BAKERSFIELD – If Santa Fe High School’s Joey Davis is to make history tonight, he’s going to do it with a bold statement.
The senior, looking to become only the second area competitor to win back-to-back state titles, was dominant during the first day of the CIF State wrestling championships at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.

Davis, who won at 152 pounds last year, went 4-0 at 160 on Friday, three by fall, to storm into today’s final day. He will be joined in this morning’s semifinals by La Habra’s Elder Cruz (195). Santa Fe’s Kioni Villalobos went 2-2 before being eliminated with a loss in consolation round four.

The meet concludes today with consolation and semifinal bouts scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. The finals are slated for 7:15 p.m.

“(Davis is) on another level right now,” Santa Fe coach Sal Garcia said. “He’s trying to prove that he’s the best wrestler in California.”

Davis made a strong case Friday.

The senior, who hadn’t lost a bout since December 2010 before being forced to default due to an apparent rules violation in a preliminary match at the CIF-Southern Section Eastern Division championships two weeks ago, was a machine on Friday.

Davis, who earned upper-weight MVP honors en route to winning Masters last week, pinned Casa Roble’s Christopher Matis in one minute, 28 seconds; Fresno Hoover’s Matthew Tsarnas in 4:17 and Carlsbad’s Jess Orona in 2:58.

Hopkins by technical fall (18-3).
Davis, using a takedown and near-fall, led Hopkins 7-1 after one period and 11-3 after two before scoring back-to-back near-falls to end the match with 1:33 in the third.

“He’s wrestling great right now,” Garcia said. “His goal was to come here and win another state title. But not just to win, to dominate. He showed that today.”

Cruz, who finished second at the CIF-SS Masters meet last week, looked nearly has good en route to his first trip to the semifinals. The senior, who didn’t place here at 220 last season, won his first two bouts by fall.

He pinned Kyle Cupit, of Oakdale, in 3:15 before doing the same to Chance Eskam, of Carlsbad, in 54 seconds. He then beat Concord De La Salle’s William Walker, 5-3 in the quarterfinals.

Villalobos, a senior who is back in the state meet after last qualifying as a freshman, went 2-2 and exited after a consolation fourth-round setback by fall (3:51) to Seth Hood, of Monache.

“He showed he was able to compete with anyone in the state,” Garcia said. “The last match he got in a bad position. That kid is good on top and was able to win.”

Villalobos, who finished second at the Eastern Division championships two weeks ago and fifth at Masters last week, split his first two bouts, beating Alexis Arciga, of Overfelt, by fall (3:51) before being pinned by Clovis’ Jonas Gaytan (:42). But he followed with a win by technical fall (17-3) over Everett Pratt of Monte Vista before losing to Hood.

“Kioni had a good day,” Garcia said. “Kioni knows he’s right there. He knows he can place here.”