In 1991-1992 Will C Wood opened its doors as a high school. Previously it had been a middle school. When those doors opened, Thor Jensen was at the helm of the Wildcat wrestling program.
Since that time the wrestling program has been a consistent staple competing at high levels. On May 12 the Wildcats reached another milestone.
In beating Armijo that night in their league dual which determined league positioning, the Wildcats won their 300th dual meet. Currently co-head coaches Jeremy Barnett, a Wood alum, and Jensen continue to lead the Cats.
It was a shortened, odd and different wrestling season not only by the time of year and extra stipulations due to COVID but also because this year no invitations were allowed. The season was supposed to consist of league dual meets or duals with neighboring counties in the same tier.
The MEL coaches attempted to keep some consistency and wanted to have a MEL tournament where all the league teams could come together and compete as they always have. This process required a proposal to be sent to Solano County Public Health for approval. In an effort for approval, it was the first time a wrestling tournament had to be proposed to exclude fans or parents from the tournament location.
Much to the happiness of all those that were involved, the MEL tournament was approved by public health to happen on May 29. An added precaution was continued mandatory testing, which had been a daily requirement for all wrestling teams.
On the date the league teams were able to come together at Wood for the MEL tournament. The Wildcats entered the league tournament having only lost one dual meet all year and looked to continue their momentum on the day.
The Wildcats were able to put seven wrestlers into the league finals — Autumn Garrett (106), Ty Parado (160), Dominic Barnett (170), Steven Lukens (182), Jakob Smithson (195), Conor Lenke (220) and Charlie Horton (285). Each of these Wildcats reached the finals to match up with their rival, Vacaville High.
To start the league finals off, Autumn Garrett made short work of her opponent in the finals, winning by pin. In doing so she became the first female wrestler to ever win a MEL wrestling title. To top off the honor of a league title, she was named the Lightweight Outstanding Wrestler, voted on by the league coaches.
As a team, the Wildcats powered their way to a second-place finish.
“I was proud of our team. They went out and competed, endured and finished one of the weirdest/hardest seasons I have ever been a part of,” Barnett said. “We were led by our seniors in typical fashion and placed seven wrestlers into the finals. You have to be proud of your team and program when you can produce consistent results over time.”
"wood" - Google News
June 03, 2021 at 03:58AM
https://ift.tt/34Jjfpf
Will C. Wood High wrestling team takes second place in league meet - Vacaville Reporter
"wood" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3du6D7I
No comments:
Post a Comment