Sequoia Female Wrestler Heads to State Championships

For the first time in wrestling history, a female student has qualified for the CIF State Championships.

Senior Brianna Carroll placed third in the CCS Championships and will be heading to Lemoore, Calif. the weekend of Feb. 24 to 25 to take on other girls in the state.

Like many Sequoia students, Brianna has not only flourished in her wrestling career, but she also maintains a 4.0 GPA and also plays for the Girls' Water Polo team. She also won honorable mention for her "Mixed Media" piece at the 2010 Sequoia High School art show.

All of this seems even more impressive when one learns that Brianna is a first-year wrestler, who just started practicing the sport in November, barely three short months ago.

Coach John Peavler - or "Coach JP," as his students affectionately call him - says it's all due to Brianna's tireless hard work.

"Right off the bat, she came out as a team leader," Peavler said of Brianna. "She shows up early to practice, she stays late after practice for extra conditioning and technique; she just has an amazing work ethic."

Peavler added, Brianna's ability to calm herself and focus during a match is, in his opinion, one of her greatest abilities.

"She listens - that's probably her greatest strength as a wrestler. She can adjust that lion inside. She can really be a lioness, but we've been able to train that fire inside her so she can focus on the mat in the process of a match, all while I'm yelling at her," he said with a laugh.

"She has an uncanny ability to focus during a match. It's intangibles like that that are very rare, and she has them."

Peavler said, what Brianna has accomplished in her short time on the wrestling team is unprecedented.

"This just doesn't happen as a first-year wrestler, to make state," he said.

Patch caught up with the wrestling star herself early this week. While she's still a little in disbelief, it's obvious Brianna is elated and proud of her accomplishment.

"It feels pretty satisfying, knowing that all my hard work paid off in the end. It's kind of surreal, also," Brianna said.

"I find that making state - being one of the first girls to make state - has been a great thing for the whole team; everyone's super excited about it. I feel like everyone has come closer together, so it's been a great experience."

Brianna took a moment to thank her coach and her teammates.

"I couldn't have done it without Coach JP and the guys on the team in general. I never expected to get this far at all," she said. "It really helped that Coach has always believed in me. He's always pushing me."

In other news for the Sequoia wrestling team, several other students finished the season with high rankings as well:

• Sophomore 146lb. wrestler Vivian Rivera earned a 6th place finish @ the CCS Championships. 
• Junior 113lb. unseeded wrestler Geremy Escolta defeated #2 seed and CCS 5th ranked Marlon Diokno of El Camino to earn a 3rd place finish at the Colt Invitational @ El Camino High.
• Senior 184lb. 3rd seeded wrestler Peter Johnston defeats all-comers and earns a 1st place title at the Colt Invitational.
• Senior 122lb. unseeded wrestler Daniel Avalos defeats #3 seed on his way to a 3rd place finish at the Colt Invitational.
• Senior 154lb. wrestler Mark Madden, after losing his first match 6-2 to the eventual tournament champion -- battles his way through consolations to earn a 7th place finish at the Colt Invitational. 
• Sequoia High varsity medals 4 of 7 wrestlers and earns its best ever varsity team finish -- 11th out of 44 teams at the Colt Invitational wrestling tournament. Finishing ahead of all Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) wrestling schools in attendance, with the exception of Menlo Atherton (7th) & El Camino (8th).  

Can’t get enough of Sequoia wrestling? Here are a few important wrestling dates to mark on your calendars:

2/9 = final dual meet match @ Menlo Atherton – 6pm

2/18 = Peninsula Athletic League Championships (PAL) @ Capuchino High – all day 

2/24-25 = Boys CCS Championships @ Independence High, San Jose – all day

2/24-25 = Girls CIF State Championships @ Lemoore, Ca. - all day

3/2-3 = Boys CIF State Championships @ Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, Ca. - all day 

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