The Eureka girls continued to showcase just how much depth they have on the wrestling mats this year, with another tournament championship at Windsor High on Saturday.
The tournament win was the fourth this season, following last weekend’s victory at the inaugural all-girls North Coast Classic.
It was also the second straight week the Loggers won by just a single point — both times against a quality Ukiah squad — this time by a score of 161-160.
“They had to work. It wasn’t easy,” Eureka head coach Cecil Wilson said.
The Loggers weren’t the only local grapplers to impress at the weekend tourney, with Arcata taking a pair of individual firsts and a second, and Del Norte placing fifth as a team.
Eureka had individual wins by Aracely Rendon at 189 pounds and Helena Rogers at 160, as well as three third-place finishers, Kelli Johnston, Yareli Rendon and Keara Ethridge.
And it was the team depth that keyed the narrow win, along with sone clutch performances.
“We went down there and we beat some pretty good teams,” Wilson said. “And that again is a tribute to the team.”
Tigers take two firsts
Arcata freshmen Lila Davis and and Hailey Kenyon each also took home an individual title, showcasing the continued growth of girls wrestling in the area.
“It’s not just Eureka,” Wilson said. “Arcata had three girls in the finals, Del Norte was in the top five. These are good accomplishments for the H-DN.”
Davis’ victory at 116 pounds was particularly gratifying to see for Arcata head coach Eric Mikolai.
“She beat some really good girls in our section, and her finals match came down to the final 20 seconds,” he said. “She’s really listening to what I’m telling her from the sidelines, and doing what we’re working on in practice, and those are the best wins.”
Kenyon, meanwhile, enjoyed a dominating day at 121, winning one of her three matchups by a technical fall, awarded when a wrestler is leading by 15 points, and her other two by pin.
“There’s not much more you can do at a tournament to dominate,” Mikolai said.
Maeve Moore, one of the top senior wrestlers in the area, placed second at 137.
As a team, Arcata placed seventh, with five wrestlers traveling to compete in four different weight classes.
Del Norte medalists
The Del Norte girls, meanwhile, also showcased their team depth, with six of their seven wrestlers placing in the top five.
At 150, Autumn Turner took second, as did Danika Scott at 235, while Jenny Schaad (116) and Hailey Stover (143) each placed fourth in their brackets.
Rounding out a big team performance, both Ashley Turner (185) and Claire Taylor (131) placed fifth.
Next up for the local wrestlers will be the the first-ever all-girls Humboldt-Del Norte League Championships in two weeks at Eureka High.
