BRENTWOOD — In baseball parlance, the Upper Lake High School wrestling team went 7-for-8 on Tuesday during day one of the ultra-competitive Liberty Tournament in Brentwood.
Five of the eight Upper Lake wrestlers entered in the tournament will be competing in today”s quarterfinals with unblemished records. Two others are still alive in the consolation bracket.
“We”re wrestling really well,” Upper Lake coach Tom Cox said of his mostly freshmen and sophomore squad. “Fwee (Chao) and Brandon (Sneathen) should place. If any of the others place it will be monumental.”
Chao won his first two matches in the 112-pound division as did Sneathen at 145 pounds. While both Chao and Sneathen are veterans, the other three Cougars in today”s quarterfinals are still cutting their wrestling teeth — Ward Beecher, 2-0 at 130 pounds; Brian Tucker, 2-0 at 140 pounds; and Bradley Brackett, 3-0 at 152 pounds.
“He (Tucker) was the biggest surprise,” Cox said. “But he”s wrestling great.”
Brackett didn”t receive a first-round bye and had to wrestle an extra match, which proved to be no problem.
“He was the highlight of the day,” Cox said. “He beat a Clear Lake wrestler (Robbie Hammers) he”s never beaten before, so he was pretty excited.”
Still alive in the consolation round are Upper Lake”s Travis Coleman, who is 2-1 through his first three matches at 112 pounds, and James McCloud, who is 2-1 at 160 pounds.
The only Upper Lake wrestler who didn”t qualify for day two lost twice by a point each time, according to Cox.
Upper Lake”s wrestlers, most of whom have had just one day off in the last five, will receive a well-deserved 10-day break following today”s final rounds.
“We need it,” Cox said of the rest.
