VISALIA >> Upper Lake’s Adriana Lopez and Kelseyville’s Jasmin Clarke went 3-0 on Friday to reach the semifinals in their respective weight classes at the CIF State Girls Wrestling Championships in Visalia.
The juniors find themselves just two wins removed from a state championship — Lopez at 121 pounds and Clarke at 189 pounds. No county wrestler, girl or boy, has even captured a state title.
Also still alive in the tournament is Upper Lake senior Christina Wilson, who dropped a 5-3 quarterfinal-round decision to Gensis Miranda of Moreno Valley High School of the Southern Section. Wilson, a third-place state medalist at 126 pounds a year ago, can finish as high as third if she wins out on Saturday, the final day of the tournament.
Adriana Lopez
Lopez, the No. 2 seed in her division, will square off against senior Caitlin Cardenas of Cornona High School. Lopez and Cardenas are both section champions — Lopez in the North Coast Section and Cardenas in the Southern Section.
The other 121-pound semifinal pairs No. 1 seed Grace Figueroa, the Central Section champion, against Karla Rivera of Birmingham High School, the Los Angeles Section champion. Both are seniors.
Lopez pinned Yadira Joya of Evergreen High School (Central Coast Section) and beat Kameron Sudol of Yorba Linda High School (Southern Section) by 17-6 major decision in her early matches. Against Allysa Nocum of Mira Costa High School (Southern Section) in the quarterfinals, Lopez prevailed 8-1. She is now 37-2 on the season, her only two losses coming earlier this season to wrestlers who are competing in the 116-pound semifinals Saturday.
As a sophomore last season, Lopez placed sixth in the state at 116 pounds.
Jasmin Clarke
Looking for her first state medal, Clarke snapped a 3-3 tie late in the third round of her quarterfinal match with Nayeli Pelayo of Central Valley High School (San Joaquin Section). She went on to beat Pelayo 6-4.
Clarke, the reigning North Coast Section champion, draws Central Coast Section champion Fola Akinoa, a junior, in Saturday’s semifinals. Akinola pinned No. 2 seed and Central Section champion Kavyvette of Golden Valley High School in the first round of their quarterfinal match.
The other semifinal match brings together No. 1 seed and Los Angeles Section champion Alexandra Castillo of Birmingham High School and Southern Section champion Sierra Adams-Gregory.
To reach the quarterfinals, Clarke beat Viviana Ramirez of Mira Coast High School (Southern Section) 7-2 and Aylin Salas of Otay Ranch High School (San Diego Section) 4-0.
Christina Wilson
Wilson, unseeded in the tournament as is Kelseyville’s Clarke, received a first-round bye at 131 pounds before beating Anne-Marie Markalenko of Clairemont High School (San Diego Section) by third-round pin.
The North Coast Section runner-up this season, Wilson is making her fourth straight appearance at the state tournament, a Lake County record.
Bailey Huggins
Unseeded at 116 pounds, Kelseyville sophomore Bailey Huggins dropped a 5-3 decision to Gabriela Sandoval of Scotts Valley High School (Central Coast Section) before bouncing back with a 10-2 major decision over Rosie Arana of San Fernando High School (Los Angeles Section) in the consolation bracket. The reigning NCS champion had her state run end with an 11-4 loss to Tiffany Cornejo of Western High School (Southern Section) in round two of consolation action.
