Road to State: Redwood Wrestling

By: Erik Rico and Ryan Harris

As the season comes to a close, the Redwood Boys Wrestling is getting into postseason play, which means Section, Masters, and State. The Rangers are starting these next three weeks off hot, after becoming East Yosemite League (EYL) champions with 268 points and 4 first place finishers (Issak Mendoza ’24, Brody Preisendorf ’26, Enrique Segura ’26, and Kai Preisendorf ’24), 5 second place finishers, and 5 third place finishers. The Rangers will be able to prove themselves with Central Section Dll championships this weekend at Redwood, and a top 8 finish will guarantee a spot at the Masters tournament, where a top 10 finish will punch a spot to the CIF state championships.

Coming off of EYL, Coach Wright is feeling good about how the boys have been wrestling and what they will be able to do in Sections. “It’s been a really good year and we took some good wins” says Wright.

“EYL is its own standing event, it’s a tournament where you get some good quality matches” Wright says. EYL was hosted at Redwood where they took first, and 9 wrestlers made the finals. “We’re able to grow from that, its a good learning experience” Wright says.

“Winning EYL when you don’t perform your best, it shows us how good we can be if we perform our best. It carries a lot of momentum” He says. This years EYL victory made them back to back champions.

Wright also talks about the brotherhood of the team, saying, “They’re like brothers, they’re going to fight and stuff, but at the end of the day the coaches love them, and they love each other.” Everyday these boys put in the work at practice to become the best, and in the process they butt heads with each other at practice to get better and better. As the famous quote says, “Iron sharpens iron.”

“We got to get top 8 for each guy in D2’s to move on to Masters” Wright says. Sections is the tournament where there is team points and individual competition. The team that comes out on top will get a ring. The Rangers are defending their title. Individually the wrestlers have to secure a podium spot to keep their season alive. Masters is the second round of the playoffs for a wrestler. If they secure a top 10 spot they get to head down to Bakersfield and wrestle the best kids in the state.

“It’s a goal to get everybody through to the next rounds” Wright says. That means consistency and constant preparation for the boys to stay on top of their games. Coaches will also be getting their guys prepped up for the matches and making sure they are staying level headed while also carrying confidence into each match.

Enrique Segura, ’26, is a 2 year varsity wrestler who finished in 1st for the EYL championships in the 190 pound weight class. Segura feels like he did a great job at EYL, saying, “I went into every match and just dominated.” Coming into his second year, you can tell that Segura has been getting more and more confident as a wrestler and it has been carrying over to the mat. He’s preparing for Sections by, “taking it day by day, and just getting ready mentally.”

Segura knows the team didn’t live up to their potential at EYL, and the motivation and reflection from the tournament will give them momentum going into Section. Segura’s main goal at Section is to, “wrestle the best that I can, and go out there and get as many pins and points for our team.

The biggest difference that Segura sees between the last few years and this year is the overall consistency from every one in the lineup and the depth from the team. Segura’s goal is to, “get that ring again, and making that big push to state down in Bakersfield.”

Segura’s most looking forward to a big rival that is South Bakersfield. After last year, where Redwood finished 1st and South Bakersfield finished 2nd, the matches will be as intense as ever. Segura adds fuel to the fire, saying, “I’m ready to wrestle them, they’ve been talking, saying that last year’s win was a fluke, but we’re the same team and they’re the same team, so it’s really just a round 2.”

Adrian De Leon, ’25, De Leon wresltes at the 157 weight class. He is a third year varsity wrestler who finished at the top of his weight class in EYL and is looking forward to a big postseason. “We are preparing our bodies and minds.”

Wrestling requires a lot of technique and practice to master. As the saying goes “Once you wrestle everything in life is easy” This quote shows how wrestling can build a mindset of someone who is wiling to fight for what they want and believe in. “We are getting better at techniques that we’ve messed up on” De Leon says.

Considering the fact that the boys wrestle year round they have created a strong bond with each other. “The teams always in good spirits” He says. Section is the start of a long three weeks for a wrestler. ‘I plan on winning it” De leon says.

Most coaches have the saying how showing dedication and showing will help you improve. De Leon says”I feel like everybody’s improved more than last year and everybody’s ore willing to work as a team.”

Brody Preisendorf, ’26, is also a 2 year varsity member who is in the 152 weight class, and also finished in 1st in the EYL tournament. He did well at EYL, and is excited to get into the postseason with the team. He is preparing for section by, “training with the guys, trying to stay in a positive mood and practicing what I know.”

Preisendorf is excited to see the energy of the team especially this late into the season, saying, “we’ve just been hyped up and ready to get into our postseason.” His main game plan is not as much focusing on the other guy, but knowing that each and every match can be his last for the year. Wrestling is more than a physical sport, but very mental if you get into your head too much.

Showing up and improving has always been a factor to Preisendorf’s success, “Improving and working on what I know and getting help from coaches.”

“Every match can be your last, so stick through it, and work your butt off.” He says. Preisendorf works through challenges, work diligently, and wrestles as if he can never wrestle again. Where every match can be your last, resilience becomes the cornerstone of success.

Redwood will host section Friday February 9th-10th located at the Redwood Gymnasium. The Rangers looks to hold their title D2 title and wrestlers look to keep their season alive.

Tags: Erik Rico, rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood sports, redwood wrestling, rhs, ryan harris, varsity boys wrestling, visalia ca