Another crowning moment for Buchanan after three Bears wrestlers win individual championships

Make that six straight CIF state championships now for the Buchanan High wrestling team.

Three Buchanan High wrestlers hoisted individual championship trophies Saturday during the CIF State meet in Bakersfield to help the Bears further cement their reputation as the state’s best with another team title.

Buchanan’s Jack Gioffre, Michael Gioffre and Joseph Martin each won their respective weight class at Mechanics Arena.

All the while, the Bears captured the team title with 270 points while distancing itself from second-place Poway of the San Diego Section with 256.6.

Clovis, Buchanan’s top wrestling rival, took third with 174.5. And Clovis North also placed in the top 10 at state, finishing seventh with 140.5 points.

To kick start the Bears’ championship showing, Jack Gioffre of Buchanan defeated Clovis’ Dario Lemus 3-1 to win the 132-pound division.

Buchanan’s Michael Gioffre followed suit by beating Beau Mantanona of Palm Desert 3-2 in the 138-pound division.

And Joseph Martin took down Tye Monteiro of Bakersfield 4-2 in the 182-pound class for Buchanan’s third gold on the day.

Buchanan now has produced 17 state individual wrestling champions in school history.

The Bears also have seven state team titles in school history, including six consecutive championships, which dates back to 2016.

Other Central Section wrestlers who were victorious at state this year: Joey Cruz of Clovis North in the 113-pound division and Paul Sharp of Clovis North after upsetting Buchanan’s Caden Rodgers 5-3 in the 220-pound final.

On the girls side, Central’s Paige Morales dominated in the 106-pound class with a 5-0 victory.

And Selma’s Airena Arias defeated Clovis East’s Isabella Marie Gonzalez 6-4 for the 116-pound title.

This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 11:44 PM.