The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
Heading into the season, Millikan junior Chris Anguiano had a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish.
The junior crossed off one of the items near the top of his to-do list on Saturday when he defeated Esperanza’s Dimetry Molina to claim the CIF-SS Boys Individual Northern Division wrestling 157-pound gold medal.
It was a sweet victory for Anguiano winning his first CIF title, but was redemption after he lost to Molina in the finals match a year ago. The junior knew after his first takedown to take a 3-0 lead that he’d finally have his moment of glory.
“I felt that during the match after that first shot,” Anguiano said of when he started to realize he was going to win. “Once I got that first shot, it felt so clean and I was like ‘This is my match right here.’”
Anguiano’s journey didn’t start on Saturday but has been just one stop on his path that has included multiple tournament wins, CIF and national placement at some of the most prestigious wrestling tournaments.
When talking with Anguiano, he doesn’t fit what the average person would expect from a seasoned, much-accomplished wrestler.
He’s soft-spoken, polite and measured – the type of athlete that does his talking on the mat.
“I’m not wrestling to win,” he says. “I’m wrestling to not lose.”
That mentality has turned Chris into one of the most accomplished wrestlers Long Beach has produced in recent years. As a junior, he won his third Moore League individual title two weeks ago and has tournament wins at the Sierra Nevada Classic, The X Damien Wrestling Classic and Norco Rodeo Wrestling challenge and a third place finish at the 5 Counties Invitational.
His accolades have not only garnered local attention, but have colleges pursuing Anguiano as he currently has offers to wrestle at Brown, Maryland and Oregon State.
For someone who didn’t grow up in a wrestling family, the rise has been as unexpected as it has been fast.
Chris’s wrestling story didn’t begin under bright gym lights or in sold-out CIF finals. It started on jiu-jitsu mats when he was seven years old. His parents, with no grappling background themselves, enrolled him simply to keep him active.
That decision quietly changed everything, when he started training at Neutral Grounds Academy in Signal Hill.
Chris trained in jiu-jitsu for years, developing balance, body awareness, and comfort in close combat – skills that later translated seamlessly to wrestling.
When COVID disrupted training, he stepped away briefly, then returned with a new curiosity. His gym also offered wrestling and coaches joked with him constantly: “When are you going to come wrestle in the room?”
Eventually, he listened.
By eighth grade, Chris had committed fully to wrestling. He enjoyed it immediately, trained daily, and decided to carry it into high school. Millikan, with its deep wrestling history, became the obvious destination.
Chris didn’t ease into the sport. As a freshman, he bypassed junior varsity entirely, competing only at varsity tournaments.
Then the wins started coming.
By his sophomore year, Chris had emerged as a cornerstone of Millikan’s lineup. The Rams captured the Moore League title, and Chris followed with a runner-up finish at CIF Individuals, third place at Masters, and an eighth-place finish at nationals – placing him among a small group of Californians to reach that stage.
For his parents, those early tournaments were the first aha moments.
“We started going to every tournament we could,” Chris’ dad, Christian Anguiano recalls. “He was picking things up really fast. That’s when we thought, okay – this might be real.”
Built by Team, Fueled by Bond
Despite wrestling’s individual nature, Chris consistently points to teammates as his greatest competitive edge. Travel tournaments, in particular, shaped his connection to the team – shared hotel rooms, long bus rides, and the pressure of walking into unfamiliar gyms together.
“The first travel tournament every season is always the best,” he says. “That’s when the bond really grows.”
Those bonds matter most during long tournament days, when wrestlers wait hours between matches. While others isolate, Chris stays engaged – laughing, talking, and feeding off teammates who want the same result.
“They want to win just as bad as I do,” he says. “That keeps me locked in.”
As Chris’s success grew, so did the miles.
Wrestling vacations replaced traditional ones – looking for places to eat in North Dakota are the new norm.
His parents – newcomers to the wrestling world – quickly learned that the sport doesn’t prioritize destinations. They joke about it now, but the sacrifice has been real.
“You don’t think you’re ever going to North Dakota,” his dad laughs. “And then wrestling takes you there.”
Still, the travel brought something unexpected: time together. Sometimes the whole family makes the trip, including Chris’s younger siblings. His 11-year-old sister recently started wrestling herself, inspired by watching her brother compete on national stages.
“He’s a role model to them,” his dad said.
Chris has plenty more on his to-do list this season and winning at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Sonora High on Saturday is next.
“Job’s not over,” Chris said. “Gonna go and try and win Masters’ this week.”
