61st Annual Holtville Rotary Invitational Wrestling Tournament Brings Top Talent to Imperial Valley

Written By Bryan Alexander

Holtville, CA - February 1, 2025 The 61st Annual Holtville Rotary Invitational Wrestling Tournament, one of the oldest and most prestigious wrestling tournaments in the Imperial Valley, once again delivered top-tier competition this past weekend. With 31 teams from Arizona, San Diego, and the Imperial Valley, the event showcased high school wrestling at its finest.

Few individuals understand the significance of this tournament better than CJ Johnston, a veteran of over 20 years in Holtville wrestling. When he’s not coaching, Johnston serves as the Athletic Director at Holtville High School. Speaking about the tournament, he emphasized the strong community support that makes it all possible

The Holtville community rallies behind this tournament to the extent of offering lodging for opposing teams. This tournament wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the Holtville Rotary Club and the volunteers who orchestrated over 750 wrestling matches in just under two days.

Johnston also noted how the timing of the tournament plays a key role in preparing wrestlers for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) postseason:

Next is CIF, Masters, state, state.

Many of the athletes who competed in Holtville will face each other again in the coming weeks as they battle for state championships.

Coaches Reflect on the Tournament’s Impact

Brawley coach Sawyer Smith spoke about how wrestling builds resilience in young athletes:

  • “One of the things I like about wrestling the most is I think it prepares guys for some of the ups and downs they’re going to face in life.”

For Jared Barga, head coach at Imperial High School, the tournaments history and sense of community stand out the most:

  • “I think my favorite part of this tournament is the history, and the fact that all these teams come together, watching their family and the community come together.”

Tournament Highlights and Individual Champions

The finals remain the biggest draw of the Holtville Rotary Invitational, transforming the gym into a high-stakes, duel-style competition where individual titles and bragging rights are on the line.

Several wrestlers from the Imperial Valley made their mark, taking home first-place finishes in their respective weight classes:

123 lbs - Ricardo Ortiz (Brawley High)

129 lbs - Justin Torres (Brawley High)

135 lbs - Diego Arias (Brawley High)

178 lbs - Adam Avila (Brawley High)

288 Ibs - Noah Larios (Imperial High)

Finals Results

  • 109 pounds: Jacob Cava (Torrey Pines) win by technical fall over Fernando Rivera (Holtville) (TF 15-0)

  • 116 pounds: Daniel Alire (Kofa High School) win by decision over Gabriel Vargas (Ramona) (4-1)

  • 123 pounds: Ricardo Ortiz (Brawley Union) win by decision over Emilio Escobar (Granite Hills (El Cajon)) (8-1)

  • 129 pounds: Justin Torres (Brawley Union) win by major decision over Daniel Guerra (Central Union) (Maj 12-1)

  • 135 pounds: Diego Arias (Brawley Union) win by decision over David Elias (Kofa High School) (19-12)

  • 141 pounds: Ames-Michael Hoevker (Granite Hills (El Cajon)) win by decision over Evan Velez (Brawley Union) (7-1)

  • 147 pounds: Jose Moreno (Kofa High School) win by major decision over Layronz Fraser (Granite Hills (El Cajon)) (Maj 8-0)

  • 153 pounds: Aiden Chur (Granite Hills (El Cajon)) win by decision over Chris Villegas (Rancho Bernardo) (4-1)

  • 160 pounds: Ryan Carroll (Granite Hills (El Cajon)) win by decision over Daryn Leon (Brawley Union) (5-0)

  • 168 pounds: Junior Bumanglag (Granite Hills (El Cajon)) win by technical fall over Weston Druckeman (West Hills) (TF 19-2)

  • 178 pounds: Adam Avila (Brawley Union) win by decision over Dax Curry (Rancho Bernardo) (4-0)

  • 193 pounds: Mathew Gutierrez (Brawley Union) win by pin over Jovanni Mansour (Granite Hills (El Cajon)) (Fall 1:56)

  • 218 pounds: Esteban Sanchez (Granite Hills (El Cajon)) win by pin over Levi Mincher (Imperial) (Fall 0:24)

  • 288 pounds: Noah Larios (Imperial) win by pin over Smith Hilfiker (Holtville) (Fall 1:18)

Imperial Valley Placers

  • Brawley: Victor Lugo (106) 6th place, Nickolas Ortiz (116) 4th place, Benjamin Limentang (116) 6th place, Ethan Velez (141) 2nd place, Nathan Torres (153) 5th place, Daryn Leon (160) 2nd place, Carmine Martinez (168) 3rd place

  • Calexico: Alex Garcia (129) 6th place

  • Calipatria: Jaiden Lopez (288) 5th place

  • Central: Daniel Guerra (129) 2nd place, Gabriel Pacheco (141) 3rd place

  • Holtville: Fernando Rivera (109) 2nd place, Dion Johnston (147) 6th place, Smith Hilfiker (288) 2nd place

  • Imperial: Landon Bernal (123) 5th place, Danny Esquivez (193) 3rd place, Levi Mincher (218) 2nd place

Bryan Alexander
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