Itzel Torres Completes Remarkable Comeback Season After 18-Month ACL Recovery

College of the Redwoods guard Itzel Torres completed what Redwood News described on March 6, 2026 as a standout comeback season after an 18-month recovery from a torn ACL and a subsequent second surgery. The profile excerpt noted Torres returned to the court and "completed a standout comeback season, earning first-team a" — the excerpted award language was truncated in the supplied copy.

Torres' comeback showed up in game play during the 2025-26 season. In a San Mateo Tournament first-round game reported by the Times-Standard on Nov. 15, 2025, the Redwoods rallied from a 15-0 hole to beat Chaffey 83-69. Torres contributed nine points, five rebounds and four steals in that game, coming off the bench as coach Bree Northern turned to substitutes to change momentum.

The Nov. 15, 2025 Times-Standard recap highlighted the quarter-by-quarter swing that evening: after falling behind 15-0, the Redwoods were within three at the end of the first quarter at 19-16, then poured in 29 points in the second quarter to take a 12-point halftime lead and eventually push the margin as large as 20. Northern credited the bench substitutions for the turnaround, saying, "We started out very rough, but the girls that came off the bench brought a different energy and we were able to chip back and make it a game."

Northern detailed the tactical change that involved Torres. "We obviously started out pretty flat," she continued, "So I went to my bench and subbed in Cayenne Pruter and Itzel Torres, and they brought energy we didn’t have to start. It just shifted the whole momentum of the game, and we were able to go on a run and get back in it. That really gave us a spark, and we realized that we could play with that team. Then we found our rhythm and were able to attack and get back into the game."

The Nov. 15 box-score contributors underline the depth the Redwoods relied on that night: Nora Talty scored 17 points, Mia Hoogendoorn added 16 points (the Times-Standard caption noted "Mia Hoogendoorn shoots for Redwoods in their comeback win Friday night against Chaffey," photo credit Bree Northern), Addison Wingate finished with 15 points and five rebounds, and Mayleah Jackson recorded eight points and eight assists. Northern emphasized the collective effort in postgame remarks: "It definitely was a team effort," said Northern. "But Cayenne did a great job coming off the bench and giving us that energy that we didn’t quite have to start. She worked really hard on defense and battled inside, and that’s what changed the game for us."

Taken together, the March 6, 2026 Redwood News profile and the Nov. 15, 2025 Times-Standard game recap provide a clear arc: Torres returned to active play during the 2025-26 season after an extended rehabilitation and played a tangible role in at least one signature comeback, supplying nine points, five rebounds and four steals in the San Mateo Tournament win over Chaffey. The full wording of the "first-team" recognition referenced in the Redwood News excerpt was incomplete in the provided material.