LARKSPUR >> The Lower Lake High School wrestling team is trying to make a little school history this season, one that began on Saturday with the Trojans sending their youngest wrestlers to the Coastal Mountain Conference Novice Tournament in Point Arena and their more seasoned grapplers to the Faultline Duals at Redwood High School in Larkspur.
Lower Lake is gunning for a third straight Coastal Mountain Conference championship this season led by coach Ed Fuchs. The last time a Lower Lake varsity team won three straight titles in any varsity sport was softball (1975-77).
“It’s been 40 years,” Fuchs said. “We have a chance to do something special.”
Eight Lower Lake varsity sports have won back-to-back titles since 1977 and Fuchs is hoping his squad, a mix of veterans and newcomers, can nail down that elusive threepeat.
The Trojans sent only seven wrestlers to the Faultline Duals, which wasn’t the original game plan, according to Fuchs.
“I had hoped to have 12 (one in each weight class), but it didn’t work out for a variety of reasons,” he said.
Of the seven that made the trip, sophomore Blake Fredrickson picked up where he left off after establishing a school record for most wins by a freshman last season. He went 3-0 with two pins and was on his way to a third when his opponent, fearing injury, forfeited the match with Fredrickson already leading 7-0.
Fredrickson wrestled two matches at 113 pounds and one at 120.
“He looked pretty good,” Fuchs said.
Peerless Brooke at 195 pounds also had a shot at an undefeated day but both his first and final match were cut short because of fear of injury.
“He fell wrong in his first match while going out of bounds,” Fuchs said.
Brooke forfeited the match but won each of next two. In his fourth match, another awkward fall led Fuchs to stop that one early too.
“There’s no sense risking it (an injury) so early in the season,” Fuchs said. “I know he wasn’t happy with me, but this wasn’t sections.”
Carlos Avelar at 152 pounds also finished 2-2 in his 2016-17 season debut and Hugo Salazar went 1-1 with one pin at 126 pounds.
Lower Lake ended up 1-3 in the dual portion of the tournament, its lone win coming against Vintage in its final dual of the tournament.
Meanwhile at the CMC Novice in Point Arena, the Trojans came away with seven medals, three of them for first place.
Weight division winners were Lily Wetmore, 3-0 with one pin at 125 pounds; Jack Schroeder, 3-0 at 138 pounds; and Randy Rave, 2-0 with two pins and 149 pounds.
“It’s the first time all three have won a gold medal,” Fuchs said of Wetmore’s, Schroeder’s and Rave’s weight class victories.
Jasmine Lippincott added a second-place medal at 125 pounds where she went 1-1 with one pin. Her only loss was to teammate Wetmore.
Third-place medals went to David Burke at 108 pounds, Kyle Lynn at 134 pounds, and Michael Annand at 188 pounds.
Lower Lake’s junior varsity wrestlers travel to the Clayton Valley Shootout on Saturday. The varsity wrestlers have the weekend off.
