KELSEYVILLE — The Shield knows no other home than Lower Lake High School and it’s not changing owners this year.
Lower Lake beat Kelseyville 26-0 on Wednesday night in Kelseyville as part of a Coastal Mountain Conference wrestling tri-meet also involving Middletown. As a result, the Trojans will retain The Shield, the annual award that goes to the winner of the Lower Lake-Kelseyville dual, for a fifth year in a row.
The Trojans are 5-for-5 against the Knights since The Shield first went up for grabs in 2016.
“This is a real special team,” Lower Lake head coach Ed Fuchs said as the Trojans closed out a perfect CMC regular season with a 7-0 record. They are 9-0 overall in duals, including non-conference wins over Healdsburg and Ukiah.
Lower Lake can secure the outright CMC title by winning the conference championship tournament Feb. 15 at Lower Lake. Before then, they’ll hit the road Saturday to participate in the North Coast Section Redwood Empire Team Duals at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park. If Lower Lake finishes third or higher in what could be up to a 10-team field, it will bring home the first Team Dual pennant in the school’s illustrious wrestling history. Only the top three teams Saturday receive coveted section pennants.
“If we’re at full force, there’s no doubt in my mind we’re coming home with a pennant,” Fuchs said.
During Wednesday’s regular-season finale, the Trojans also beat Middletown 51-15, and Middletown defeated Kelseyville 24-8.
“Lower Lake’s got a really good squad,” Middletown head coach Brian Hunt said. “They’re undefeated in league duals this season for a reason.”
Hunt said he’s rooting for the Trojans to bring home a pennant from Saturday’s sectional Team Duals.
“I think that would be awesome,” Hunt said.
Lower Lake
The Trojans won the only three contested matches with Kelseyville. Pedro Garrido scored 12 points in the third period of his 22-5 victory by technical fall at 140 pounds.
“He couldn’t pin the guy, but he definitely turned it on in the third period,” Fuchs said of Garrido.
Gilberto Orozco won the night’s most competitive match, a 4-1 decision over Jacob Jensen, a rematch of their meeting earlier this season at the Dennis Jensen Invitational in Middletown where Jensen prevailed 2-1.
At 172 pounds, Jesse Castellanos won by first-round pin.
The Trojans scored the remainder of their points against Kelseyville on forfeits.
In Lower Lake’s dual with Middletown, there were 10 contested weight classes of which eight were won by the Trojans, all but two of them by pin.
Middletown’s lone winners were Filemon Sanchez by 8-6 decision over Tony Guerrero at 126 pounds, and Jacob Perry by second-round pin over Troyman Cheng at 184 pounds.
For the Trojans, winners were Jacob Billings by 16-0 technical fall at 220 pounds, Tristan Day by second-roun pin at 134 pounds, Garrido by first-round pin at 140 points, Kevin Atrisco by 14-5 major decision at 147 pounds, Orozco by first-round pin at 154 pounds, Adam Viramontes by first-round pin at 162 pounds, Castellanos by first-round pin at 172 pounds, and Joseph Boyd by first-round pin in the heavyweight division.
Middletown
Middletown had only four contested matches with Kelseyville, winning two and losing two. For the victorious Mustangs, Jayde Miles moved up a weight class but still pinned Moreira Mosqueda in the first round at 126 pounds while Johnny Reyes pinned Kelseyville’s Jayden Kenoyer in the first round at 170 pounds.
Kelseyville winners were Lander Hockett by 11-0 major decision over Vince Hernandez at 138 pounds, and Jacob Jensen by 11-0 major decision over Hagan Cadwallader at 152 pounds.
Forfeits in other weight classes where Middletown had wrestlers and Kelseyville did not accounted for the final score.
