Tigers' Kloster second at Central Section Divisionals, Joint takes third. Girls advance three
Three Lemoore lady wrestlers are also advancing in state wrestling action, hoping to earn a spot in Bakersfield.
The Valley’s best wrestlers were on hand in the Tigers’ Event Center this past weekend (Feb. 14-15) for the Div. 1 Wrestling Championships, and the state’s top wrestling school proved once again why it remains at the top of California rankings. Buchanan High School easily dominated the championships amassing 321 points to outdistance second-place Clovis (237).
Lemoore finished with a respectable 83 points, good enough for 10th place overall, and will certainly send a hefty contingent to this weekend’s Masters Tournament, the final step before the state finals.
Lemoore, while not quite as dominant as the Bears from Clovis, managed to show off a little bit too as William Kloster (162) and Wayne Joint (128) turned in respectable showings. Kloster made it to the finals before losing 9-0 to Buchanan’s Rocco Constino.
Joint managed a third-place showing after losing in the championship round to Clovis North’s Ryan Watts 7-3. He ended up in third place after defeating Selma’s Kimo Leia 6-4 in the consolation round.
Other Tigers who fared well and will participate in this week’s Masters include 108-pound Dylan McDonald (5th), 115-pound Sebastian Macedo (9th), 8th place finisher Jess Gaytan (122), and 222-pound Isaiah Jose Morales (9th).
Lemoore will also send three girls to the Central Section Masters scheduled for Feb. 21-22 at East Bakersfield High School. This past weekend at the Girls Area Championships at Mission High School, three lady Tigers earned spots in the next round.
Marisa Perico, the West Yosemite League’s MVP in her weight class, was a top finisher at the Girls Northeast Area Championships and will be the top seed entering this weekend’s Valley Tournament at Bakersfield East.
Joining Marisa is her sister, Mariah Perico, who took second and will be the No. 4 seed in the weekend valley championships. Mia Meno finished seventh overall, and thanks to her performance, she’ll be at the Valley meet too.
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