FRESNO — One week after winning the 121-pound title at the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield, Upper Lake High School’s Adriana Lopez was crushing the competition again, this time on Sunday during the California USA Folkstyle Cadet/Junior Boys and Girls Championships in Fresno.
Lopez, representing the Golden State Wrestling Club of Upper Lake and competing in the Junior 127-pound division, went 3-0 after receiving a first-round bye. She beat Katie Gomez of Birmingham Community Charter by 7-5 decision in the championship match, a rematch of their quarterfinal-round meeting at the CIF State Championships won 9-5 by Lopez.
Lopez also beat Sadie Castaneda of the Tigers 14-2 in the quarterfinals before knocking off Solana Mottola of Team Temecula 6-4 in the semifinals.
Lopez, the first Upper Lake and Lake County athlete to win a state title in any CIF-sanctioned sport, wasn’t the only Golden State wrestler to come away with a win in Fresno. Her brother, Junior Fernandez, who placed fifth in Bakersfield a week earlier to become the first Upper Lake High School boy to win a state medal, went 5-0 at Fresno in the 145-pound Junior boys division. Despite wrestling up two weight classes, he was seeded No. 2 in the 36-man bracket.
“This was the first time Junior and Adriana have both won at (USA) state at the same time,” said their coach and dad, Jose Fernandez. “Many times one has won with the other getting second or third.”
Junior’s road to victory included a first-round bye, a win by fall over Josiah Monjaras of Pleasant Hill, a 15-0 technical fall over Samuel Atherton of Team Temecula, a win by fall over Azary Matsuda of Granite Bay Wrestling in the quarterfinals, a 10-9 decision over George Ruiz of Ethrone in the semifinals, and a 6-0 decision over Michael Guzman of the Hollister Razorbacks in the championship match.
Other Golden State wrestlers taking part in the Fresno competition were Dena Loans Arrow in the Cadet 127-pound girls division, Cody Banks in the Cadet 126-pound boys division on Saturday and in the Junior 126-pound division on Sunday, and Robby Harper in the Cadet 138-pound boys division.
In Saturday action, Loans Arrow finished 1-3 and placed sixth overall while Banks went 1-2 and Harper 0-2.
Banks returned Sunday and went 2-2, including wins in his first two matches — 11-10 over Daniel Munoz from Servite, and by fall in the second round. He lost his next two matches and was eliminated.
