FORT BRAGG — Two tournaments and two first-place trophies for the Upper Lake High School wrestling squad, which followed up on a win last week at McKinleyville with another team victory Saturday at Fort Bragg.
Upper Lake easily outdistanced runner-up Hoopa for the team championship. Clear Lake finished third, River City came in fourth and Kelseyville took fifth in the 20-team tournament.
The Cougars” Travis Coleman went 4-0 at 138 pounds, including a major decision in the championship match, and teammate Ward Beecher went 4-0 at 145 pounds. He”s now 8-0 on the season and all of his wins are either pins or technical falls.
Beecher beat Clear Lake”s Nathan Powers in the semifinals before defeating Adryan Segura of Kelseyville in the finals. While Segura scored a two-point takedown to open the match, marking the first time Beecher has been taken down all season, according to Upper Lake coach Tom Cox, the Upper Lake junior responded with a flurry of points.
“He went right back on the attack,” Cox said of Beecher.
Beecher built a 16-5 lead before pinning Segura.
Upper Lake also came away with four second-place medals. Tony Lopez lost to Kelseyville”s Jeffrey Ponce in the 106-pound championship match while Zeke Mendoza (112), Robert Simondi (152) and Bradley Brackett (160) all made it to the finals in their respective weight classes before losing.
Brackett had the toughest road, according to Cox, as he ran into the second- and third-ranked wrestlers in the North Coast Section. He won 2-1 in overtime against the No. 2 seed to reach the finals.
“He”s wrestling really well,” Cox said.
Upper Lake also had five third-place medals — Nick Mai at 138 pounds, Bruce Tucker (wrestling up two weight classes) at 170, Stoney Timmons at 182, Joey Valdez at 220 (four pins in five matches) and Jon Karlsson at 285.
Upper Lake”s other medals came at 126 pounds where Marina Beckwith came in fourth, and at 195 pounds where Emmitt Quadrio finished sixth.
Upper Lake currently has eight wrestlers ranked in the section, according to Cox.
“We”ve never had more than two ranked at the same time before this year,” he added.
Clear Lake Cardinals
The third-place Clear Lake Cardinals had two weight class winners in Gabe Wolfin (132), who is just a freshman, and 126-pound senior Ryan Blyleven. Jake Chapin, a senior who hasn”t wrestled since his freshman year, added a second-place medal at 182 pounds.
Powers added a third-place medal at 145 pounds as did Shawn Larsen at 195 pounds. Fourths went to Matt Engle and Raul Rendon, and Rick Pierson finished sixth at 120 pounds.
Clear Lake coach Ronnie Campos said he also received a solid effort from freshman heavyweight Julian Lewis.
“He”s doing a great job,” Campos said.
Unlike last year”s senior-dominated squad, this season”s squad is loaded with first-year upper-classmen wrestlers such as Chapin as well as a bunch of freshmen and sophomores.
“And they”re doing great,” Campos said.
Middletown Mustangs
Middletown claimed six medals, including a third-place finish by Houston Pike at 113 pounds. Anthony Castaldo came in fourth at 160, Leevy Singleton was fifth at 220, and sixth-place medals went to Marlon Solonga at 106, Sierra Egger at 113, and Jake Riccio at 126.
“I”m proud of all the kids,” Middletown coach Brian Hunt said.
“Marlon and Sierra both lost two close matches but are primed for strong seasons each.”
