FARGO, N.D. >> Team California is having a good week at the Cadet/Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota.
Thirty California wrestlers, two of them from Lake County, earned top-eight finishes in their respective weight divisions during the cadet/junior freestyle portion of the boys competition and the cadet freestyle portion of the girls competition, which wrapped up Tuesday. Greco competition for the boys and junior freestyle competition for the girls opened Wednesday.
Thirteen California boys and 17 girls secured plaques as well as All-American status for finishing in the top eight. Kelseyville’s Jasmin Clarke was one of only two California girls wrestling in Fargo to win her cadet weight class – with a 4-0 record at 200 pounds.
Among Team California’s boys contingent, Blake Fredrickson of Lower Lake High School, a two-time North Coast Section medalist, secured an eighth-place medal in 106-pound junior freestyle division. An incoming junior at Lower Lake, Fredrickson lost his first match of the tournament before battling all the way back through the consolation bracket to reach the medal round.
Fredrickson’s wrestling resume at Lower Lake is pretty impressive. A two-time Coastal Mountain Conference champion, he broke the school’s freshman record for most wins in a single season, going 33-7. He later became the first Lower Lake freshman to medal at the sectional championships, taking fifth at 106 pounds. This past season as a sophomore, Fredrickson again placed fifth at sections.
Both Fredrickson and Clarke are gunning for another high finish as the Fargo tournament continues. Fredrickson is wrestling in the junior Greco bracket at 106 pounds while Clarke is wrestling in the junior freestyle bracket at 200 pounds. Also in action is Upper Lake’s Junior Fernandez, who missed the medal round during the cadet freestyle portion of the tournament, going 4-2. He’ll be looking for better things in the cadet Greco tournament.
The Cadet/Junior National Championships draws wrestlers from throughout the country and is considered one of the nation’s toughest tournaments for high school-age competitiors.
