LOWER LAKE >> While Lower Lake and River Valley of Yuba City were battling it out for the tournament title, Kelseyville and Upper Lake were engaged in a their own struggle for third place on Saturday in the varsity boys” bracket during the Southshore Scufflle wrestling tournament at Lower Lake High School.
River Valley ended up taking home the team championship trophy with 146 points to Lower Lake”s 135.5 while Kelseyville edged Upper Lake for third 92-91.
“The coaches and wrestlers all seemed to enjoy it,” Lower Lake coach and tournament director said of the Scuffle, which is in its second year of existence. “We were hoping for a better turnout, which is my fault.”
The inaugural tournament drew eight teams in 2013 and this year”s field was up to nine, far short of the 14-team goal Fuchs set for himself.
“I need to do a better job of promoting it,” he said.
The Scuffle also drew a fair number of girls” wrestlers and it was Middletown taking home the championship trophy with 38 points to Clear Lake”s 34. Lower Lake was third with 26.
Team trophies were awarded down to three places and medals to the top six in each weight division.
Boys
Lower Lake and River Valley wrestlers met in three of the 13 weight division finals. River Valley, which has a familiar face on its coaching staff in former Lower Lake standout Mike Bullard, won two of those, enough to give them the tournament title.
“We had a chance to win it,” Fuchs said.
Lower Lake”s win came at at 170 pounds where Dominic Cole beat River Valley”s Aaron Benton.
The runner-up Trojans also collected firsts at 106 pounds (Dakota Apodaca) and 195 pounds (Peerliss Brooke).
Lower Lake won 18 medals overall, tops among Lake County”s teams, despite missing a handful of wrestlers, including heavyweight William Isaacs, a state qualifier a year ago.
River Valley scored weight class championships at 132 pounds (Ethan Zelak), 145 pounds (Skyler Marsh), 152 pounds (Joseph Aurre) and 160 pounds (Dallas Abrahms).
Other Lake County winners besides Lower Lake”s Cole, Apodaca and Brooke were Kelseyville”s Luis Garcia at 120 pounds, Middletown”s Jonathan Wilson at 138 pounds and Wyatt Jones at 182 pounds, and Upper Lake”s Abel Serrano at 220 pounds and Nick Kranich at heavyweight.
The tournament”s three outstanding wrestlers as determined by a vote of the coaches were Takuma Okamoto of Albany, the 126-pound champion; Jones of Middletown; and Zelak of River Valley.
“I”m excited about the season, they showed me a lot,” Middletown coach Brian Hunt said of his wrestlers, both boys and girls.
Girls
Four of the six weight divisions in the girls” bracket were won by Lake County wrestlers. Angel Stith of Upper Lake claimed the 101-pound title, Emily Psalmonds of Clear Lake won at 111 pounds, Kailei Foltmer of Middletown took top honors in the 137-143 weight division, and Christina Navarro of Kelseyville won the 150-160 class.
River Valley”s Alexis Campo won at 126-131 pounds while Selena Verbera of St. Helena won the 189-235 division.
Three outstanding wrestlers also received awards; Campo of River Valley, Navarro of Kelseyville and Foltmer of Middletown. Navarro is 6-0 on the season with six pins.
“We had a great tournament,” Kelseyville coach Rob Brown said of the seven medals won by the Knights.
Besides firsts for Garcia and Navarro, Mike Beverlin (103), Tyler Marinsik (120), Elias Alvarez (127) and Steve Williams (heavyweight) all took home second-place medals for the Knights. Natalio Rojas added a fifth-place medal at 152 pounds.
Navarro is 6-0 on the season with six points.
Clear Lake”s Mia Miller went 3-1 with two pins to finish second at 126 pounds. Another Cardinal, Marela Soto, took second at 101 pounds.
