LAKEPORT — Terrace Middle School wrestlers won the league championship on Thursday in Lakeport. It”s the third straight wrestling title for the Vikings, who beat out Upper Lake for the top spot. Konocti came in third.
Terrace wrestlers won five first-place medals, two seconds and three thirds. Weight class champions were Jacob Pyorre (76-85 pounds), Mark Estrada (86-95), Sam Long (102-109), Calvin Jones (116-120) and Brandon Brown (160-plus).
Second-place medals went to Tyler Buchholz (121-130) and Caleb Blyleven (66-75). Third-place medals went to Shane Kieffer (86-95), Cord Falkenburg (131-143) and Nate Falkenburg (144-159).
“I am extremely proud of our team,” head coach Allan Carter said. “I told them this is one of the toughest sports there is and they should all be proud of what they have accomplished.”
In addition to winning the 160-plus division, Brown won the award for the fastest pin, which he accomplished in just 15 seconds.
Issac Maize and Sebastian Lopez also competed for the Vikings.
For the third-place Konocti team, which brought just six wrestlers to the meet, Jacob Freeman (65-75), Gabriel Freeman (96-101) and Luis Plecastre (122-129) all came away with first-place medals.
Konocti, coached by Ed Fuchs, also earned a second-place medal — Nick Perazzo (130-139) — and two thirds — Zachary Bartley (76-85) and Daniel Meyer (96-101).
“Individually I thought we did a great job,” Fuchs said. “I set a goal of taking home six gold medals out of six wrestlers, but we wrestled a great tournament today.”
Gabriel Freeman, who went 3-0 with two pins, also came away with the league MVP award after winning 1-0 in double-overtime in the 96-101 championship match.
Pelcastre, 3-1 in the tournament, won one of the toughest weight classes, according to Fuchs.
Jacob Freeman started the season 0-3 but won his final eight matches, according to Fuchs.
“He”s our most improved wrestler absolutely hands down,” Fuchs said.
Runner-up Perazzo went 2-1 in the tournament, his only lost in the 130-139 finals to Upper Lake”s Hugh French, who is undefeated on the season.
Fuchs runs the wrestling program at Lower Lake High School and steps directly into the middle school season once the high school season ends.
“I forget how fun and crazy it is,” Fuchs said of middle school wrestling. “I”m glad Konocti has a middle school program again and I look forward to coaching these guys at the high school level.”
Fuchs coached the middle school program from 2007-09 and returned this season after the program was dropped in 2010.
“I get five weeks off and then its spring football,” said Fuchs, an assistant football coach at Lower Lake.
