Santa Ana High girls wrestling team dominates, wins CIF-SS Division 2 Dual Meet Championship

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- The Santa Ana girls wrestling team is still basking in the glory of a historic victory this month.

The girls' enthusiasm and dedication are leading them on a path to success well beyond the mat.

When you see the girls wrestling team at Santa Ana High School (SAHS), only one word comes to mind: dominant.

The girls just won the CIF Southern Section Division 2 Dual Meet championship.

"We all work together to really bring each other up and create this family we have, so we weren't always the biggest and best team, but we worked our way up the ladder. Now we're the team to beat," wrestler Alicia Serratos said.

The coaching staff is part of the magic of this team. A husband-and-wife coaching duo, Fernando and Monica, came to SAHS from Laguna Hills High School after starting the first girls program there.

Within two years, they got the team to the CIF dual championship.

They then came to Santa Ana High, leading this group of girls to the championship too.

Their own daughters are also on the team.

"It just speaks volume of the opportunity, the adoption, just what these girls can represent. They're combative, beautiful, they're catty and they're having fun at the same time," co-head wrestling coach Fernando Serratos said.

Girls wrestling has grown immensely in the past years and has given many countless opportunities at the college and global level.

Some girls on the team thank the sport for breaking them out of their shell.

"What I love about wrestling is all the people and opportunities it brings you. You get to meet a lot of cool people, create new friends and make a family out of it," wrestler Angelica Serratos said.

Tim Buyers is a coach at SAHS who started the girls program back in 2010.

He says the girls are just as good as the boys, and wrestling has taught them life skills they'll never forget.

It's evident so much more is in store for the future of this team.

"It's given these girls the same opportunities the boys have always had. Same opportunities to learn life skills. The same opportunities to go to school to compete at the Division 1 level and to compete at the Olympic level," Buyers said.