WINDSOR >> Undefeated during the Coastal Mountain Conference dual meet season, a young Lower Lake High School was taken out to the woodshed on Saturday against larger schools Maria Carrillo of Santa Rosa and Del Norte of Crescent City during the North Coast Section Division II-Redwood Empire Team Duals at Windsor High School.
Maria Carrillo beat Lower Lake 40-29 in the opening round and Del Norte followed with a 51-30 victory, one that knocked the Trojans out of the double-elimination competition.
“We got exposed as being a young team at a large-school tournament,” Lower Lake coach Ed Fuchs said. “I thought we could have wrestled better. We were the fourth seed (out of 12 teams).”
Windsor won the team title while Ukiah came in second and Eureka third.
“After what we did in conference in what was kind of disappointing,” Fuchs said. “But we turned it into a positive. It is a young team and we found out early we still have work to do.”
Fuchs said his squad should now have all the motivation it needs going into the CMC Championships on Saturday in Willits. Along with what they did during the dual-meet season, going 8-0, the Trojans can clinch the outright CMC title with either a first- or a second-place finish. They would be co-champions with either Fort Bragg, Willits or Middletown should they place third.
“We could also easily finish fourth or fifth in the thing,” Fuchs said. “Every match counts.”
The Trojans fell behind Del Norte 40-0 before rallying to 40-30 with two matches remaining.
“We could have won with pins in both but we ended up losing both,” Fuchs said.
Two Lower Lake wrestlers did go undefeated on the day. Blake Fredrickson won by technical fall against Maria Carrillo and by pin against Del Norte at 106 pounds, and Isaiah Klein pinned both of his opponents at 128 pounds.
