BAKERSFIELD — Lower Lake High School senior Justin Harrison missed out on a medal by one win on Saturday during the final rounds of the CIF State Wrestling Championships at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.
Harrison, the North Coast Section 215-pound champion, needed a victory against Nick Corona of Kingsburg (Central Section) to be guaranteed of a top-eight finish but instead dropped a 7-4 decision to Corona, who went on to finish seventh.
Only the top eight finishers in each weight class medal at the state tournament. Corona won his second straight medal after an eighth-place finish last season.
“He had just that little bit extra in experience,” Lower Lake coach Ed Fuchs said of Corona.
Trailing by three points in the final seconds, Harrison attempted a “hip roll,” according to Fuchs, but the elusive Corona was able to dodge trouble.
“The guy (Corona) slipped off his elbow,” Fuchs said. “He was very quick.”
Harrison”s only two losses in his first state tournament appearance came to medalists Corona and to J.T. Felix of Centennial (Southern Section), the No. 2-ranked 215-pounder in the state.
Harrison won his first three matches on Friday before losing to Felix in the quarterfinals late Friday night.
Felix dropped a 3-2 decision to the state”s No. 1-ranked wrestler, Tank Knowles of Calvary Chapel (Southern Section), in the 215-pound title match on Saturday night.
While he just finished out of medal contention, Harrison”s disappointment didn”t last long, according to Fuchs.
“It was an awesome year for him, he broke three school records,” Fuchs said.
Harrison posted a 42-5 record, besting the former Lower Lake record for most wins in a season. The old mark of 41 belonged to 215-pounder Zeb Beatty, who finished second in the state in 1999. Harrison also set school records for most pins in a season (37) and career (82).
En route to qualifying for the state meet, Harrison also became the school”s first section winner (Beatty finished second in 1999).
“It was an awesome experience,” Fuchs said of Harrison”s stay at the state meet. “I”m still very proud. We achieved all of our goals … maybe we should have set higher goals.
“It (state medal) was right there for him,” Fuchs added. “But he did get to the state meet. You don”t want your season to end at sectionals in Newark. You want to end your season in Bakersfield.”
Finishing in the top 12 in the state is still quite an honor when you consider how many wrestlers compete in California, according to Fuchs.
While in Bakersfield, Harrison drew plenty of interest from colleges and universities. His top two choices are U.C. Davis and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.
Seventeen wrestlers from the Redwood Empire qualified for the state meet but only two — Harrison and Healdsburg”s Adam Hendrickson (135) — made it through the first day of the competition. Hendrickson, only a sophomore, ended up seventh.
One of the 17 who didn”t make it to day two was Upper Lake 140-pounder Brandon Sneathen, who lost his first two matches on Friday and was eliminated.
