CLOVIS >> The 39th annual Doc Buchanan Invitational wrestling tournament, one of the top high school competitions in the country, will include one of Lake County’s very own in its midst today and Saturday at Clovis High School in Clovis.
Junior Fernandez, Upper Lake High School’s standout freshman, is seeded 14th overall in the 32-man bracket at 120 pounds, a weight division that includes No. 1 seed Justin Mejia of Clovis, a two-time state champion who won the Doc Buchanan’s 113-pound division a year ago as a sophomore. He is ranked second in the nation.
Other 120-pounders of note are No. 4 seed seed Gerard Angelo of Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey, the defending New Jersey state champion; and Robert Garcia of Selma and Donovin Guerrero of De La Salle, both placers last year at the California state championships.
Upper Lake’s Fernandez is coming off an impressive win at the Lou Bronzan Invitational last month in Brentwood where he became the first Upper Lake wrestler to win a weight title at that tournament. He enters the competition ranked third among the North Coast Section’s 120-pounders. So far this season Fernandez has entered three tournaments, finished first in all of them, and been named outstanding lightweight twice. He is 9-0 overall.
A total of 28 nationally ranked wrestlers are scattered throughout the many weight divisions at Doc Buchanan, which has the reputation as being a preview of the CIF State Championships in early March in Bakersfield.
While the majority of wrestlers competing at the Doc Buchanan are from throughout California, many top-notch out-of-state wrestlers are also entered, including participants from Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and from and nationally ranked Bergen Catholic of Oradell, New Jersey.
Clovis and Bergen Catholic are expected to battle it out for the team title.
Medals are awarded to the top eight in each weight class. All weight class champions receive the traditional “Cowboy Hat” award.
Matches today begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday’s action opens at 9 a.m.