Local varsity wrestlers kicked off the mat campaign in earnest
last weekend, getting their first taste of action in a pair of very
competitive tournaments.
The Tigers traveled to San Marin in Novato for the annual Green
and Gold tourney, while the Lions participated in the second annual
Chuckchansi Wrestling Tournament in Fresno.
Tigers go the mat at Green and Gold
Analy took eight of its veteran grapplers to San Marin on
Saturday, with three finishing in the top four in their weight
division.
“We had a pretty good tournament, considering a lot of our kids
are at the same weight class right now,” said Analy coach Ryan
Stevens. “We’ll start to fill a lot of holes once weights start to
drop.”
Top performances came from 125-pound junior Kyle Doughty (2-1,
2nd place), 135-pound senior Corey Schmitt (3-1, 3rd place), and
145-pound senior Mike Houlemard (2-2, 4th place).
Other notable efforts included 215-pound junior Brian Northen
(2-2), and 130-pounder Michael Guerrero (1-1). Sophomore Kyle
Nogelberg and freshman Tyler Hagle made the trip but
injury-defaulted.
Lion veterans shine
The 11-man El Mo contingent was in the heart of “wrestling
country” in Fresno on Dec. 10-11, taking on highly touted
competition from the formidable Central Section in the likes of
Clovis East, Edison, Bakersfield, Gilroy, Madera, Madera South, and
Sanger.
The Lions acquitted themselves well in the two-day meet, with
most wrestlers finishing at 2-2 on the day to capture12th place as
a team among 44 participating schools.
Leading the charge were 135-pound junior Blake Borges (4th
place), 130-pound senior Vinnie Fuesz (6th place), 140-pound senior
Johnny Fuentes (5th place), and 112-pound sophomore Logan Fore
(5th place).
