Palomar College is inarguably the best collegiate wrestling program in San Diego. That’s because it’s also the only wrestling program among the county’s two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

This coming weekend, however, the Comets will press for higher honors during the California Community College state wrestling championships.

Palomar is rated among the top five wrestling programs among California two-year colleges. The Comets placed second to Mount San Antonio College in the Southern California Regional Championships in both the dual meet and team competitions.

“I believe we can place between first and third in the state meet,” said Palomar coach Timothy Box. “If everything goes extremely well, we have a chance.”

Palomar will have at least one wrestler in each of the 10 weight classes at the state finals, with two qualifiers from the regionals at 197 pounds plus one alternate.

Leading the Comets will be Diego Peraza at 141 pounds. A freshman out of Chula Vista High School, Peraza is already a member of the Mexican National Wrestling Team. He also won a regional title last weekend is the No. 1-ranked 141-pounder in California.

Palomar also had three runner-up finishes at the regionals in Anthony Perez (157 pounds), Ivan Natceli (184 pounds) and Dylan Henry (197 pounds). Caden Hanover (125 pounds) placed third at the regionals, while Nick Rodriguez (149 pounds) and heavyweight Mustafa Farha were fourth.

Three-quarters of the 40 wrestlers on the Palomar roster are from local high schools, including 10 of the 12 headed to the state tournament. And six of those qualifiers will return next season.

Palomar has won seven state titles in wrestling, but none over the past two decades. The Comets have improved every year under Box, who is in his fourth season. They finished 13th in the state in 2021, ninth in 2022 and seventh last year.

“I remember my first tournament here. Everyone was eliminated by the third round,” Box said. “The goal is to move up every year.”

Box, who is also coach of the United States Beach Wrestling team, is establishing a women’s wrestling team at Palomar to debut next spring.

Being the only collegiate wrestling program in San Diego County has advantages — and drawbacks.

“Palomar offers a great chance for wrestlers to stay local. And if they want to stay local, we’re the only game in town,” Box said. “Our program is known throughout the area. We have a world team member (Peraza). Three of our coaches wrestled in national or world finals. And we have a club in the summer for high school kids … we do a lot to help North County high school teams.

“But as college wrestling goes, we don’t have any teams up the street from us. Our nearest opponents are a couple hours drive away.”

The 19-year-old Peraza makes the two-hour drive every day from his parents’ home in Tijuana to wrestle for Palomar. Last year he finished third in the CIF and Masters meets while competing for Chula Vista High School during his first year in the United States.

Peraza admits he wasn’t comfortable when he first arrived at Palomar.

“It was a big change for me,” he said. “But my new teammates were super nice to me and I’m very grateful. It’s a great school and a great team.”

Rodriguez, a Cathedral Catholic High School graduate, began his college career as a scholarship wrestler at Menlo College.

“I didn’t like the Bay Area,” said Rodriguez. “I wanted to come home and I wanted to wrestle. So I had only one option. But it was a great option.”

Rodriguez also ran sprints and played football for Cathedral. He said he likes the team element of wrestling.

“It is an individual sport when you compete. But when we’re training together, we’re pushing each other as a team,” he said. “The team aspect keeps you motivated. The team wants you to win. That makes it easy to perform without putting pressure on yourself.

“I think our chances in the state meet are good. To win, it’s four matches in two days for everyone. It’s demanding … a long two days. But we’re geared up.”

Every week, U-T contributor Bill Center highlights one San Diego college team that’s making strides on and off the field. To nominate a team, email wcenter27@gmail.com. 

Box: Cuyamaca College wins

Esteban Salais scored two goals and goalkeeper Broward Maryan had two saves Sunday as Cuyamaca College defeated Butte 2-0to win the California Community College men’s soccer championship in Sacramento.

It was the first state championship for the Coyotes, who finished the season on a 15-game winning streak to finish 19-4-2.

Cuyamaca, which finished second in the 2023 3C2A tournament, defeated Canada 2-1 on Friday. Ali Almaliki’s unassisted overtime goal was the difference-maker.

Salais, a freshman out of Bonita Vista High School, led the Coyotes in scoring during the season with 14 goals and two assists. Sophomore Enrique Rodriguez (Chula Vista High) had seven goals and 13 assists.

Originally Published: December 10, 2024 at 3:41 PM PST