LOWER LAKE — After capably leading the Lower Lake High School wrestling team to another successful season, you”d think the Trojans” energetic coach, Ed Fuchs, would be ready for a well-deserved break.
And you”d be wrong.
“I”ve got three weeks to go and then I”m taking a break,” Fuchs said.
No sooner had Lower Lake”s participation in the North Coast Section Championships ended late last month when Fuchs shed his high school coaching title for another — that as Southshore middle school coach. Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade wrestlers from Pomo Elementary, Burns Valley Elementary and Lower Lake Elementary are currently refining their skills under Fuchs, who said he hopes to see most if not all of them enter his high school program in the next few years.
Evaluating talent in wrestlers so young is not always easy, especially if they are athletically gifted and physically overwhelming as far as their opponents are concerned.
“I really don”t want to see them go out and pin the guy in the first 20 seconds,” Fuchs said. “They are not learning anything that way and I”m not teaching them anything when that happens. I tell them to go out there and wrestle … don”t pin the guy right away even if you can. I want to work with them on their moves, their footwork, everything.”
Fuchs often asks his wrestlers if they know a certain move.
“Sometimes a few of them raise their arms. If no one raises their arm I”m actually happy because that means I”ve got something they all can learn,” Fuchs said.
Fuchs” middle school wrestlers compete in area tournaments, not quite like the dual meets his high school teams take part in, but bonafide opportunities to mix it up with wrestlers other than your own teammates in a competitive setting.
Among the wrestlers Fuchs is currently working with are eighth-graders Weeden Wetmore and Luis Pelcastre, seventh-graders Daniel Meyer, Gabriel Freeman and Nick Perazzo, and sixth-graders Jacob Freeman and Zachary Bartley.
Wetmore, whose older brother Thaddeus is one of the mainstays for the Lower Lake High program, is a 227-pounder who doesn”t have the benefit of much competition at the middle school level owing to his weight division. However, he is 2-0 with one pin and four takedowns in limited action.
Pelcastre, also a soccer player and a “natural athlete with some good moves,” according to Fuchs, is 5-0 with three pins and six takedowns as a 120-pounder. His five victories lead the squad.
“Those two guys will definitely help us at the high school level next year,” Fuchs said.
Among the seventh-graders, Perazzo is 4-0 with four pins and a team-best five takedowns at 136 pounds, while Gabriel Freeman is 3-1 with one pin and two takedowns at 101 pounds. Meyer, who competes at 98 pounds, is 2-2 with two pins and three takedowns.
Among the sixth-graders, Bartley is 4-2 with two pins and a team-best nine takedowns at 81 pounds while Jacob Freeman is 2-3 with one pin at six takedowns at 74 pounds.
Fuchs” middle school squad has three tournaments remaining, including next Thursday in Upper Lake followed by tournaments April 5 in Kelseyville and April 12 in Lakeport.
While Fuchs said he certainly has a vested interest in helping the middle-schoolers, who feed directly into his high school program, he also wants to create the opportunity for younger wrestlers to learn and enjoy their sport. In that regard, Fuchs said youth clubs, such as the Punisher Wrestling Club of Clearlake, really help him out.
“Give credit to the Punishers, they do a really good job working with them,” Fuchs said.
Most of all, Fuchs said he wants the enthusiasm he feels for the sport to rub off on those wrestlers he currently coaches and those he soon will be coaching.
He says it”s just all part of the job.
