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Quiroz, Pata claim titles at Enochs tourney
Julia pins all five of her opponents
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Ceres High senior Julia Pata finished in first place while competing in the 161-pound weight class at the Lady Eagles Invitational on Saturday in Modesto. - photo by Contributed to the Courier

Central Valley's and Ceres High's varsity girls wrestling programs each had one individual champion at the Eighth Annual Lady Eagles Invitational on Saturday at Modesto's Enochs High School.

Hawk sophomore Brianna Quiroz placed first while competing in the 149-pound weight division.

She had a perfect 3-0 record.

"It's nice to see her have success again," Central Valley coach Rob Beckhart said. "She has high expectations for herself."

Quiroz lost both of her matches at the Jan. 6-7 Napa Valley Classic.

She finished first at Central Valley, second at Atwater and Bear Creek, and third at Pacheco earlier this season.

"She's been very consistent this year," Beckhart said. "She's always working to get better. She really wants to go to state."

Adrian Vizcaino, Quiroz's older sibling and a 2014 Central Valley grad, advanced to the CIF State Meet his senior year. He also won three Western Athletic Conference titles.

"She's a lot like her brother," Beckhart said. "She's defensive and capitalizes on other peoples' mistakes."

Bulldog senior Julia Pata captured the 161-pound title.

"My whole goal for the tournament was to not get pinned," Pata said. "I wasn't expecting first place at all. I was hoping for third. I was very surprised with how I did."

Pata won all five of her matches by pin.

"I was just more aggressive than my opponents," Julia said. "I was able to capitalize on their mistakes. I was also thinking on my feet. I feel more confident in my abilities now. I have a lot I need to work on before our next meet."

Pata made her tournament debut with Ceres High.

"It was exciting because I didn't know what to expect," she said. "There's a lot more pressure on you. Everybody is watching. I seem to compete at a higher level than normal when there's more stress."

Julia was sidelined with a calf injury during the Central Valley and Livingston tournaments. "It's much better now," she said. "I can run. There's no pain. It's back to normal."

Central Valley and Ceres High will compete at the WAC Championships this Friday at Livingston High School.