MIDDLETOWN — Wall-to-wall wrestling action on four mats located in two gyms over two days. Welcome to the 25th annual Mustang Invitational wrestling tournament, which opens Friday and runs through Saturday in Middletown.
The 18-team competition featuring all five Lake County schools is about to undergo a name change as well. In honor of the man who started the tournament long before any of those about to take part in this year”s event were born, the Mustang Invitational will be renamed the Dennis Jensen Invitational on Saturday during a ceremony to be held before the finals in all the weight classes.
Jensen, Middletown”s longtime former coach, started the tournament and will be on hand for the dedication ceremony Saturday. He now splits his time between Lake County and a home in Oregon, according to Middletown coach Troy Brierly.
Included in this year”s field besides Middletown, Clear Lake, Lower Lake, Upper Lake and Kelseyville are Fort Bragg, Willits, Sutter, Ferndale, Fortuna, Hoopa, McKinleyville, Cardinal Newman and Windsor. Brackets will be 16- or 24-man depending on the number of entrants in each weight class, according to Brierly. Medals will be awarded to the top six wrestlers in each division and team trophies are awarded down to third place.
Special awards include MVP lightweight and MVP heavyweight, according to Brierly.
“Every teams has a couple of good wrestlers and some of the teams have more than that,” Brierly said. “Over the last three years the competition has gone up, but I think this year it”s going to be the toughest it”s been in the last seven or eight years.”
Three mats will be in operation both days at the Middletown High gym. The Middletown Middle School gym will have one mat in operation all day Friday and part of Saturday. All quarterfinal-, semifinal- and final-round matches are Saturday at the high school gym.
With many of the wrestlers traveling a long way to compete in the tournament, the high school gym will pull double duty as a motel, according to Brierly.
“They bring sleeping bags and sleep in the gym (on Friday night),” Brierly said. “Some will be showing up tomorrow (Thursday) and will sleep in the gym both nights.”
The wrestlers are supervised at all times, according to Brierly.
Admission prices for the tournament, which begins 9 a.m. both days, are $5 for adults (18 and older), $3 for youngsters ages 5-17 and $3 for senior citizens. Children younger than 5 are admitted free as are Middletown High and Middletown Middle School students displaying student body cards.
A concession stand will be in operation both days of the tournament.
