie Ramirez Eyes Wrestling Immortality with Quest for Third State Title

Plus our analysis of the CIFSS Boys and Girls Basketball Playoffs and much more.

Walnut two time state champion, Ronnie Ramirez. (Photo: Antonio Gonzales)

LA VERNE – Saturday was a big day for wrestling fans in the area. Many leagues were conducting league championships, with boys and girls wrestlers earning spots in next week’s sectional championships throughout Southern California.

The Palomares League championships were the most unique of all league championships that were conducted. The reason was simple: it was the only meet where you had two legitimate favorites to win a state championship competing in one venue. One of them was Glendora national championship wrestler “Sizzlin” Samantha Sachs, and we’ll talk about her later this week on our podcast and in our column next week.

The other wrestler is two-time state champion Ronnie Ramirez. The senior is the number one wrestler in The California Wrestler's latest state rankings. If he is successful, he will match Rowland’s Cheyenne Bowman as the only area wrestler to win a state title.

This is quite remarkable for one reason. Unlike in other states where state championships are broken in divisions – that is not the case in California. It is one bracket, with the best wrestlers from throughout the state converging on Bakersfield. Some national wrestling experts call it the country's most brutal state wrestling tournament.

If a great accomplishment to win one state title. To win two raises the stakes to another level. If you win three state titles in a high school career, you become a legend in an area like the San Gabriel Valley.

“The first time that I won (a state title), it was so special,” said Ramirez, who easily defeated Ayala’s Jacob Kim with a first-period pin in 56 seconds in the 126-pound final. “I was more nervous about that match because it was the first time having another chance to win, and it was so nerve-racking. I mean, the job was not done. The next year, it was like I’ve been here before. The goal now was to have fun and go wrestle. You’re not putting so much pressure on yourself.”

While the wrestling in the Southern Section is solid, many don’t consider it the “center of the universe.” Many believe the Central Valley is the epicenter of wrestling in the state. With programs such as Clovis, Clovis West, and Buchanan a short distance from each other, the battle for talent is enormous. And when you consider that the area is not exactly “The Entertainment Capital of the World,” most young kids navigate their way to the wrestling mat much easier.

That’s not always the case in Southern California, as many top-notch student-athletes either hit the football field, the basketball court, or the baseball/softball diamond. When you have a student-athlete like Ramirez who excels at a high level in an “Olympic” sport like Wrestling, you take notice quickly.

It wasn’t all roses and cheers in his freshman year when he made the state final. Ramirez surprised many when he made the final as a #6 seed but was overwhelmed in the 106-pound state championship when he suffered a 10-0 loss to Isaiah Quintero of El Dorado HS in Orange County. It was a loss that he had a tough time coming to terms with.

“It's so hard because when you lose that match, you want to know what you did wrong,” Ramirez said. “You start questioning yourself. You feel like you’ve done everything right, the extra work, and everything, and you still don’t get it done. When I went back to state my sophomore year, everything was different. I was more focused; I didn’t cut any weight. In those moments, everything has to be perfect.”

It all came to fruition in 2023 when Ramirez won his first state title at 113 pounds with a 9-2 win over Los Gatos’ Antonio Rodriguez. And then he climbed up another weight class and won the 120-pound state title with a 4-1 victory over St. John Bosco’s Nathan Carrillo.

Winning a state title captures the attention of state collegiate programs. When you win your second title, it opens more doors to more prestigious programs. As soon as he stepped off the mat last year after winning his state title, his cell phone exploded with text messages from some of the more high-profile programs in the US.

Ramirez recently signed with Big-12 Conference wrestling power Oklahoma State. Penn State wrestling legend David Taylor coaches the Cowboys, and the gravitational pull of being coached by a legend in the sport proved too much to overlook.

“Oklahoma State has always been an amazing program,” Ramirez said, who chose Oklahoma State over Oregon State and North Carolina. “Just listening to (Taylor) and (Iowa wrestling legend) Thomas Gilman and hearing what they had to offer and hearing what they had to say, that was the difference.”

It is stating the obvious that Ronnie comes from a wrestling family. His father, Camilo, was once the head wrestling coach at Rowland and is now an assistant at Walnut (who practices with the team on Tuesdays). His older brother Alex won a state championship in 2020, and he has two younger brothers that are on their way to becoming elite wrestlers.

Now comes 2025 and one final attempt to win a third state title. He announced to the wrestling community in the state that he would be a significant force at the state tournament. He won the premier state wrestling tuneup for the state championships by winning the Doc Buchanan Tournament at Buchanan HS at 129 pounds.

He wants to capture the “addicting” feeling of winning a third state title.

“There is nothing better than getting your hand raised when you win a state title,” Ramirez said.

He should know – he’s done it twice.

(Editor’s note). You can listen to the entire interview with Ronnie Ramirez and Glendora’s Samantha Sachs later on this week on a special edition of the SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Podcast with James Escarcega.

TOURNAMENT TALK

In the end, the CIFSS rolled a 10 for the boys' basketball Open Division Craps table and felt “Eight is Enough” (a 1970s TV show) for the girls' Open Division when the pairings were released for the basketball playoffs.

It was not a shock to those who watched the best basketball teams in Southern California, although we will always start a projection with an 8-team Open Division.

While quite a few teams had significant jumps (up or down), that was not the case in boys' and girls' Division 1. Our final At-Large Projections for D1 Boys (Last three In) were Alemany, Chaminade, and Mater Dei—and that’s how it worked out in the end. One thing to remember is that various media types floated out there, and the math for the playoffs in D1 was 28 Automatic Qualifiers and 4 At-Large teams based on last year's playoffs.

That would be right if we were using last year’s protocols. This is 2025, and the protocols are different. The math projected (from the CIFSS formula that was explained to us last fall) 29 AQs and 3 At-Large teams, and that was the correct method for dispersing bids in the boys division.

Going to a 10-team Open Division had a strong ripple effect from Division 1 all the way to 5A. Newport Harbor, which was a “First Two Out” in D1, dropped to D2AA and was an easy pick for an At-Large bid. Chino Hills and Viewpoint (as we had projected) got the other two At-Large bids.

La Canada got a nice boost in the ratings. It was elevated to the front side of the seed line in Div 2AA and got a home game as a #15 seed. Glendora, slotted in D1 when the first ratings were published in December, eventually landed as a #17 seed and will have a road game against #16 Mayfair. The team that saw its “bubble burst” was Palos Verdes. They dropped from “last three in” to “First Two Out,” thanks to Newport Harbor’s drop.

The team that got the rough end of the stick was San Marino. They moved up 25+ spots from D3AA to D2A and never had a serious shot of making the playoffs as an At-Large team. We always had Los Altos as a top-10 seed in D2A, and that’s how it worked out in the end, as they earned a #5 seed. Congrats also go out to coach Tony Brooks and Pasadena, who got a #3 seed in D2A. Considering everything that they have gone through, it’s an outstanding achievement.

Bosco Tech was always projected to be in D3AA, and thanks to a nice bump in the ratings, it got a top-10 seed. However, the division got a lot tougher when San Gabriel Academy and Maranatha dropped from D2A, which will make it competitive. For Bonita fans, all the movement from other teams didn’t work in their favor, as they were never a serious contender for the final AL bid from the division.

Torrance was one of those teams that made a huge drop from a projected D2A all the way to D3A, and that was not good news for Arrowhead Christian, which became a “First Two Out” At-Large team. Life on the bubble was not kind to some teams. All the movements in D3A turned out to be a boon for Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary, as they earned an At-Large bid in D4AA. Congrats to Gino Torres in his first year as the Cardinals' coach.

And yes, through all the movements in D4AA, California secured the #3 seed in D4A, and Wilson earned a #5 seed in the same division. Both teams were always in the mix for a top-five seed in the division.

On the girls' side, St. Mary’s being elevated from D2AA to D1 opened the door for Glendora to become an At-Large team in D2AA, and that’s how it worked out. It also saw Canyon/Anaheim’s “bubble burst” as they became a “First Two Out” team in the same division. The team that got a huge ratings relief was Buena Park, which dropped from a projected #17 seed in D1 to the top seed in D2AA.

Carter got elevated from D4A to D3A, and they remarkably kept the At-Large bid, which was nothing short of astounding.

As for the best story of the day, we present Charter Oak HS's timeline of events. On Wednesday night, I texted Charter Oak AD Dom Farrar and told him that his girls' team had a serious shot at making the playoffs as an At-Large team. He had more than a vested interest in the team, as his daughter Sophia is on the roster.

He couldn’t believe it and said, “Don’t be fooling with me.” I told him that I wasn’t. The next day, he met with coach Vanessa Garcia and told her to “be ready” and to have practice. The team practiced on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Then, they got together at noon for the pairings announcement.

When they saw their school slotted as a #7 seed in D5AA, they all cried and hugged each other. On Saturday night, Farrar contacted this “nut job” and said flowers were on the way.

It shows that anything is possible despite what people tell you, including making playoff divisional projections.

One last thing. It seemed popular amongst many in the media to say that this team was ranked #31 and that the team was ranked #32. While that is correct, remember that in this new system, the Automatic Qualifier supersedes everything for the proper justification. Only several years ago, in the previous playoff system, did teams earn automatic bids to make the playoffs, only to discover that there was no room for them. They didn’t have to say it, but you could tell that sectional officials were embarrassed.

Today, if you earn an AQ, you are in the tournament, which is excellent. Section officials can deal with teams not earning bids and complaining about the At-Large procedures. The bottom line is that 275 boys' and 263 girls' teams earned their way into the tournament as Automatic Qualifiers, with many winning league championships. And for that, I will give you a tip of the hat and extend my congratulations.

FINALLY…

My late and dear friend Tim Kight, the founder of Focus 3 leadership, always warned teams to avoid BCD (Blame, Complain, and Defend). Teams (or organizations) that avoided it would have a greater chance of producing a successful season.

This past Saturday, there was a healthy portion of BCD to go around X and other social media platforms when the basketball playoff divisions were announced. Teams that felt they should have been in the playoffs were excluded. And if you closed your eyes, you would believe the sky was falling.

No sooner than that, the X machine was in hyperdrive, with basketball “experts” explaining how the system was unfair and needed to be revised. For those of us who have been in the business of doing projected brackets, this is nothing new.

When the system was first rolled out in football in 2021, the “Twitter machine” (that's what it was called back then) was working in overdrive, with football coaches complaining about the system and media members calling for change.

Football coaches would post that “we fell left out despite having a 6-4 year,” and media members demanded that change be implemented. The late Loren Ledin of the Ventura County Star wrote in 2022, “Two years into the CIF-Southern Section's new football playoff system, we've learned that first place in the regular season and a couple of bucks will get you not even a coffee at Starbucks… The Southern Section will point out, and rightly so, that this playoff system was installed only with the overwhelming approval of its member schools. Everyone bought in with their eyes wide open. or

Still, it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be corrected. The schools can figure it out.

The system's underlying principle — that Southern Section teams are ranked on the season's results and strength of schedule — is actually a sound idea. But the glaring lack of emphasis on league finishes and head-to-head results is a terrible omission.”

There are a lot of basketball coaches that feel the same way today.

Let’s clarify a few things. Football fans, coaches, and media members wanted changes to the football playoffs after the initial rollout in 2021. Do you know how much change there has been in the playoff system?

ZERO!

If anything, football coaches have come to grips with the new playoff system and have tailored the football schedules accordingly since 2021. While there are a few complaints today, there aren’t as many as in 2021. Why is that? We like to think it’s because of people like us who helped coaches understand how the new system works and prepare them for “Selection Sunday.”

Implementing the new basketball system would bring about a cultural change for everyone in the basketball community. Change is hard for anyone in this new climate, and when you try to do something that removes the human element and emotion from the equation, you will receive a lot of pushback.

That’s precisely what happened on Saturday. Never mind the fact that we prepared everyone for the eventual outcome, the BCD syndrome was hitting hard.

Let’s also be clear that we were all aware that we had never seen the volatility in the rankings as we had seen in basketball. Teams were moving 25-50 spots regularly. It was a bit jarring to even the most hardened of those (like myself) who approve of the current playoff format. We had never seen this much movement in football. It was why I opined on the season's final week that I had no confidence as to how everything would work out.

Other than not choosing a ten-team Open Division format, there were not many surprises if you looked at all of our stuff. Most of the area teams that were slotted for their appropriate divisions based on last Monday’s ratings stayed in those divisions (Glendora – D2AA, Walnut D2A, Keppel 3A, La Serna 3A). Don’t get me wrong, some teams moved up and down – but all knew that would happen given the volatile nature of the ratings.

For the most part, Assistant Commissioner Jerry DeFabiis did a great job with the information he was provided and the protocols put together by the section. The system will not change for 2025-26.

In today’s world, change will not give any fuzzy warm feelings. The pushback will be hard and loud. People have asked me if I still approve of the system. My answer is that is still the case, but here is what I have to grips with. The officials within the CIF Southern Section (excuse my language) don’t give a shit about my opinion – and nor should they.

Their job is to adjudicate the rules approved by the section membership schools and run all postseason events. They will correctly point out that most section leagues voted to adopt the new playoff system. Eight leagues voted against the new playoff format: Coast Valley, Freeway (the only Freeway League), Heritage, Mojave River, Sea View, South Coast, Southwestern, and Trinity.

So, for those of you Mission League fans who were angry that your favorite teams didn’t make the playoffs, know your league voted for this league. The same goes for the Del Rey, Palomares, and the other leagues. As the saying goes, “Be careful what you ask for.”

Like I always say, decisions and consequences.

One more thing: People have asked me if I know the algorithms or formulas for the new playoff ratings system. My answer is no, and I don’t have the time or the energy to research the subject. My job is to interpret the numbers the best way I can, with the appropriate facts in front of me. It was said that making projections like we did for the past three weeks was impossible.

My answer is simple—we made the impossible possible. The majority of coaches in Southern California appreciated it. It has given me a shot of confidence that was needed in the winter. When you don’t listen to the noise and do the work, it's amazing what the results become. Just ask the football coaches at Western and Sonora HS and the girls basketball team at Charter Oak.

To the naysayers, keep doubting us. We’ll keep proving you wrong again and again!

Have a great week, and be sure to become a paid subscriber, as our Baseball and Softball previews start on Monday morning.