ALL-AREA WRESTLING TEAM / WRESTLER OF THE YEAR : Gabe Roman

SCHOOL: Oxnard

SPORT: Wrestling

YEAR: Senior

SEASON AT A GLANCE: Roman (48-2), Southern Section Division I championship at 145 pounds, placed third among a field of 32 competitors in the state finals in Stockton, the best finish of any of 23 area wrestlers in the tournament. A two-time Channel League champion, Roman rebounded from a lackluster junior season in which he was only 29-4 and battled exhaustion toward season’s end. “Last year, it was kind of a long season and I was cutting quite a bit of weight,” Roman said. “I guess it started getting to me. This year, I dedicated myself to the season and did a lot of off-season wrestling.” Roman went 7-1 at the State meet, defeating Adrian Garcia of Watsonville, 15-8 in the third-place final.

THE REST OF THE TEAM: Alemany’s James Castaneda (119), Southern Section Division IV champion, advanced to the State meet for the third consecutive year and placed fifth. Rio Mesa’s Tom Nelford (152) and Jesse Bautista (125), both Channel League champions, placed fourth and sixth at the State meet. Jose Barahona of Canoga Park (135), a three-time City Section champion, and Kevin Wright of Highland (171), Golden League champion, each placed seventh. Marmonte League champions Justin Klein of Simi Valley (189) and Bob Adair of Westlake (140) advanced to the second day of competition at the State meet. Golden League champion Lawrence Johnson of Antelope Valley (160), Marmonte League champion Juan Roman of Channel Islands (112), and City Section champions Jeff Macrea of El Camino Real (heavyweight), Alfonso Brizuela of Monroe (36-3) and freshman Yogi Gonzalez of Monroe (103) also advanced to the state finals.