BRENTWOOD — Placing two freshmen in the top eight of the Liberty Tournament was nothing short of phenomenal, according to Upper Lake High School wrestling coach Tom Cox.
“That”s just great,” Cox said on Wednesday after Ward Beecher and James McCloud earned medals at one of the premier tournaments on the high school wrestling calendar.
Beecher finished seventh in the 130-pound division while McCloud came in eighth at 160 pounds.
Also bringing home medals were two Upper Lake veterans. Brandon Sneathen placed fourth in the 145-pound division, one of the toughest weight classes in the tournament, according to Cox, and Chao was seventh at 112 pounds.
“He beat a kid who was ranked No. 1 in the section,” Cox said of Sneathen, who prevailed on a 16-5 decision.
After a busy month of December, the Upper Lake wrestlers get 10 days off before resuming their season next month.
