LAKE COUNTY >> It’s going to be one busy and action-packed weekend for Lake County’s wrestlers and their coaches.
Starting Friday, 23 boys representing all five of the county’s high schools are entered in the North Coast Section Championships at James Logan High School in Union City. Meanwhile, seven girls representing four of the county’s schools begin the quest for a state title at the CIF State Championships in Visalia.
Both double-elimination tournaments run through Saturday.
For the county’s boys, the ultimate goal this weekend will be a top-three finish that earns them a berth into the CIF State Boys’ Championships on March 4-5 in Bakersfield. While the top eight in each weight class are guaranteed a medal, only the top three advance to state. The county’s top-seeded wrestlers are both freshmen — No. 4 Blake Fredrickson of Lower Lake at 108 pounds and No. 5 Junior Fernandez of Upper Lake at 122 pounds.
For the county’s girls, this is the final stop in their season and in some cases their high school careers.
The county’s seven state qualifiers are Middletown’s Kailei Foltmer (131), Alixe Olson (143) and Isabella Quintana-Ocken (150); Upper Lake’s Adriana Lopez (106) and Christina Wilson (121); Clear Lake’s Emily Psalmonds (106) and Kelseyville’s Jasmin Clarke (189).
Lake County coaches who have wrestlers competing in Union City and Visalia, which aren’t exactly next door at 217.5 miles apart (about 4 hours travel time), will have to decide how to divide their forces.
Middletown coach Brian Hunt, who has sent at least one wrestler to each of the six girls’ state tournaments held so far, will be in Visalia as will Kelseyville coach Rob Brown.
“I’m going to state and Adam (Garcia) will be with the boys,” Brown said.
Lower Lake coach Ed Fuchs doesn’t have a girl at the state tournament, so he’ll be following the eight Trojans who made it to this weekend’s NCS competition.
Upper Lake’s Ron Campos also has wrestlers entered in both events and he’ll be following Wilson and Lopez in Visalia.
Depending on how things go at both venues Friday, coaches have the option of traveling to the other destination for Saturday’s action if they still have wrestlers going.
Brown said on Tuesday that he thinks the county is in good shape to bring home at least one medal from Visalia, maybe more. Wilson and Foltmer are both appearing in the state tournament for the second year in a row and while it will be the senior Foltmer’s last chance, Wilson, who is only a sophomore, is just beginning to tap into her potential, according to Campos.
Four of the county’s girls – Psalmonds, Lopez, Wilson and Olson – have first-round byes. Of those four, Psalmonds, the NCS runner-up at 106 pounds, could end up facing the No. 2 seed, Aleejah Gould of Canyon High School (Southern Section champ), in the second round. Upper Lake’s Lopez, the NCS third-place medalist, is on the same side of the 106 bracket as Psalmonds and will face either Jenna Bacich of Bear Creek High School of Stockton or Abygail Garces of Hillcrest High School of Riverside in a second-round match.
Wilson, the NCS champion, is in the same bracket as No. 1 seed Alex Hedrick of Bella Vista High School of Fair Oaks (San Joaquin Section champ) at 121 pounds, but any potential meeting in the championship bracket wouldn’t be until the semifinals.
Foltmer at 131 pounds draws Arian Pineda of Andrew Hill High School of San Jose in the first round. That match pairs Foltmer, the NCS champion, against the Central Coast Section third-place finisher.
Like Wilson, Middletown’s Olson is in the same half of the bracket at 143 pounds as No. 1 seed Molly Wallace of Orestimba High School of Newman (San Joaquin champ), but they couldn’t possibly meet until the semifinals. Olson is the NCS runner-up.
At 150 pounds, Middletown’s Quintana-Ocken draws Marlene Salinas of Terra Nova High School of Pacifica in a first-round match. Salinas is the Central Coast Section champion and Quintana-Ocken the NCS third-place medalist.
Kelseyville’s Clarke at 189 pounds faces another freshman, Annjoeli Olaeta of Monterey, in the first round. Olaeta is the Central Coast Section runner-up and Clarke is the NCS third-place medalist.
