MIDDLETOWN — With former Middletown High School coaches Dennis Jensen, Larry Allen and Troy Brierly all looking on, the Middletown Mustangs under current head coach Brian Hunt ran away with the title in the annual Dennis Jensen Invitational, which wrapped up its two-day run Saturday at Middletown High School.
Led by weight champions Dominic Clark, David Sypnicki and Eli Moreno, the Mustangs piled up 192 points to easily beat out Willits (160.5) and Lower Lake (141.5) for the tournament title. Clark, who won a thrilling 6-4 decision against Kelseyville’s Travis Boyles in the finals, was named one of the tournament three most valuable wrestlers, joining Lower Lake’s Quentin Vilmenay (138 pounds) and Fort Bragg’s Zac Morgan (170 pounds).
Clear Lake finished fifth overall in the team standings as Asher Reese pinned Upper Lake’s Dylan Slater in the second round of the 152-pound finals and Liam Davis pinned a Fort Bragg opponent in the 160-pound finals. Another Clear Lake finalist, Axel Alvarez, just missed at 182 pounds, dropping a 3-2 decision to a Willits opponent.
Middletown landed six wrestlers in the finals en route to winning the team championship. Besides Clark, Sypnicki and Moreno, Kayden Menzio lost by pin in the 113-pound finals to Jesse Rexrode of Fort Bragg, Steven Peterson lost by pin to Willits’ Jared Dunahm in the 220-pound finals, and JJ Gerst lost by pin to Pedro Avarado of Fort Bragg in the 285-pound finals.
Clear Lake had four wrestlers in the finals. Besides Reese, Davis and Alvarez, Schad Schweitzer lost by pin to Lower Lake’s Vilmenay in the 138-pound championship match.
Other weight class winners were Fort Bragg’s Walker Swithenbank at 126 pounds, Willits’ Dean Smith at 132 pounds, and Willits’ Ely Bowles at 195 pounds.
Four Lower Lake High School wrestlers came away with third-place medals — Arturo Guidino at 113 pounds, Myles Conaster at 132 pounds, Donaven Garcia at 145 pounds, and Michael Williams at 160 pounds.
Other third-place medals went to Kelseyville’s Sam Blue at 126 pounds and Middletown’s California Howland at 170 pounds.
Girls
Middletown’s Nicole Pyzer and Cat Barriga tied for first place in the 100-110 girls bracket, both going 2-0, and teammate Taylor Thompson won the 132-pound weight class.
Other girls winners were Lower Lake’s Hannah Barocio in the 111-123 division, Kelseyville’s Ari Fossa in the 143-150 division, and Clear Lake’s Nicole Buechler in the 189-pound division.
Second-place medals went to Hayden White, Jordan Hoefler and Amirah Jassar of Kelseyville and Mirabol Swank of Lower Lake.
Third-place medals went to Clear Lake’s Sophie Percaccio and Middletown’s Hannah Goetz and Isabel Cortez.
