Two other team members place at Santa Smackdown in Orangevale
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WILLITS >> The Gladiator Wrestling Club sent 13 wrestlers to the second annual Tom Tilton Novice Tournament on Sunday while two other team members attended the Santa Smackdown in Orangevale.
In Willits, four Gladiators came in first, with Sophia Olea leading the way in the 77-pound, 10-and-under bracket where she went 5-0 with four pins and technical fall. Cameryn Gamble Ray won all four of his matches by pin in the 155-pound middle school boys bracket.
Other firsts went to Elijah Lopez, who went 2-0 with two pins in the middle school boys division (100-110 pounds), and Jaxon Roath, who went 2-0 with a pin and one technical fall in the 6-and-under 62-pound division.
The Gladiators also had four second-place medalists. Amias Kennedy went 4-1 in the 6-and-under bracket (53-56 pounds), Kylie Dugger went 2-1 with one pin in the 12-and-under division (78-82 pounds), Nicholas Montanez in the 6-and-under bracket (62 pounds), and Zeus Romo in the 8-and-under bracket (70 pounds).
Third-place medals went to Cristiano Lopez (10-and-under, 84 pounds), Ivory Romo (10-and-under, 67 pounds), and Jovanni Alejo (middle school boys, 126 pounds).
Gion Gibson finished fourth in the middle school boys 120-pound division.
“The numbers we had were low but the spirits and efforts were high,” Gladiator head coach Hugo Salazar said. “The kids battled in Willits and some of their efforts are paying off, with almost every kid bringing home some hardware.”
Competing at the Santa Smackdown, Leroy Hopkins placed second in the middle school boys division (116-120 pounds) while sister Alyssa Hopkins came in third in the middle school girls division (153-155 pounds).
