RENO — Sierra High senior Branden Rullan dominated his five opponents en route to winning the Flo Reno Worlds 132-pound title while earning All-American status at Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center this past weekend.
Rullan, who went 3-2 in his second trip to the CIF State Championships last month, outpointed two-time Oregon state champion Kobe Olson in the finals. Olson, representing Sweet Home Mat Club, didn’t score his point until the final minute, doing so with an escape.
“Branden only gave up two offensive points for the entire tournament,” Sierra coach Alex Nuanez said. “He was really focused for this tournament and wrestled smart and aggressive.
“It was a bittersweet moment for me, as this will be the last time I coach in his corner. Branden did an outstanding job representing Sierra High and our state.”
Rullan was confronted by three Oregonians and two from Washington state in his mark to the championship. He opened with an 11-0 shutout of Justin Kurtz (Sweet Home Mat Club), blanked Devyn Sweem from Bethel High in Washington 5-0, and toppled Jorge Rojas from Washington’s Mat Demon Wrestling Club, 3-0.
Rullan continued his roll into the semifinals, mounting a 7-1 lead over Pacer Quire (Crook County, Oregon) and pinning him in 3 minutes, 54 seconds.
Rullan is the Manteca Bulletin All-Area Wrestler of the Year. He became the first Sierra wrestler to reach the second day of state and is a two-time fourth-place finisher in the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament.