by Jack Turner

In the world of high school sports, few teams can claim the level of success achieved by the back-to-back CIF-Southern Section Open Division Dual Meet Champion Bosco Wrestling team, stacked with division one talent and nationally ranked wrestlers.

The Braves dominated and came out victorious over Calvary Christian 45-22 last Wednesday, securing another Open Division Dual Meet Championship. 

Senior leader and Stanford-commit, Grigor Cholakyan, secured the teams back-to-back championships with his quick pin in about 25 seconds. 

“I just wanted to go out there and make a statement by pinning the kid fast so I could secure back-to-back championships for our team,” Grigor said.

This team had another year flooding with success that helped solidify the program’s status as a powerhouse in high school wrestling, as the team also defended the Trinity League Championship. 

In the wake of their recent CIF-SS Championship victory, the Braves now turn their focus to the highly anticipated CIF State playoffs, and the mood of the team has definitely shifted.

“During the normal season, everyone is kind of messing around more and just focusing on stuff they need to work on. But in this postseason everyone’s just locked in on the prize – that state title. When it’s time to work, they work,” said junior Nicholas Sahakian, who is committed to wrestle in college at Arizona State University.

The Braves faced many challenges with their highly competitive national schedule, which included 2024 Doc Buchanan Invitational in Northern California. At the noteworthy event, Bosco earned the fifth highest team score among some of the nation’s best programs and wrestlers. The Braves also boasted three individual finalists: junior Nicholas Sahakian, junior Joseph Antonio and freshman Jesse Grajeda. The early-January tournament proved to be exactly what Bosco Wrestling needed ahead of the Trinity League and CIF stretches.

“The team did solid, but it was the greatest lesson that everyone on the team has learned from. We have changed our diets, stayed behind to condition more after practice and just overall focused on what we need to do to win,” said Nicholas.

With the state tournament approaching and the mental aspect being a huge part of the sport, Grigor is doing his best to mentor his teammates who haven’t been in this position before.

“My leadership role for the team has been crucial this season. I try to help the team in all aspects, such as keeping teammates motivated and fighting with the kids my size to help them grow as wrestlers,” Grigor said. “What I’ve told my younger teammates recently is that our ‘state run’ begins with league, then CIF-SS, Masters the following weekend [and] then the [CIF] State Championships the last weekend.”

Also there are many aspects off the mat that the team must stay focused on. 

“We all have to stay mentally tough the next month, because making weight twice per weekend for four weekends straight, plus managing school work, isn’t easy,” said Grigor.

The Braves next will be competing in the CIF-SS Individual Championships, which will be held February 9-10, followed by the CIF Masters Meet, which will be held February 16-17. The CIF State Meet will be held February 22-24 at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield. 

“I truly feel that our whole team is going to peak at the right time and that we will each perform to our capabilities at the state tournament and finish strong as a team,” Grigor said.