Patrick Henry wrestling team was only five years old when Russell Yip became the first CIF Champion of San Diego. He went on to place second at the State Championship. Since then, Patrick Henry has qualified about a dozen state qualifiers but no Masters Champions, until this week.
This week six Patriots arrived at Mission Hills High School to compete with other 71 schools for the top four spots that qualify for state championships as well as the honor of saying they are the best wrestler at their weight in San Diego.
Two Patriots came in with good odds, both brothers Ethan and Elijah Vinoray. Ethan, a freshman at 115 lb was seeded 4th while his brother Elijah, a senior at 222 lb was the favorite for 1st place with a 1st seed.
The championships began with both brothers sailing through to semi finals. Their teammates Alex Adler (128lb) and Aedyn Jamison (HWT) also wrestled well, with Alex wrestling his way through consolations, losing a match by one point, leaving him just two matches short of a medal round. Aedyn pinned a 4th seed on his way to the quarter finals, but lost to the fifth an sixth place wrestlers.
Elijah pinned his semi-final match opponent from La Costa Canyon, securing Patrick Henry a boys state qualifier for the first time since James Wilborn in 2006.
Ethan met 5th in state Poway wrestler in his semi-final match. Wrestler opponent from Poway pinned Ethan twice before in the season. Vinoray battled through to sixth minute, losing by a major decision (over eight points) but refusing to be pinned. Ethan came back in consolations to pin his next opponent from Valhalla, securing his spot in the state championships, becoming the second Patrick Henry wrestler to qualify for state championships. He pinned his opponent from Fallbrook, securing a third place in San Diego.
Elijah’s next match would be a big test. He was going up against Angel Martinez, the dark horse of the tournament, having come as a low seed into the finals. The match was Vinoray’s toughest that day, with only a point each coming into third period. A stall point against Vinoray made him push against Martinez which Martinez used to his advantage to score two points in a takedown. With thirty seconds to go, Vinoray managed to escape, throw Martinez to his back and win by pin. It was an emotional moment for everyone as Vinoray only a year ago was recovering from a neck injury, and now a Masters Champion for Patrick Henry.
This week, the brothers will compete in what will likely be their last tournament together, State Championships in Bakersfield. You can watch them live as the event will be streamed live by CIF.
Patriots who competed at 2023 Masters were:
Abdullah Alshami, Freshman 108lb
Ethan Vinoray, Freshman 115lb
Alex Adler, Junior 128lb
Barrett Talbot, Junior 140lb
Elijah Vinoray, Senior 222lb
Aedyn Jamison, Senior Heavyweight.
Henry-Wrestling 