UPPER LAKE >> Two Lake County wrestlers have a legitimate shot at winning state championships in the upcoming high school season, which starts in just a couple of weeks.
Upper Lake High School senior Christina Wilson is ranked ninth in the country at 132 pounds, according to USA Wrestling, and Upper Lake High School junior Junior Fernandez is the fifth-ranked 126-pounder in the state, according to the California Wrestler Forum, one of the leading authorities on high school wrestling in the state.
Wilson and Fernandez are highly decorated Upper Lake wrestling veterans and both are coming off fantastic 2016-17 seasons. Wilson, 36-9 last season, won the North Coast Section championship at 126 pounds and finished third in the CIF State Championships. Fernandez, 36-7 last season, was the section runner-up at 126 pounds and went 1-2 in his first trip to the CIF State Championships.
Both Upper Lake stars open the 2017-18 season on the same day but at different locations. Wilson is entered in the Dec. 9 Queen of the Mat Tournament in Placerville while Fernandez is taking part in the Dec. 9 Green and Gold Tournament in Novato.
Along with being ranked ninth in the country, according to USA Wrestling, Wilson is the third-ranked 132-pounder in the state and the second in the North Coast Section behind Dalia Garibay, a junior at Freedom High School in Brentwood.
Fernandez is the No. 1-ranked 126-pounder in the North Coast Section entering the 2017-18 season. The only other wrestlers ranked ahead of him in the state are Cleveland Bolton, a junior at St. John Bosco High School in the Southern Section; Luciano Arroyo, a junior at Calvary Chapel High School in the Southern Section; Ethan Leake, a senior at Buchanan High School in the Central Section; and Ryan Franco, a freshman at Clovis North High School in the Central Section.
Although the reigning section champion and a third-place state medalist at 126 pounds, Wilson is moving up to the 132-pound division to start the season and could even compete at 138 pounds, according to Upper Lake head coach Jose Fernandez.
Likewise Junior Fernandez will likely open the season at 132 pounds before droppng down to 126 at the start of the new year, according to his coach and dad Jose.
While Wilson and Fernandez won’t open their seasons until Dec. 9, Upper Lake is hosting the Coastal Mountain Conference Novice Tournament on Dec. 2 at the Upper Lake Middle School gymnasium. Action begins at 9 a.m. The Novice tourney is designed for wrestlers new to the sport or returning high school wrestlers with limited varsity experience. The entry fee is $5 for adults and $3 for students with student body cards. Children age 5 and younger get in free. A snack bar will be in operation and all proceeds benefit Upper Lake’s wrestling program.
