CLOVIS — Blake Fredrickson and Bryan Gudino of the Punisher Wrestling Club of Lower Lake can add another honor to what has been a great 2013-14 season for both of them; state champions.
They were two of 10 Punisher members competing in either the California USA State Championships last weekend in Fresno or the SCWAY State Championships in Clovis.
The USA State Championships drew 1,200 wrestlers in kindergarten through eighth grade while the SCWAY State Championships attracted a field of 800 wrestlers.
While Fredrickson and Gudino nailed down the ultimate prize in state championships, five other Punishers were state placers.
Fredrickson earned his state title in the 75-pound schoolboy bracket at Fresno. He pinned Dakota Upingco from Team Falcons in the semifinals before pinning Merijah Morales of Team Puma in just 35 seconds in the finals.
Gudino, competing in Clovis, dominated the field in the 10-and-under 53-pound bracket. He upset No. 1 seed Riley Lane of Selma in the semifinals, pinning him in 52 seconds, before advancing to the finals against Elijah Flores of Adrenaline. Gudino beat Flores 4-2 in a hard-fought championship match.
Gudino is now a three-time state champion as he also won Greco and freestyle state titles in 2011.
Competing at Fresno, Austin Fredrickson pulled down the fourth-place medal in the 55-pound intermediate weight class. Fredrickson reached the semifinals before losing 2-1. He bounced back in the consolation bracket to secure fourth.
Teammate Joseph Hughes, wrestling in the 103-pound intermediate division, also finished fourth at Fresno. After dropping his first match of the day, he went 3-1 in his final four matches to nail down a medal.
Also competing at Fresno, Isaiah Rubio placed sixth in the 55-pound intermediate division, going 3-3 on the day. Nicholas Celli added a seventh-place medal in the 50-pound bantam division, and JJ Cushman grabbed an eighth-place medal in the 85-pound novice division.
Competing at state but falling short of the medal rounds were Jonathan Fredrickson at 60-pound novice, Blake Schuster at 85-pound novice, Myles Conatser, Adam Viramontes and Arturo Gudino.
The Punishers are back in action in two weeks at the Cliff Keen Reno World Championships at the Reno Livestock Arena. More than 2,500 wrestlers from throughout the country will compete for world champion titles.
