SAN ANDREAS >> Lower Lake High School’s wrestlers got to experience something new on Saturday as the Trojans, both junior varsity and varsity boys, headed to the Sierra foothills to compete in the Gordon Hay Tournament at Calaveras High School.
“First time in my tenure we’ve competed in a Sac Joaquin Section tournament,” Lower Lake veteran coach Ed Fuchs said. “They told me my veteran wrestlers would be tested and my JVs might get a few wins and they were right.”
Both Lower Lake squads did well.
“I was happy, but obviously as a coach you always want to do a little better than you did,” Fuchs said.
In the varsity division, sophomore Gabe Freeman flexed some considerable muscle at 138 pounds, winning all three of his matches and allowing a grand total of two points — two escape points — on the day.
“They never took him down and they never reversed him,” Fuchs said of Freeman’s opponents.
After winning by pin in his first match, Freeman came back with a 10-1 win in the semifinals. He beat a Ukiah opponent 8-1 in the finals.
Third-place medals went to Daniel Meyer at 126 pounds and Weeden Wetmore at 220 pounds.
Meyer, in his first action of the season, went 2-1 on the day and beat the No. 2 seed in the third-place match. His only loss came to the No. 1 seed in the semifinals.
The Trojans also picked up a pair of fourth-place medals from Peerliss Brooke at 182 pounds and Williams Isaacs in the heavyweight class. Brooke, only a freshman, finished 2-2, his only two losses coming to seniors.
“Not bad for a freshman at a tough Sac Joaquin tournament,” Fuchs said. “You can’t be too upset with that.”
Isaacs, 8-0 on the season entering the tournament, went 2-2 and both losses were by a point — 6-5 in a double-overtime thriller in the semifinals and 7-6 in the third-place match.
“That kind of brings him back to earth a little bit,” Fuchs said of his state qualifier from last season.
Isaacs had one pin and needs 19 more to tie former Trojans star Justin Harrison for the school’s all-time pin record.
The Trojans placed sixth out of 15 teams.
JVS
In the JV division, Dahsaan Booker, William Iverson, Cristian Mendez and Smon Tuell all brought hom medals.
Booker had the lone first as he went 3-0 at 120 pounds with two pins. Iverson was the runner-up in the same weight class.
Mendez added another second-place medal at 126 pounds while Tuell, a first-year wrestler, placed fourth at 138 pounds.
“He’s one of those kids who doesn’t stop,” Fuchs said of Tuell. “He kept going and going and going.”
Lower Lake’s teams return to action this coming Saturday. The varsity travels to the King of the Mat competition in Windsor while the JVs and girls compete in a tournament at Albany.
