UPDATE: Just arrived here at the arena. One Cinderella's dream has already been broken. Los Angeles-Reseda 189-pounder Nasar Mohammad was a no-show to this morning's weigh-ins, which means that Jack Robinett of Atascadero will default into the medal rounds.
Mohammad was the only remaining wrestler from any of the L.A. City, San Francisco or Oakland sections.

ORIGINAL POST

No, I'm not quite at Rabobank Arena again for the second day of action at the 2008 CIF State Wrestling Championships (I don't get up that early), but I'll be on my way shortly.

Wanted to let you early risers know what we'll be keeping an eye on today:

— Local kids making good?
There are only two Kern County wrestlers in today's semifinals (that's one fewer than last year), a number that seems pretty low for how good the wrestling is around here. But there are still seven alive, with five in the consolation bracket. The semifinalists have already earned a top-eight finish and a state medal, no matter what happens today. The others need to win their first match to place.

— Cinderella round
That's the great thing about the first consolation round today, which starts in about 45 minutes. Win and you place, which is a goal for anyone who loses in the championship bracket and a dream come true for a lot of kids. Standing on that podium is a fantastic way to end a career, even if it's not on the very top. So some of the most emotional matches of the whole tournament come in this "Cinderella" round.

— Central Section superb
The Valley is making sure everyone knows where the wrestling powers in the state lie. Despite a so-so performance by Kern County, you can see why it's so hard to get to state from this area. Out of 56 semifinalists, 18 of them are from the Central Section — only 14 are from the Southern Section, which has nine entries at each weight class, and just 11 are Sac-Joaquin wrestlers (that section gets between 7-8 qualifiers.) The Valley sends seven to state. With 43 still alive (one fewer than the Southern Section), the section has more than showed it deserves at least that number.

— Super semifinals
Shortly after the consolation matches start, we'll begin the semifinals, matches that are of better quality than the final at almost any tournament across the state. Here are a few great ones to keep an eye out for:
103 pounds: No. 2 Bryan Grubbs, Carlsbad-La Costa Canyon vs. No. 3 Zach Zimmer, Clovis West
112: No. 1 Jesse Delgado, Gilroy vs. No. 3 David Klingsheim, Brentwood-Liberty
125: No. 3 Angel Garcia, San Dimas vs. No. 4 Steven Fitzgerald, Clovis East
130: No. 1 Justin Arredondo, Clovis-Buchanan vs. No. 3 Scott Chene, Irvine
135: No. 1 Nick Fisher, Clovis West vs. No. 3 Vinny Pisani, El Modena
160: No. 2 Steven Vasquez, Modesto-Central Catholic vs. No. 3 Morgan McIntosh, Santa Ana-Calvary Chapel
171: No. 2 Tito Pica, Concord-De La Salle vs. No. 3 Jake Meredith, Temecula Valley
189: No. 2 Phil Brandt, Fresno-Bullard vs. No. 3 Caleb Gerl, Downey-Calvary Chapel
215: No. 1 Rudi Burtschi, Oakdale, vs. No. 3 Brett Sanchez, Clovis
HWT: No. 2 Jonathen Zamora, Clovis vs. No. 3 Dominic Galas, Modesto-Central Catholic

We'll try to keep you updated on the goings-on this morning as best we can. I'm off to the arena; enjoy the wrestling everybody!

 — Posted by Zach Ewing