“Your champion, from Gilroy High School…”

That refrain was heard over and over again on Saturday night at Independence High School in San Jose. The Gilroy boys, winners of 21 consecutive CCS wrestling championships, set a new standard.

Not only did the Mustangs win their 22nd straight title — at the 60th anniversary edition of the championships, no less — they accumulated 363 team points, easily lapping second-place Los Gatos and challenging some of the highest point totals in the event’s long and proud history.

Gilroy won the first five weight classes contested, 10 of 14 overall and finished second in two more. It was more surprising to see a championship match without a Gilroy wrestler than to see the Mustangs win yet another title tilt.

“Never take for granted the opportunity to come out here and dominate this section,” seventh-year Gilroy coach Daniel Cormier told his team after the match.

The Mustangs won every which way on Saturday. Gilroy had two wins by forfeit, four by decision, three by technical fall and another via a pin.

“It went well,” Cormier said. “Our kids are competing well at the right time, and that’s so important whenever you’re trying to accomplish these great things that they are. We feel we have a chance to win a state title as a team, so it takes these types of performances. These kids have dominated the section for a real long time. To come out here and dominate in the way that they did today, unbelievable.”

Next up for Gilroy will be the state meet in Bakersfield starting on Thursday, where the Mustangs will face off against the best from Southern California and across the rest of the state.

“I believe that we have a chance. It’s gonna be tough, right?” Cormier said. “Some things gotta fall our way. You’ve got to catch some breaks. It’s not just what you do. You have to take care of the business that you’re supposed to, and it helps if things fall in line for you. But to have my team at full strength and have all the kids wrestling well, very important.”

Other local winners included Los Gatos’ Luke Schoch, who was trailing Gilory’s Jose Limones 7-4 but rebounded to score a takedown and later win by pin at 120 pounds. Wesley Hayden of Los Gatos also earned a decision win at 144.

“That was a heartbreak,” Cormier said of the 120-pound match. “Winning the whole match and getting pinned. But that kid from Los Gatos deserves some credit. He never quit fighting. He kept pressing, and he got the job done. So hats off to them. It was a good match.”

Team scores (top five)

Gilroy 363, Los Gatos 232.5, St. Francis 109.5, Serra 107, Silver Creek 77.5

CCS girls

A new queen rises in the south >> Gilroy also took home the girls title in 2024, but that was not the case this year. Monterey, which did not even finish in the top five at the last section meet, emerged to take the crown this year.

St. Francis finished a close second at just 2 1/2 points behind Monterey. Gilroy was still in the hunt, trailing Monterey by 15 points.

All girls matches except the three highest weight classes were won by Bay Area wrestlers. Terra Nova’s Sophia Darer, Fremont-Sunnyvale’s Aila Duus, Los Gatos’ Kaja McCullough and Milpitas’ Tuongvi Le all pinned their opponents in the championship match.

Team scores (top five)

Monterey 123.5, St. Francis 121, Gilroy 108.5, Fremont-Sunnyvale 100, Alisal 71

NCS boys

Liberty’s Calkins wins third straight title >> As Liberty wrestler David Calkins Jr. emerged victorious in his 192-pound North Coast Section championship match, the junior looked at the crowd and counted with his fingers, one-two-three. Calkins won his third consecutive NCS title on Saturday, defeating Clayton Valley’s Brady Coddington by fall 100 seconds into the first period. “This was always part of the process,” Calkins said. “I’m just always trying to get better. I know what my main goal is and this feels great, but it’s back to work.” In just his third year, Calkins has already made school history. “We’ve never had a three-time NCS champion,” Liberty coach Alex Encarnacion said. “At the end of the day, he brings that competitive nature to us.” Calkins helped Liberty finish second in the NCS team results with 181.5 points – the highest finish for a team in the Bay Area News Group’s coverage area. Windsor took first place with 187.5 points and Del Norte third with 154.5. Calkins’ teammate Christopher Anderson took home the 122-pound title, defeating Dublin’s Yousuf Amin 11-4. Calkins will be looking to win a state championship to close out his illustrious career at Liberty. He fell short last year, falling in the quarterfinals to Canyon Springs’ Sonny Kling. When asked what his week will look like in preparation for the state championship, Calkins said, “A lot of hard work.” … At 115 pounds, Castro Valley’s Connor Jeong took home his second consecutive NCS title. Last year, he took first place in the 108-pound division and now has two section titles in two different weight classes. “This feels really good,” Jeong said. “But it means I have to do really good next week.” … After years of dominating the section championships, De La Salle did not have a participant in any championship match on Saturday. Last year, three De La Salle wrestlers took home first-place medals. The Concord school had its streak of NCS championships snapped at nine as the Spartans finished in a tie for ninth with Las Lomas on Saturday. … Other local winners included Kennedy-Fremont’s Cameron Jackson, Granada’s Tyson Tran and Livermore’s Asher Nischke.

Team scores (top five)

Windsor 187.5, Liberty 181.5, Del Norte 154.5, Amador Valley 137.5, Granada 128.5

NCS girls

Clayton Valley wins first NCS title >> Clayton Valley notched its first NCS crown after totaling 135.5 points, ahead of Diablo Athletic League rival Northgate, which had 130.5. Savannah Talmadge (130 pounds) and Isabel Leyva (140) each took home NCS titles for the Ugly Eagles. … Three different wrestlers won their second consecutive NCS title on Saturday. Granada’s SJ Martin (120), Oakland Tech’s Shayna Ward (125) and Northgate’s Symone Jewell all earned their second consecutive first place medals. … James Logan’s quest for a third straight NCS crown fell short on Saturday. The Union City school eighth with 93 points. Daniela Gomez was the Colts’ lone NCS winner on Saturday. Logan has six NCS titles, which includes four straight from 2013 to 2016.

Team scores (top five)

Clayton Valley 136.5, Northgate 130.5, Pittsburg 124, College Park 110.5, Castro Valley 107