Windsor to host King of the Mat wrestling meet on Jan. 18
Windsor wrestlers turned in a great week on the mat in both North Bay League and tournament competition, as the Jaguars continue to shine on the high school circuit.
With the advent of girls wrestling, the makeup of competitions can vary. Girls and boys can compete against each other in the league dual meets, but there are also some schools in league with full girls teams that compete only against other girls teams. Tournaments are single gender affairs, with girls wrestling girls and boys wrestling boys.
The action began with a North Bay League Oak Division opening dual meet at Cardinal Newman on Jan. 7, as the Jags flexed their muscles en route to a 54-29 win. Newman doesn’t have enough girls to form its own team, so co-ed matches took place.
Scoring victories for Windsor were 108-pound Kadin Winn (by forfeit), 115-pound Carmen Perez (by forfeit), 122-pound Jon Fredrickson (by fall), 128-pound Dominik Mertens (by forfeit), 154-pound Tristin Boyd (by fall), 162-pound Israel Higareda (by fall), 172-pound Jared Buchanan (by forfeit), 184-pound Trent Silva (by forfeit), 222-pound Logan Lino (by forfeit) and heavyweight Sebastian Novella (by forfeit).
On Saturday, Fredrickson led a small Windsor contingent at the prestigious Tim Brown Memorial Tournament in Sacramento, a competition loaded with state caliber wrestlers. This tournament is for boys only. Fredrickson was more than up to the challenge, successfully navigating his usual 108-pound weight bracket to earn a fifth-place medal.
King of the Mat on tap
The Jaguars will host Healdsburg in a league dual meet on Wednesday, Jan. 15 (6 p.m.). This weekend, Windsor will be the epicenter of high school wrestling, beginning on Friday, Jan. 17 when they host the Prince of the Mat JV tournament (3 p.m.). The annual varsity King of the Mat Tournament will take place in the WHS main gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 18. The action kicks off at 9 a.m. with the preliminary rounds and the championship matches will take place in the late afternoon.
Ladies claim medals
The Lady Jaguars were not to be upstaged in a pair of girls tournaments last weekend, including the all-girls Napa Valley tourney at Vintage High School. The largest high school girls tournament in the state, it included 170 teams and more than 700 wrestlers, serving as a great litmus test for athletes with state aspirations.
The Jaguars scored a total of 41 team points, good for 43rd place overall. Leading the way was sophomore Carmen Perez, who went 6-1 to claim a second place medal. Also turning in strong efforts were Kenya Artisco (2-2), Arianna Dixon (2-2) and Savannah Burger (4-2, top 12).
Windsor was also fully represented by 14 athletes at the Michael Kopperman Tournament in Lakeport on Jan. 12, with the Jags finishing in second place overall. Ariana Dixon set the tone, going 4-0 in the 123-pound weight class to take first place and earn tournament MVP.
Also claiming first place medals were 162-pound Yaretzi Garcia, 172-pound Destinee Groves and 192-pound Maribel Apinenu. Other medalists included Kenya Atrisco (2nd place), Hailey Woods (5th place), Aldenee Suomala (3rd place), Bianca Correa (2nd place), Vanessa Anderson (6th place), Sasha Cardenas (5th place), Ellery Charleton (4th place), Larissa Maccario (3rd place), Veronica Ramirez (3rd place) and Val Mota (2nd place).
“This is a very enthusiastic group that are supportive and you’ll know where Windsor is sitting in the gym, ” coach Richard Dixon commented. “It’s a young group that is quickly learning how to get into the right mindset before matches.”
The Lady Jaguars will compete in a tournament at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo on Jan. 17 and 18.
