VISALIA >> Upper Lake High School junior Christina Wilson makes her third straight appearance in the CIF State Wrestling Championships beginning today at 9 a.m. in the Visalia Convention Center. Those good enough to get through the first day return Saturday for the final rounds.
Wilson, a standout 126-pounder, is joined by three other Lake County wrestlers at this year’s tournament, down from seven in 2016 when Wilson was the only first-day survivor. Also making it this year were Adriana Lopez of Upper Lake at 116 pounds, Alixe Olson of Middletown at 150 pounds and Jasmin Clarke of Kelseyville at 189 pounds. Lopez, Olson and Clarke are all sophomores making their second trip to the state tournament. They placed third in their respective weight classes two weeks ago at the North Coast Section Championships in Albany to qualify for state. Wilson won the 126-pound title at Albany.
While girls are not seeded for the state tournament, Upper Lake coach Jose Fernandez is feeling optimistic about the medal chances of both Wilson and Lopez. Only the top six in each weight class receive medals while the top eight officially place. A year ago Wilson came the closest as she missed a top-eight finish by one win and a medal by two wins. During her first trip to state in 2015 as a freshman Wilson posted a 3-2 record, again missing a top-eight finish by one victory.
“They are both in good spots in their brackets,” Fernandez said. “I really believe both girls should medal.”
Certainly working to the advantage of both Wilson and Clarke is that they receive first-round byes, which means they are just one win away from reaching the quarterfinals and two straight wins away from advancing to the semifinals.
Wilson’s first opponent will be the winner of a first-round match between Julia Hubbard of Willow Glen High School (San Jose) and Lesle Chicas of Montclair High School (Montclair). Hubbard finished third in the Central Coast Section Championships while Chicas came in sixth in the Southern Section Championships.
Kelseyville’s Clarke draws either Vivanna Garcia-Reles of Bishop Amat High School (La Puente) or Alexis Borruel of Tokay High School (Lodi). Garcia-Reles finished fourth in the Southern Section while Borruel is the San Joaquin Section champion. Both are seniors.
Unlike Wilson and Clarke, Upper Lake’s Lopez and Middletown’s Olson both have first-round matches. Lopez draws Rory Coscia of Enochs High School (Modesto), the runner-up in the San Joaquin Section. Olson is paired with Alexis Young of River Valley High School (Yuba City), the San Joaquin Section runner-up.
