BAKERSFIELD — The only Lake County wrestler to qualify for the CIF State Wrestling Championships didn”t manage to win a match in two tries.
Just getting the opportunity to earn any wins was still fulfilling, though not as much as a win would have been.
Clear Lake”s Robby Hammers went 0-2 at Rabobank Arena Friday and saw his stellar season come to an end in the 152-pound bracket. He ran into a buzzsaw in his first match and made a couple of minor mistakes in his second match, but Hammers took a small amount of solace in just being able to compete on the state”s biggest stage in front of thousands of fans.
“I guess I had a good season,” said Hammers. “I just wanted to make it to the state meet and I did that, so I should be happy.”
Still, the match that ended his season stung. Hammers succumbed to Carlos Lazo of Crespi High in Encino, near Los Angeles, by a 12-7 score and got put on his back near the end of the second period. The No. 4 qualifier from the Southern Section cashed in on the nearfall points at that pivotal moment and took an 8-3 lead into the final period. Though Lazo was in visible pain around his ribs, Hammers just couldn”t get his opponent on his back to try and salvage a victory.
“I think I got sloppy. I shot a bad shot and I got thrown on my back with like 10 seconds left in the round and that was the match-changer,” Hammers said. “I needed to score and put him on his back near the end but it got away. I think I could”ve won that last one and it didn”t go the right way I guess.”
Hammers” first match was a brutal draw, as he had to do battle with Matthew Hickman from Camarillo High School in Ventura County. Hickman brought a 37-2 record to the tournament and a string of victories over some of the state”s best. Hickman took a quick 4-0 lead in the second period and after another takedown allowed Hammers to escape. He took Hammers down again and then went for the pin, securing it in 3 minutes, 33 seconds.
Hammers managed to do a little scouting in the week leading up to the state tournament and noticed that Hickman was good at working as a leg-rider when on top. Despite that knowledge, Hickman was just too tough to overcome for Hammers.
“That guy was really fast and he”s good at riding legs,” Hammers said. “I watched a couple videos of him online and he wrestled the way I like people to wrestle. He just outwrestled me, I guess.”
Hammers (36-13) qualified for the Bakersfield extravaganza by earning the No. 4 spot in the North Coast Section tournament last weekend. It was the last spot for the section, as the NCS sends four to state.
While some wrestlers are destined for the state meet from very young ages, Hammers said he wasn”t really sure if he was good enough to qualify for the state meet at the beginning of his senior season. As he piled up victories early in the year, he gained more confidence and started realizing that he had a legitimate shot at making the state tournament.
“It was always my goal but I didn”t think I was going to really make it though,” he admitted. “Halfway through this season, I realized it.”
