IN SPORTS: LODI WRESTLERS PIN CALAVERAS
Middle and upper weight classes pinned down a season-opening win for the Lodi High wrestling team Wednesday at The Inferno.
Hosting Calaveras in a non-league dual meet, the Flames won five of the final eight matches that started in the middleweight classes for a 42-30 win.
“For the most part, I was pretty pleased with what I saw,” said Lodi coach Keith Mettler.
Calaveras held an 18-15 lead entering the 145-pound class when Lodi’s Dylan Crawford put the moves on Calaveras’ Andrew Garcia, recording a takedown that gave Crawford a 2-0 early in the first period. A near-fall in the second bumped his lead to 4-0.
Garcia came back in the period with a takedown to trim Crawford’s lead to 4-2. Crawford led 6-2 with a minute left in the final period, when the match was stopped and ended with Crawford winning by injury default to give Lodi a 2118 lead.
Lodi increased its advantage to 30-18 after Nick Jasperson (152) posted a 7-0 decision over Zach Oberle, and Darrius Hart (160) won by forfeit. The Flames won three matches by forfeits; along with Hart, Zach Olware-Taylor (120) and Zach Paustenbach (132) were the others.
Calaveras cracked into the Flames’ lead at 30-21 when Enrique Coronado escaped with a 2-1 over Lodi’s Austin Mason. After a scoreless first period, Mason used an escape to take a 1-0 lead. But in the final round, Coronado returned the favor, also using an escape that led to a 1-1 tie.
“I’ve got some guys that have been with me for awhile,” said Mettler of Mason, one of nearly a half-dozen returning this season, “and I’ve got some guys that are greenhorns. I don’t know what to expect — yet.”
Lodi’s Nathan Tipton pinned Elliott Houghton in the first period for a 36-21 score. The Flames’ Justin Medeiros (195) pinned Cyp Paisis in the second period for a 42-21 advantage.
Calaveras won the final two weight classes that cooled off the Flames’ huge lead. Lodi’s Oliver Shelley was pinned by Victor Moore in the 220-weight class. In the 285, the Flames’ Ben Bishop, a junior, lost a tough 5-2 decision to Chris Williams.
In the first two matches, Calaveras won by a forfeit at 106 and pin, which set up a 12-0 lead. But Olware-Taylor’s forfeit made the score 12-6.
At 126, Lodi’s Cody Loveall posted a 32 win over Nico Kanagy, which gave the Flames a 12-9 lead. But Calaveras took an 18-15 lead when Matt Elliott pinned Matt Baker at 138.
Mettler was also quick to point out what most of his wrestlers need to work on as the season is underway.
“I think we need to stand up a little bit more,” Mettler said. “For the most part, we didn’t shoot extremely well.”