LAKEPORT >> The Lower Lake High School wrestling team, some 34 athletes strong this season, will take a 4-0 dual meet record into the first of two consecutive Coastal Mountain Conference home matches next week against also-undefeated Fort Bragg.
Lower Lake beat a pair of Lake County competitors on Wednesday at Clear Lake High School in Lakeport, knocking off host Clear Lake 57-15 as well as former CMC powerhouse Upper Lake 48-27 (the Cougars won five straight conference titles between 2009-13).
Lower Lake hosts Fort Bragg (5-0) and Kelseyville (4-1) next week in a dual that could decide the conference champion.
“We wrestle Fort Bragg first, so that gym should be rocking,” Lower Lake coach Ed Fuchs said. “They’ve got to make the long trip to us so hopefully that plays to our advantage.”
While other county programs are struggling for numbers this season, that’s not the case for the Trojans, who weighed in 26 wrestlers on Wednesday.
“I’m proud of the kids,” Fuchs said. “They’re sticking with it.”
Lower Lake’s coach is also excited about next week’s match against Fort Bragg.
“We’ve worked a long time to get to this point,” he said. “I told the kids tonight that they were 4-0, worked hard for it and should enjoy it … and then I told them to forget about it and get ready for Fort Bragg,” Fuchs said with a laugh.
Against Clear Lake, Lower Lake winners in contested weight classes were Krystal Lockwood by third-round pin at 108 pounds; Isaiah Klein by second-round pin at 122 pounds; Jeremy Long by first-round pin at 147 pounds; Francisco Rocaunt by 7-3 decision at 154 pounds; Brendan Maninger by first-round pin at 162 pounds; and Peerliss Brooke by first-round pin at 184 pounds.
Clear Lake winners included Emily Psalmonds by second-round pin at 115 pounds and Julian Lewis by first-round pin at 222 pounds.
The Trojans’ win over Upper Lake was a bit more competitive, especially in the early going as the Cougars stayed close on the scoreboard before Lower Lake finally pulled away.
Lower Lake winners in contested matches were Cristian Mendez by 13-11 decision at 128 pounds, Mikey Naber by second-round pin at 134 pounds, Long by 10-3 decision at 140 pounds, Maninger by first-round pin at 154 pounds, Weeden Wetmore by first-round pin at 220 pounds, and William Isaacs by second-round pin in the heavyweight decision.
Among Upper Lake’s winners were Angel Stith, who rallied from a 9-2 deficit to pin Lockwood in the second round at 108 pounds; Dante Bassignani won a tight 6-5 decision over Ryan Gillespie at 147 pounds, the difference being an escape point awarded to Bassignani in the third period, the only point scored by either wrestler in the period; and Tyler Banks by second-round pin at 172 pounds.
In other CMC dual action Wednesday:
Kelseyville 46, Middletown 12
Willits 54, Kelseyville 29
Willits 72, Middletown 6
At Kelseyville, Willits High School beat Kelseyville and Middletown to improve to 3-1 in the CMC standings.
Kelseyville (4-1) also beat Middletown 46-12.
Both Lake County teams were forced to forfeit a number of weight classes because they either don’t have wrestlers at those weights or they were injured and unavailable. Each forfeit counts as six points for the opposition.
“We just had too many holes,” Kelseyville coach Rob Brown said of the dual loss to Willits. “The wrestlers I do have did a great job.”
Kelseyville winners in contested weight classes against Willits were Luis Garcia by 22-5 technical fall at 113 pounds, Tiko Landa by first-round pin — 47 seconds to be exact — at 132 pounds, Patrick Mick by second-round pin at 138 pounds, Natalio Rojas by first-round pin at 145 pounds, and Hayden Turner by first-round pin at 182 pounds.
In the Kelseyville-Middletown and Willits-Middletown duals, Middletown forfeited most of the weight divisions because of a lack of wrestlers.
Middletown’s lone win and its only points against Willits were the result of Clinton Crayne’s first-round pin at 126 pounds. Crayne also won by second-round pin at 126 pounds against Kelseyville, one of only six contested weight divisions during the dual.
“It was a little ugly today,” Middletown coach Brian Hunt said. “We had a bunch of guys out injured.”
