Cypress’s boys wrestling started its 2025 – 2026 season with high hopes and strong determination. Despite facing difficult opponents, these Centurions continue to work hard and strive to come out on top.
Each sports team has a coach who pushes their athletes to do their best, and Coach Scott Partington is no different. Partington has been the assistant coach at Cypress for four years and is now serving his first year as head coach. Every season comes with new goals that he wants to achieve, and this year includes climbing the ranks. “I will attempt to qualify a couple of my top guys for the Masters tournament. They have to place top five in CIF,” said Partington. Of course, achieving goals comes with many challenges when it comes to playing tournaments against other schools. Partington said that the hardest school they will play against is Esperanza High School because “they are ranked 6th in the nation, and they have an excellent recruiting program.” Not only are certain schools hard to play against, but the league the team is playing in can be difficult at times. “We are in an extremely hard league. One of the toughest in the state. We have a very young team, so we are outmatched at most weight classes,” added Partington.
Captain, junior Jackson Sierra, takes on the responsibility of leading the team throughout this season. Coming from a family of wrestlers, he began his wrestling journey in sixth grade, continuing to fight hard here at Cypress. Ever since freshman year, Sierra has represented Cypress High School, hoping to place top 12 in the state of California and compete at Bakersfield for the state tournament. Sierra emphasized the importance of maintaining a strong mentality, stating that the team has to be “mentally strong, especially when we are going through a defeat.” He looks to continue wrestling through his senior year and even in college, demonstrating true dedication and passion for this sport.
Junior Branden Santos has been on the team for three years and wants to “make it to the state tournament,” this season. Being on the team comes with making many new friends and memories, whether it’s playing against other schools or just hanging out with the team. Santos said, “My favorite memory is when we went to Las Vegas for a tournament, and we just had a lot of fun and explored the city.”
Through the challenges they may face, Partington is adamant about ensuring that his team remembers “how good it feels to dominate over their opponent, and also how much it hurts to get beaten.”
Girls Wrestling Recap
The Girls Wrestling team started its season strong. The team has had the opportunity to play against a few schools, and so far, they have a record of 1-4. The team still has many more matches this season.
*Refer to our November/December article on girls’ wrestling to hear from Captain Alice Kim and others from the girls team.
