LAKEPORT — St. Helena High School couldn”t help but score points left and right Saturday while winning the team title at the Coastal Mountain Conference Wrestling Championships at Clear Lake High School in Lakeport.
The Saints won individual titles in four weight classes and finished second in six others while compiling 214 points, more than enough to take home the first-place trophy. Middletown and Clear Lake, each with three individual weight class titles, finished second and third in the team standings with 147.5 and 142 points, respectively.
Also representing Lake County, Upper Lake won two weight class titles and finished fifth in the team standings with 114 points; Lower Lake won one weight class title and tied Fort Bragg for sixth place with 46 points; and Kelseyville placed eighth in the nine-team field with 21 points.
The top three finishers in each weight class are eligible to compete in the North Coast Section Championships beginning Friday and running through Saturday at Newark Memorial High School in Newark. The NCS Championship is the qualifier for the CIF State Finals the weekend of March 2-3 in Bakersfield.
St. Helena winners were Cristian Benitez at 121 pounds, Kevin Depina at 137 pounds, Tyler Nuss at 142 pounds and Gian Traverso at 154 pounds.
Leading the runner-up Middletown Mustangs were winners William Phelps at 105 pounds, Tom Sheffer at 173 pounds and T.C. Franklin at 287 pounds. Taylor Hoeffer finished second at 142 pounds and third-place medals went to John Dedmon at 147 pounds and Matt Dakin at 154 pounds.
The third-place Clear Lake Cardinals were led by weight class winners Tyler Hayes at 114 pounds, Erik Jameson at 132 pounds and Justin Mills at 147 pounds. Derek Holt came away with a second-place medal at 154 pounds as did Mike Kroppmann at 162 pounds. The Cardinals also collected thirds at 121 pounds (Jordan Mills) and 191 pounds (Chaz Ballew).
Mills at 147 pounds, now 40-2 on the season, will be the No. 1 seed at this weekend”s NCS tournament. He is the highest seeded wrestler out of the CMC and one of two Cardinals seeded in the field Jameson is a fifth seed at 132 pounds.
Upper Lake”s two first-place medals were a complete brother act as Robert McCutcheon won at 162 pounds and Roger McCutcheon won at 191 pounds. The Cougars added second-place medals at 105 pounds (Mike Diggs) and 137 pounds (Robbie Avery) and picked up thirds at 114 pounds (Brandon Sneathen) and 173 pounds (Randy Dickinson).
Lower Lake”s Tyler Johnson gave the Trojans their lone first at 127 pounds.
Kelseyville had two third-place finishers — Tyson Newton at 162 pounds and Orlando Zarate at 287 pounds.
Earning most valuable honors were Lower Lake”s Johnson (outstanding lightweight), Clear Lake”s Justin Mills (outstanding middleweight) and Upper Lake”s Roger McCutcheon (outstanding heavyweight).
