Local teams boast medalists in first season outing
The El Molino and Analy wrestling teams sent a contingent of young athletes to the Redwood Empire Novice Tournament hosted by Healdsburg on Dec. 2, with several wrestlers placing in the top four in their respective weight class.
The annual tournament serves as the first taste of high school competition for underclassmen and other first-year wrestlers looking to get their feet wet. The event also included a girls tourney, making for a full day of action.
“It was rewarding to see how well the kids wrestled, it validated everything we are doing to prepare the kids to compete,” El Mo head coach Ron Wright said. “The really cool thing about the Novice meet was that there were two or three girls’ brackets for the first time. The growth in wrestling right now is with the girls and I think it’s really exciting.”
Turning in standout efforts for the Lions were freshmen Hannah Ricoli (1st place, 3-0, 2 pins), Asher Weathersbee (2nd place, 2-1), Erik Dimond (3rd place, 1-1) and Zavier Grech (1-1, suffered a broken finger in his second match). In addition, sophomore Wesley Schaivone went 0-3 while junior Austin Kelsey finished the day at 2-1.
Ricoli was voted the outstanding El Molino wrestler by her teammates, naming her the winner of the “Beast of the Week” award.
Although there were no official results available for Analy wrestlers, top finishers for the Tigers included Zach Fogg (1st place) and Rhyder Young (3rd place).
High school wrestlers will be back on the mat this weekend with participation in the Elsie Allen JV Fishman Invitational Tournament, along with the varsity San Marin Green & Gold tourney.
