Submitted photos – Former Arcata Tiger Dakota Sanders, second from right, placed fifth at the weekend community college state championships.

Two former H-DNL wrestlers placed at the California Community College state championships over the weekend, as the College of the Redwoods men’s team capped an outstanding first season back on the mats.

The Corsairs had eight grapplers make the trip to San Luis Obispo for the prestigious season-ending tournament and ended up placing 12th as a team.

And considering this was the first time they competed in the sport in four decades, overall it was an outstanding showing for the team.

Arcata graduate Dakota Sanders was one of two former H-DNL wrestlers to place and finished fifth at 125 pounds.

Former Hoopa Warriors Gerard Marshall also had a big tournament and placed sixth in the heavyweight division, while teammate Kymani Capri of Ukiah placed fifth at 141.

“All the guys went out there and left it all on the mats,” head coach Brandon Benvenuti said.

Sanders won his way through to the semifinals before losing two straight matches, while Capri dropped his opening match but would battle back through the bracket with three straight wins.

Marshall lost his second match of the tournament and would also battle back with two more wins to feature on the podium.

“It was really cool to see him come alive,” Benvenuti said of the 2023 Hoopa graduate. “I thought he put together one of his best tournaments of the season.”

William Smith (133), Anthony Smith (165), Jeffrey Skyrud (174), Juan Magallon (184) and Benny Rider (197) each also made the trip for the Corsairs.

“To finish 12th out of 22 teams in year one is a pretty huge accomplishment,” Benvenuti said. “I thought it was an amazing first year and a truly special experience.”

Former Hoopa Warrior Gerard Marshall placed sixth in the heavyweight division.

CR’s Kymani Capri placed fifth at 141

The Corsairs had not competed in men’s wrestling since the 1970s, but this year’s team has quickly re-established the program and set new standards for the teams to come.

In addition to the big performance at the state meet, the Corsairs also placed fourth at the recent NorCal regional tournament.

“It was so awesome to see these guys step up for the occasion and understand what they were doing,” Benvenuti said. “To understand they were the first group (since the 70s) to lay this path.

“It was really awesome to see them come together and bond as a team.”

Benvenuti will now turn his attention toward the CR women’s team, which will begin competing for the first time ever in the spring.

Benvenuti, who coaches both the men’s and women’s teams, has six wrestlers on the women’s squad and is hoping to add a couple more before the spring semester.