CLOVIS >> Despite losing his first match Friday at the Doc Buchanan Invitational in Clovis, Upper Lake High School 126-pounder Junior Fernandez made it through to day two by winning his next three matches.
The sixth-seeded Fernandez, now 15-1 on the season, is guaranteed a top-12 finish and will place somewhere in the top eight if he wins his first match Saturday. Undefeated entering the elite competition, Fernandez fell 8-6 to Zane Romney of Simi Valley High School in an opening-round match that proved to be Romney’s only victory as he lost his next two matches and was eliminated.
Fernandez came roaring back to beat De La Salle High School’s Mateo Sandez by technical fall, No. 13 seed Alex Alvarez of Pourde, Colorado, by pin in only 12 seconds, and a Bakersfield wrestler by 10-4 decision in his final match of the day.
While Fernandez was flying the Upper Lake banner at the Doc Buchanan, two of his Cougar teammates – Christina Wilson and Adriana Lopez – were going a combined 5-0 at the Napa Valley Classic in Napa.
Lopez went 3-0 with a pin and two technical falls in her first three matches at 121 pounds while Wilson went 2-0 at 131 pounds. Both begin Saturday with quarterfinal-round matches.
A third Upper Lake wrestler, Laylah Medina, will wrestle in the junior varsity bracket on Saturday as well.
