Coaches join the fun in adult divisions
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LOWER LAKE >> CORE Wrestling Club placed second as a team to bring home a trophy from the annual Gladiator Brawl on Sunday at Lower Lake High School.
CORE also placed third as team in most pins/technical falls.
While CORE’s wrestlers distinguished themselves Sunday, so did two of their coaches while competing in adult divisions. Coach Thaddeus Moore placed second in the heavyweight men’s open with a 1-1 record, the win coming on a pin, while coach Daniel Hooten won the middleweight men’s open with a 4-0 record that included two pins.
“Coaches practiced what they preached out on the mat Sunday,” CORE spokesperson Mary Ann Doud said. “Coach Thaddeus battled with two tough opponents in Gladiators coach Richard Tucker and Lower Lake High alum Michael Bullard of Sutter Combat Wrestling. Coach Hooten displayed a never-quit attitude, battling through a knee injury to claim the gold.”
Among CORE wrestlers who double bracketed, Kaitlyn Crow won the middle school girls (75-82 pounds) division with a 3-0 record that featured two pins, and she also placed fourth in 12-and-under girls (77 pounds) with 1-2 record and one pin.
Colin Crow placed second in 12-and-under boys (63 pounds) with a 1-2 record, and William Villa was third in the 10-and-under boys division (65 pounds) with a 2-2 record that included one technical fall.
Among other CORE wrestlers, Sampson Wetmore went 4-0 to win the 12-and-under boys division (94 pounds), Liliana Williams went 2-0 with two pins to win the middle school girls division (122 pounds), and Eric Holley went 3-0 with one technical fall to capture the 8-and-under boys division (60 pounds).
Second-place medals went to Jessie Richardson IV, who went 3-1 in the 8-and-under boys division (68 pounds); to Connor Lamb, who went 4-1 with three pins and a technical fall in the 8-and-under boys division (52 pounds); to Wyatt Hooten who went 3-1 with one pin in the 12-and-under boys division (70 pounds); and to Fredrick Jeffries in the 12-and-under boys division (140 pounds).
Skyler Ramirez came in third with a 1-2 record in the 6-and-under boys division (46 pounds).
Placing fourth were Kholton Downey in the 8-and-under boys division (52 pounds) and Jessie Taylor Jr. in the 8-and-under boys division (60 pounds). Downey went 2-1 with one technical fall while Taylor Jr. went 2-2 with two pins.
State championships
While most of the CORE wrestlers were competing in Lower Lake, Gerardo “Tito” Rodriguez, a Middletown High School student, finished fifth (3-2 record, one pin, one technical fall) at the Folkstyle State Championships in Fresno.
“We had a tough weight cut but weighing in a few days before really helped us hydrate early,” CORE coach Pedro Garrido said. “Tito made it all the way to the semifinals but fell short. He lost a close 8-7 match in the consolation semifinals. His standout performance was in his second match where he was trailing 7-1 after the first period. We chose top position in the second (period) and he ended up scoring eight different near-fall points.”
Added Garrido, “I’m very proud of how far Tito has come in his wrestling career and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next.”
