Golden Eagles take 5th at Modesto tourney; SoCal Team Duals up next
MODESTO – Led by a second-place showing by Joey Clark, the Lemoore College wrestling team totaled 102.5 points to finish in fifth place out of 10 teams at the Modesto Junior College Invitational on Saturday.
The Golden Eagles had seven place among the top-six at the event despite sitting out their top wrestlers to rest up for the upcoming Southern California Dual Team Regionals next weekend.
"It was a great team effort from the entire squad, especially with several key wrestlers resting for next week's duals," said Lemoore head coach Marcio Botelho. "The team's depth really showed today."
Clark advanced all the way to the championship match of the 174 weight division unscathed but his run finally came to an end when he suffered a 9-4 loss to Brock Kitchen of Fresno City.
Robbie Rael also claimed a bronze finish at 165 pounds after making his way to the semifinals. He was a 7-2 winner over Jason Valencia from Lassen College in the third-place match.
Other top finishes for the Golden Eagles included:
125 lbs. – Jesus Gamboa, 5th place
133 lbs. – Josh Valdivia, 6th place
133 lbs. – Chris Garza, 5th place
184 lbs. – Juan Pablo, 6th place
197 lbs. – Ricardo Trevino, 5th place
Up next for the Golden Eagles is the 3C2A Southern California Dual Team Regionals on Oct. 18. The state event will be hosted by Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.
