LOWER LAKE >> The Golden State Warriors will open the 2018-19 season looking for a fourth championship in five years. So will the Lower Lake Trojans.
While the start of the winter sports season is four months away, Lower Lake and veteran coach Ed Fuchs are taking the first steps toward another banner campaign in the form of open mat workouts at the school’s wrestling room. With the loss of several key heavyweights to graduation, the Trojans will be scrambling next season to duplicate the kind of success they enjoyed while winning a Coastal Mountain Conference co-championship in 2015, an outright title in 2016, and a co-championship in 2018.
“Our lightweights and middleweights look good, but we need heavyweights after losing some pretty good ones,” Fuchs said of such veteran standouts as Peerliss Brooke and Michael Jamison, who graduated earlier this month.
Returning for his fourth year is incoming senior Adam De Leon, who will be moving up from 132 pounds last season to 157 pounds in 2018-19.
De Leon, a three-time team captain for the Trojans, has been a beast in the weight room during the offseason, according to Fuchs, motivated by a 14-13 loss that ended his 2017-18 season. De Leon tore his triceps muscle during the match but still held a 13-11 lead with 20 seconds remaining.
“He took that to heart and hit the weight room,” Fuchs said.
Fuchs took a turn wrestling De Leon during the open workout on Wednesday.
“I did fine,” Fuchs said. “I hadn’t wrestled since February.”
Looking on with Fuchs during Wednesday’s workout was daughter Elle, 3½.
“She can’t wait to wrestle,” Fuchs said of the youngest of his three children. Older daughter Liberty is also a wrestler as is brother Mason. Mom Sarah Fuchs is Lower Lake High School’s athletic director.
Lower Lake has another open mat workout scheduled for next Wednesday from 1-3 p.m.
