COVINA — Northview’s Samantha Rivera was leading her match with Corona’s Mackenzie Mendenhall at 119 pounds in the second period when she sustained a knee injury that brought coach Roy Lazaro and his staff of coaches over to tend to her.

Rivera needed just three points to close out Northview’s third straight CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls wrestling dual title over Corona. A loss would would leave the Vikings’ fate to the final match of the night.

There was no chance Rivera wouldn’t finish, summoning some strength to hold on for an 8-5 decision, and with it the Vikings got to raise another championship trophy.

Northview gets its trophy after third straight CIF-SS girls wrestling dual title pic.twitter.com/UUd6EYu16y

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Northview freshman Ysabella Hinojosa won the final match at 124 pounds, and the undefeated Vikings (7-0) claimed the championship, 39-27, beating Corona for the third straight time in the finals.

“That is all we ask from everybody,” Lazaro said of Rivera’s inspirational effort. “But that was one special girl who we expect a lot from. She means the world to our team, and I knew she was going to pull through at the end.”

Corona had closed a 24-point deficit to 33-27 going into Rivera’s second-to-last match, so Rivera knew what was at stake.,

“I just needed to stay strong, be tough and just fight through it,” Rivera said of her injury. “The girl (Mendenhall) bended it (knee) backwards, and my leg was stuck in place, but I didn’t think it was serious. I’m pretty proud of myself for coming back and fighting through.”

The girls Division 1 dual wrestling finals have only been contested four years and all four years, Corona and Northview have reached the finals. Corona won the inaugural title in 2021, but the Vikings have won the next three.

Corona (12-1) coach Jim Bowers summomed up why they came up short again in its first loss of the season.

“We were in it, no matter what, you’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some,” Bowers said. “The biggest thing is some kids performed like they were supposed to and some didn’t, that’s what happened. That’s what happens in duals, if everyone came out and did what they were supposed to do, we would have came out victorius. But I”m proud of these girls no matter what, because they’re a young team and this was their first taste of defeat all season.”

Northview came out humming. Mia Hooper opened the night in a tight match with Corona’s Kristen Dizon at 129 pounds, and Hooper was able to get a pin with five seconds left. Hooper had lost a match in the preliminary rounds.

“I kept telling her this week, redeption doesn’t come that often, sometimes it takes a while,” Lazaro said. “From her lost last week to this week she was in her own head. So I told her, good, you get redemption tonight and you get to start us off.”

Hooper was pumped.

“It was a pretty good match, there were only a couple minutes left and I had to get that pin,” Hooper said. “That girl was tough, but at the end of the day I did it. We deserve it (championship), we put in work everyday.”

The Vikings’ Samantha Felix followed with a second-period pin over Jocelyn Ortiz at 134 pounds, and in their fourth match, arguably their top pound-for-pound wrestler, Faith Bartoszek, a transfer from Wisconsin, pinned her opponent inside 20 seconds and the Vikings quickly had an 18-3 lead.

“We got a couple of upsets and things went our way early,” Lazaro said. “And luckily for us, we were able to hold it down, never really gave it back. I thought it would be a little tighter at the beginning, but some of our girls are freshman that wrestled amazing, and our new girls against some of their best girls did their job.”

You could tell Bartoszek, in her first year with Northview, was elated she made the move out west.

“I can’t lie, this is honestly the best atmosphere I’ve ever been in,” Bartoszek said. “It feels like family out here, the girls treat me great and the coaches treat me even better. Just getting to be a part of this team on a 3-peat is amazing. I just want to tell you with these Northview girls, something big (masters and state) is coming for sure.”

The Vikings’ lead ballooned to 24-3 after Trinity Palumbo’s second-period pin over Corona’s Taylor Bell at 149 pounds. Andrea Mateo’s 8-1 decision over Corona’s Angel Castro at 159 pounds gave the Vikings five wins in six matches, going up 27-3.

But Corona would make it interesting.

Alexandra Urata defeated Northiew’s Savanna Pratt 8-2 at 174 pounds, then Jestinah Solomua pinned the Vikings’ Rebecca Juarez at 194 pounds and then the Vikings forfeited their heavyweight match, quickly trimming the Vikings’ lead to 27-18.

But Northview’s 104-pounder Religh Hayes got a third-period pin over Savannah Melancon to go back up 15.

Corona’s Itzel Herrera pinned Northview’s Mia Sanchez in the third-to-last match to cut the Vikings’ lead to 33-27, and that set the stage for Rivera’s heroics.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND INTERVIEWS

Northview’s 119 pounder Samantha Rivera overcame a second period injury to hold on for an 8-5 win, clinching the Vikes dual wrestling crown. She talks about it pic.twitter.com/kWUEy2QC0X

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Northview’s Mia Hooper got the Vikings going in the first match, getting a pin with 5 seconds left to set the tone in their 39-27 win over Corona for a third straight wrestling title. She talks about it pic.twitter.com/MTZRqYPD3m

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Northview’s Faith Bartoszek, the dominant transfer from Wisconsin, pinned her opponent in 30 seconds at 144 pounds, staking the Vikings to an early 18-3 lead in their title over Corona. She talks about it pic.twitter.com/dtFRx7mvIB

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Northview coach Roy Lazaro talks about his girls winning their third straight CIF-SS Division 1 dual crown pic.twitter.com/HnLTsZ8FKP

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Corona coach Jim Bowers talks about coming up short in 39-27 girls wrestling dual finals loss to Northview pic.twitter.com/z85J0LhJup

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

What a Northview 3 peat looks and feels like pic.twitter.com/mwYZ63w7gM

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Northview defeats Corona 39-27 for third straight CIF-SS Division 1 girls dual championship. Gold Blooded Vikes do it again. pic.twitter.com/gFm24CfwWb

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Northview’s Samantha Rivera closes it out with an 8-5 decision over Mackenzie Mendenhall clinches third straight CIF-SS Division 1 dual wrestling championship over Corona. Vikes up 36-27 with one match left pic.twitter.com/W6IK1PtKDs

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Corona’s Itzel Herrera with a second period pin over Mia Sanchez at 114 pounds, it is. now 33-27 Vikes with two marches left pic.twitter.com/k9LwFIvc5V

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Corona’s Alice Gomez with a confident 11-4 decision over Northview’s Marie Saldana at 109 pounds.

Northview leads 33-21 with 3 matches left pic.twitter.com/v8nWKxBSkS

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

What a third round pin by Northview’s Reilgh Hayes over Savannah Melancon for a 33-18 Vikes lead with four matches left pic.twitter.com/REbwl7MRaM

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Corona with its first pin, Felizai Solomua in second period over Rebecca Juarez at 194 pounds, cuts Vikings lead to 27-18 pic.twitter.com/hOE1Kba0LZ

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Northview’s Andrea Mateo with a 8-1 win over Corona’s Angel Castro at 159 pounds, Vikings up 27-3 pic.twitter.com/vS7qkFLZ4q

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

With five second left in the match, Northview’s Mia Hooper with a pin over Corona’s Kriston Dizon, 6-0 Vikings pic.twitter.com/oMx6lQ6AKv

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Northview’s Samanatha Felix pins Corona’s Jocelyn Ortiz in the second period at 134 pounds; 12-0 Vikes pic.twitter.com/9FRGvRqBb8

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024

Northview’s Trinity Palumbo with a second period pin over Taylor Bell, Vikings up 24-3 pic.twitter.com/e53zW5OGPB

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) January 31, 2024