Rocklin's Templeman wins gold, West Park's Obien honored at CIF State Championships

After three years of chasing steps on the podium, senior Gemma Templeman finally grinned out at the crowd from the first-place spot in the women's heavyweight division at Bakersfield Arena. "Honestly, it hit me earlier today," Templeman said Saturday, Feb. 24. "This is the last time I'll wear a Rocklin wrestling singlet. I'll never be a Rocklin wrestler again. I'll be an alumni. So I wanted to put it all on the mat and go out there and have whatever happens happen." What happened was a 2-1 victory over Fernanda Canedo of Ridgeview High School in the 235-pound championship at the CIF State Wrestling Championships. Rocklin Coach Hunter Gonzalez, who has coached the girls team for two years, wasn't surprised. "This is a long time coming. We were on a mission, with a lot of work that went into this tournament, and I'm extremely proud of her," Gonzalez said. While sad to leave, Templeman is proud of the team she's helped to build. "My teammates are some of the most fun girls I've met. Even though it's a serious environment, they help to take my mind off of it and laugh between days so I don't stay in the tournament mindset and get stuck in my own head," Templeman said. "I think the coaches are great and next year there are going to be more of us here and we're going to be even better." Earning the Pursuing Victory with Honor Award at the tournament was West Park senior Kaden Obien. The award recognizes athletes that display high levels of character building, ethics and sportsmanship in high school sports programs. West Park Coach Bret Friend describes Obien, who placed in the top 16 at the 126-pound division, as a model student who carries a 3.85 GPA in the classroom and leads by example on the mat. "Kaden is one of the most skilled wrestlers I have had the pleasure of coaching," Friend said. "He helped to build West Park wrestling in the three seasons since the school opened, and has elevated the sport and set the standard of future wrestlers." Also, Del Oro's Kaiya Maggini (110) and Whitney's Alex Maday (135) each placed second. Del Oro's Siraj Sidhu finished fourth at 115 and Granite Bay's Levi Bussey placed sixth at 175. Seniors Jagger French of Del Oro and Anthony Berg of Whitney placed fifth in their weight classes. Both are committed to wrestle at Cal Poly next season.