BRENTWOOD — Think hitting for the cycle in baseball or pulling off a quadruple-double in basketball. Both are rare feats and so is what Junior Fernandez is trying to accomplish this weekend when the 35th annual Lou Bronzan Invitational wrestling tournament takes place at Liberty High School in Brentwood.
Action begins Friday and runs through Saturday in what is considered one of the top-shelf preseason tournaments in boys wrestling.
Fernandez, the standout Upper Lake High School 138-pounder, brings an 8-0 record into the competition and has yet to give up a non-escape point to an opponent this season. More importantly, the senior is trying to do what only one other wrestler – former Liberty High star David Klingsheim – has done in the history of the prestigious event, which is win his weight class a fourth straight year.
All weight class champions at the Lou Bronzan Invitational receive championship belts and Fernandez is looking for No. 4 to complete his collection.
Fernandez and Klingsheim share a bond apart from their success at the Lou Bronzan.
“He is Junior’s personal trainer,” said Jose Fernandez, Junior’s father and Upper Lake High School’s head coach. “He’s come here every week from Sacramento to work with Junior for the last two years.”
Fernandez is the defending North Coast Section runner-up at 126 pounds. He just missed a top-eight finish and a medal at the 2018 CIF State Championships, losing a one-point decision in the blood round.
The Lou Bronzan is the third tournament this season for Fernandez, who owns wins at the Green & Gold in Novato and the Bill Martell in Walnut Creek.
Along with vying for a fourth straight Lou Bronzan championship belt this weekend in Brentwood, Fernandez will be trying to nail down one of three outstanding wrestler awards given at the tournament.
Held in conjunction with the Lou Bronzan Invitational is the Brittany David Invitational for girls at the same location. Upper Lake’s Adriana Lopez, defending section champion and two-time state medalist, is gunning for the championship belt at 126 pounds after winning the 121-pound division a year ago.
