The Indians’ standout heavyweight got a taste of the state tournament last year, but a quick exit from the competition left him wanting much more.

“It only made me hungrier,” Rodriguez said. “Last year, going 0-2 at state motivated me over the summer and throughout the season, just to stay on the horse and keep working and keep trying to improve. I’m not letting a loss define me.”

These days, he’s been doing more winning.

He’s coming off two straight championship runs, following his campaign for the Trans Valley League heavyweight title with a first-place finish in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V Tournament this past Saturday at Hughson. Rodriguez pinned all three opponents he encountered, two of whom he had yet faced.

The result also sends him to a fourth straight appearance at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championships — the last stop before the state tourney.

“Every (previous) year I had placed (at the divisional) and made it on (the medal stand), but it was never where I wanted to be,” Rodriguez said. “Going into this one, it was more now or never. I just kind of locked in.”

After a first-round bye, the third-seeded Rodriguez had another pass in round 2 via forfeiture. In the quarterfinal, he met a familiar opponent in Waterford’s Christian Boungnaseng, taking an early 3-0 lead before finishing him off in 1 minute into the match.

He then took on No. 2 Miguel Reyes III in Marysville, dispatching him in 31 seconds to advance to the final.

Rodriguez used patience and constant movement to get his way in the first-place match. He and Colfax’s Luclan Bernhard were scoreless after two periods, and Rodriguez pinned him 35 seconds into the third.

“The key was to keep circling and keep moving, not standing around in the same position,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t want to give him any real time to just sit around, so keep moving and then take advantage of the opportunity.”

What made the weekend experience even sweeter is that he got to enjoy the success with teammates. His first-place performance helped lead the Indians to a runner-up finish in the team points standings. It’s the best finish for Ripon at a divisional tournament.

“Not only was it just me winning first place, but for us as a team getting to take home a plaque,” Rodriguez said. “It was just so nice to hold that plaque knowing that the team put in work on this. Not everyone makes it through, but everyone put in their time and effort for us to win that award.”