BRENTWOOD — Eleven of Upper Lake”s 13 wrestlers are still alive after Wednesday”s opening rounds at the Liberty Tournament, which wraps up today in Brentwood.
Generally considered a preview of the upcoming North Coast Section Championships, many of the section”s top wrestlers compete at Liberty High School. It”s also one of the biggest tournaments with nearly 50 teams in attendance.
Of the 11 Upper Lake wrestlers advancing to day two, eight are 2-0 and in the quarterfinals. If they win their first match today, they”ll be guaranteed a medal, which are awarded to the top eight finishers in each weight class of the double-elimination competition. If they lose in the quarterfinals, they can still reach the medal round with a win in their first consolation match.
Upper Lake wrestlers reaching the quarterfinals were Tony Lopez at 106 pounds, Zeke Mendoza (113), Ward Beecher (138), Robert Simondi (145), Bruce Tucker (152), Bradley Brackett (160), Joe Valdez (220) and Jon Karlsson (heavyweight).
Other Cougars still in the running are Travis Coleman, who is 2-1 at 138 pounds, Nick Mai, who is 3-1 at 145 pounds, and freshman Nick Kronich, who is 1-1 at 195 pounds.
Upper Lake is third in the team standings after day one, trailing only James Logan (Union City) and host Liberty.
Clear Lake and Lower Lake are also taking part in the tournament. While Clear Lake sent only two wrestlers, both are still alive after day one. Ryan Blyleven went 2-0 to reach the quarterfinals at 126 pounds and Nathan Powers is 2-1 at 145 pounds.
For Lower Lake, five of six wrestlers entered by coach Ed Fuchs made it through to day two and the only one who didn”t was a surprise. Brandon Painchaud, the No. 3 seed at 138 pounds and the third-place finisher a year ago in the same weight class, lost his first match before bouncing back with two straight wins. He dropped his fourth match, losing to the section”s fifth-ranked wrestler, and was eliminated.
Reaching the quarterfinals from Lower Lake was Dominick Dingess at 132 pounds. He went 2-0 with two pins. Mike Warren had only one match and won by pin at 220 pounds. He”ll face Upper Lake”s Valdez today in the quarterfinals.
Still alive in the consolation bracket are Lower Lake”s Erick Moreno, 2-1 with two pins at 145 pounds; Thomas Cross, 2-1 with two pins at 170 pounds; and Thaddeus Wetmore, 2-1 with two pins at 182 pounds.
