Windsor boasts nine medalists, takes 7th overall
Windsor High School was the epicenter of high school wrestling on Jan. 21, as the Jaguars played host to some four-dozen visiting teams in the 18th annual King of the Mat Tournament.
The Jags kicked off the action on Friday, Jan. 20 with the Prince of the Mat JV tournament, while the varsity KOM tourney was contested on Saturday.
The annual KOM has become a litmus test for elite high school wrestlers over the years, but the 2017 edition included arguably the most distinguished group yet.
“This was definitely the toughest KOM tournament we’ve ever held,” Jags veteran coach Rich Carnation said, recognizing the dozens of Windsor volunteers ensuring a smoothly run event. “We had some great teams like Spanish Springs (Nevada), Folsom, Benicia, West Valley and Folsom.”
Spanish Springs claimed the 2017 team title with 240.5 points, while Windsor battled injury and illness to finish a respectable seventh overall.
Leading the way for the Jaguars were medalists: 115-pound Elliot Robinson (8th place), 120-pound Connor Brown (6th place), 140-pound Trent Silva (8th place), 145-pound Ray Davis (1st place Silver Bracket), 152-pound Perez D. Perez (2nd place, injury defaulted in final),160-pound Steven Allee (4th place, injury defaulted due to illness), 195-pound Aiden Henry (5th place), 220-pound Kevin Correa (4th place) and 285-pound Austin Jacobs (4th place).
On Friday, the WHS JV squad captured first place as a team in the Prince of the Mat Tournament, with nine athletes placing in the top three in their weight class.
Windsor medalists included: 112-120-pound Brandon Fong (1st place), 120-126-pound Marcus Pigg (3rd place), 145-pound Nick Landeros (2nd place), 152-pound Ray Davis (1st place), 160-pound Josh Wagner (3rd place), 160-170-pound Justin Calvi (2nd place), 195-220-pound Alex Cruz (1st place), 220-pound Austin Backholm (3rd place) and 285-pound Cooper Strangeland (2nd place).
Scheduling, team notes
The Jaguars will face some adversity this month with several starters out indefinitely due to both the flu bug and recent injuries.
“We’ve been going to some real tough tournaments all season and it’s taken its toll on us, along with some illnesses,” Carnation noted. “Right now our goal is to get healthy and see what happens.”
The defending North Bay League champion Jaguars (3-0) are coming off a dominant, 64-9 win over Rancho Cotate on Jan. 18, but will have their toughest league test of the year this Wednesday, Jan. 25 when they host top contender Ukiah at 6 p.m.
