LOWER LAKE — Sixteen teams competing in two different divisions are headed to Lower Lake High School on Saturday for the North Coast Section Team Dual Championships.
It”s quite an honor for Lower Lake, according to wrestling coach Ed Fuchs, who said he jumped at the opportunity to host the event.
“Last year at sections I was approached and asked if we would be interested in hosting it,” Fuchs said.
The answer was a no-brainer, according to Fuchs.
“We”ve got the facility, so why not showcase it?” Fuchs said of the Trojans” ultra-modern gym, one of the newest and best facilities in the section. “It”s a pretty nice honor.”
If Fuchs has one regret, it”s that his Trojans won”t be participating in the competition, which is reserved for the top finishers in leagues throughout the NCS. In the Coastal Mountain Conference, Upper Lake, Kelseyville and Clear Lake are all entered in Division III along with Athenian (Danville), St. Patrick/St. Vincent (Vallejo), Stuart Hall (San Francisco), McKinleyville and California School for the Deaf (Fremont).
“We can”t compete in it, but we”ll get to see some great wrestling,” Fuchs said of the Lower Lake wrestlers, who return to action Feb. 18 at the CMC Championships in Fort Bragg.
Competing in Division II are Novato, Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park), Healdsburg, Del Norte (Crescent City), Terra Linda (San Rafael), Maria Carrillo (Santa Rosa), Windsor and Eureka.
Six mats will be used in the first two rounds of the one-day tournament, two in the old Carl Delgado Gym and four in the new gym. All the action shifts to the new gym after the preliminary rounds.
The format of the tournament is double-elimination, meaning a team is eliminated from the competition when it sustains its second loss. The top four teams in each division will be seeded and then paired with the non-seeded teams to determine the schedule. Weigh-ins open at 8 a.m. and the first match is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
Wrestlers on the top four teams in each division receive medals. The top three teams in each division are awarded pennants and the winning teams receive plaques.
Fuchs will assist tournament director Dan Pastor, the Trojans” longtime wrestling school and now retired from teaching, throughout the course of the team competition.
Upper Lake, the three-time defending CMC champion, is also the three-time defending NCS Team Dual champion.
A snack bar will be in operation throughout the tournament along with a souvenir stand. A pancake breakfast fundraiser for Lower Lake”s drama program will be held Saturday morning near the gym. The breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage, oatmeal, orange juice and coffee costs $5.
Admission prices to the wrestling tournament, which are set by the North Coast Section and not Lower Lake High School, are $9 for adults, $6 for students with student body cards, and $6 for children and senior citizens.
The NCS Champion-ships, the qualifier for the CIF State Championships, take place Feb. 24-25.
