BAKERSFIELD >> Aiden Garcia found himself in the same situation as last year, albeit in a different weight class, when he suffered his first loss in the semifinals of the California Interscholastic Federation State wrestling championships..

Last season, as a Palma freshman, he had suffered three consecutive losses after that.

“What was different?” Garcia was asked. “Instead of me breaking after my semi match, I kept my head screwed on and won my next two matches. My mentality is the big enemy. It was a big improvement.”

The 16-year-old became just the second Chieftain to podium at the state championships with the highest finish ever, placing third at 113 pounds Saturday at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield.

“This was better,” said Garcia, who finished sixth last season.

Garcia becomes the second Palma wrestler to ever podium twice at the state championships, joining Joey Dansby. His third place finish tops Dansby’s fifth place. Palma coach Isaiah Jimenez finished seventh 17 years ago.

The Chieftains, who finished as a Top 25 team in the state in wrestling with no divisions, had two wrestlers podium in the same year for the first time in school history when Isaiah Rangel placed eighth at 169 pounds.

Monterey’s Ella Myers closed a chapter in her wrestling career by finishing sixth at 140 pounds in the girls’ division.

While falling in the semifinals still sticks in Garcia’s mind, his bronze medal-winning performance is what he’ll build off of going into the off season.

Garcia forced overtime in the third place match, earning three points in the one-minute extra session to close out his season with a win.

“It was a marathon match,” said Garcia, who went 5-1 in the tournament. “It was so close in the last period. Then I was able to push through and go overtime and get the 3-0 win.

Having wrestled last year at 106 points, the two-time Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division and Central Coast Section champion has not ruled out the possibility of climbing another weight class in 2026.

“It depends on what happens in the future,” said Garcia, who had to drop two pounds after Thursday’s first day to make weight for Friday. “I could see myself going up a weight class. I’ll take a week to savor this and get back to the grind.”

Rangel, who is looking at Duke or Buffalo as potential wrestling destinations next season, came out of the consolation rounds on Friday by winning three matches. Capturing his first match Saturday propelled him into the medal round.

“This feels great,” Rangel said. “My mentality on Friday was one match at a time. I felt confident after that first match. I just kept it rolling. I tried not to look too far into the future. It’s my last year. I gave it all I have.”

Overwhelmed last year when he made his debut at the state wrestling tournament, Rangel didn’t feel the anxiety that accompanied him last winter.

“I was anxious before each match last year,” said Rangel, a two-time Gabilan Division champion and CCS winner in 2023. “This year it was nothing new.”

Myers opened Saturday with a pair of wins, including a pin and a decision over a nemesis that had beaten her twice earlier this year in tournaments, ensuring herself of no worse than a podium finish.

“That was the highlight in beating her,” Myers said. “Having to come back from the two losses to her mentally, especially on a big setting at state was hard to do. I believed if I put my heart into it, I’d be able to beat her.”

A three-time state meet qualifier and four-time Gabilan Division champion, Myers came into the tournament ranked No. 11 in the state. Opening the three-day event on Thursday with a pair of wins moved her into the quarterfinals.

“It was kind of a shock,” Myers said. “I was confused. The last two years felt so much harder. I think I was a lot better prepared both physically and mentally. After I won those first two matches, I realized I might have a shot at placing.”

While becoming the first Monterey girl wrestler to place at state hasn’t quite hit her, what is starting to sink in for Myers is her wrestling career is over, as she’ll become a full-time softball player from this point.

“When I come back to watch my little brother Lucas next year, it will hit me that I can’t be on the mats,” Myers said. “Not being able to compete will be pretty rough. I could see myself coming back someday and helping coach this sport at Monterey.”

Winning three matches on Friday put Briana Ochoa of Alisal in medal contention Saturday. But the two-time state meet qualifier fell in her first match in the “blood round” and was eliminated.

The same held true for Central Coast Section champion Jacob Perez of Alvarez, who was knocked out in the “blood round” at 157 pounds.