Auburn wrestling roundup: Del Oro 8th at Tim Brown; Placer preps for senior night

The Placer High School boys wrestling team is preparing for what could be a historic senior night Wednesday, as the unbeaten Hillmen host River Valley with a chance to move one step closer to the Foothill Valley League championship. It has been more than a decade since Placer last won a league title in wrestling, but head coach Brett Spaid said this group understands what is at stake and has earned the opportunity to compete for it. The Hillmen showcased their depth and resilience last weekend at the Tim Brown Memorial Invitational at Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento. Placer took 14 wrestlers but only nine varsity grapplers and still placed 13th out of 88 teams, finishing with 100 points. Placer was led by Steven Frink and Ezekiel Bellanca, who finished in the top five in their weight classes. Frink placed fourth at 144 pounds, while Bellanca took fifth at 150. Desmond Ivaldi finished eighth at 120 pounds. Placer's senior night is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m., and the Hillmen will remain at home Saturday to host the Placer Duals in the Earl Crabbe Gym. Del Oro Del Oro continued to show its strength against elite competition last weekend, placing eighth with 128 points at the Tim Brown Memorial against some of the top programs from Northern California and Oregon. Logan Alexander led Del Oro with a fourth-place finish at 132 pounds, while Elli Berry placed sixth at 126 and Evan Hilman was sixth at 175. The strong tournament showing came as Del Oro continues to roll through Sierra Foothill League duals, where the Golden Eagles are 4-0 with decisive wins over Granite Bay, Jesuit, Rocklin and Davis, including a 78-0 shutout of Jesuit and a 70-12 victory over Rocklin, underscoring the team's balance. The Golden Eagles are ranked 45th in the state and seventh in the Sac-Joaquin Section by CalGrappler. Former Golden Eagle ranked No. 1 in state Clovis North senior Siraj Sidhu is CalGrappler's No. 1-ranked wrestler at 126 pounds. Sidhu, a Stanford commit, spent the first three years of his high school career at Del Oro before transferring to Clovis North. He was a three-time state placer with the Golden Eagles and finished fourth at 126 pounds at last year's state meet. Several other area wrestlers appeared in the latest CalGrappler rankings. Del Oro placed two boys in the rankings with Nate Mitchell listed No. 15 at 120 pounds and Christian Perez ranked No. 9 at 126. Folsom's Orion Hill also earned recognition at No. 6 at 138 pounds. Among girls, Del Oro placed two wrestlers in the CalGrappler rankings, with Kaiya Maggini ranked No. 2 at 115 pounds and Brynn Madden ranked No. 14 at 140, while Placer's Aeryn Cox is ranked No. 10 at 140.