Richie Sandoval picked up where he left off.
The Santa Ynez High School senior wrestler won the 126-pound division at the Spartan Kickoff Tournament in South Torrance on Sunday, Nov. 24.
Another returning starter, junior Jose Rodriguez, earned a fourth-place finish in the heavyweight division as the Pirates finally had the chance to compete against someone other than themselves to kick off the 2019-20 boys wrestling season.
Sandoval is the defending Channel League 122-pound champion who went on to a fifth-place finish in the 120-pound weight class at the CIF State Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 22, at Bakersfieldās Rabobank Arena. Heāll be back in Bakersfield full-time next year as a student and wrestler at Division 1 Cal State Bakersfield.

Santa Ynez High School head wrestling coach Raul-Omar Sandoval works with two of the team's wrestlers during practice on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Santa Ynez High Old Gym.
āIām looking forward to my senior year,ā said Richie Sandoval at a recent practice. āIām a little sad that itās my last year with these guys. Weāre all like brothers.ā
Rodriguez finished third in the Channel League standings last year, earning a spot in the CIF Southern Section tournament, where he went 2-2.
The Pirates have 35 young men on their roster in 14 weight classes.
āWe finished 2-3 in the Channel League last year,ā said head coach and Richieās father, Raul-Omar Sandoval. āThey were all close matches. We could have finished 4-1. I donāt think any other school puts in as much time as we do. I know all that hard work is going to pay off. Iām feeling confident that this year we could challenge for the Channel League title.ā
Here is a shout out to some local players who didn't necessarily get a huge part of the limelight during the area fall sports season, but were surely properly appreciated by their teammates.
The team goes beyond Sandoval and Rodriguez.
Junior Mason Hammill and sophomores Andrew Bunke and Troy Mojonier have improved since the 2018-19 season ended.
āMason was third in the Channel League (at 162 pounds) and Andrew was fourth (197 pounds),ā said coach Sandoval. āAndrew and Troy are both sophomores this year. They both put in a lot of work.ā
While the Pirates form their ownĀ brotherhood, three of them are actually brothers.
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āIām expecting big things from the Contreras brothers; Armando, Leandro and Alex,ā said Sandoval. āThey take their wrestling home with them. I think they wrestle each other at home and they all keep getting better.ā
As time ran out in the first quarter, St. Josephās Alex Brackett nailed a 3-point shot from about five feet past the midcourt line to tie the …
Many wrestlers use the sport to stay in shape for football.
For Hammill, itās the other way around.
āI play football (defensive end and fullback) to stay in shape for wrestling. In football, Iām in for a couple plays and then get a break. This is non-stop. Itās just you, another guy and the mat. Iām better at it than I am at football,ā said Hammill. āIāve been wrestling since the eighth grade and on the varsity since my freshman year. In this sport, whatever work you put in, thatās what youāre going to get out. Itās not easy. You test yourself every time, push yourselves to the limit. If it was easy, everyone would do it.ā
The Santa Ynez Pirates (3-0) girls water polo team beat Venturaās Foothill Tech Dragons for the second time this season, swimming to a 12-6 vi…
Hammill will wrestle at 160 or 170 pounds this season.
āDepending if I want to cut weight or not,ā said Hammill. āI like to wrestle the big guys in practice. It gets me ready for the competition. Iām ready for the season.ā
The team has a healthy dose of freshman and sophomores, the result of Coach Sandovalās efforts with much younger athletes.
āWeāre working hard to make wrestling more appealing to kids. We want to get them started as young as possible so we can have a feeder program like other sports,ā said the coach. āWe have an elementary age program in Solvang two days a week and a junior high program two days a week. We want to make it a part of their lifestyleĀ ā positive and productive.ā

Santa Ynez High School senior wrestler Richie Sandoval practices on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Santa Ynez High Old Gym.
āAll theseĀ young wrestlers will help keep the high school program going strong,ā said Richie Sandoval. āWeāre looking good, strong. Thereās a lot of camaraderie out here.ā
āI like to help out the freshmen and sophomores,ā said Hammill. āIt will make the team better for years to come.ā
āWe want to create something the valley has never seen. Weāre moving in the right direction,ā said Sandoval. āWe train and train and train in the offseason. A lot of work goes in prior to the season leading up to what we call āour payday.ā Itās almost time to get out there and earn a title.ā