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League Action, Tournament Matches Keep Wrestlers Busy
L ANDERSON 182
Winning by pin in the third round here against Manteca in earlier season action, Escalons Luke Anderson wrestled strong for the Cougars at 182 pounds at the Gregori Tournament on Saturday. Marg Jackson/The Times

Starting out the week with a win in a dual meet over Hilmar, Escalon wrestlers then were busy over the weekend, traveling to a number of tournaments.

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, the JV Cougars defeated Hilmar 54-12 and the varsity came away with a 61-18 victory.

Starting out the match with a key win for the Cougars was Mikayla Vega at 113 pounds.

“She got mad and pinned the guy in the third round,” head coach Derek Scott said of Vega being behind in the match until she pinned her opponent. “That set the tone; it was a good momentum swing.”

Aidan Krieger wrestled his way to an 11-2 win at 120 pounds; Miguel Sousa won by pin at 126.

“Garrett Nash won by pin at 132 pounds, got over some hurdles,” said Scott. “Livius Seung won by pin at 138 pounds but the biggest win was by Rhys Panero, he wrestled up a weight and won by pin.”

Panero wrestled at 145 pounds for the Cougars against Hilmar.

“It was really encouraging,” Scott said of the overall night. “We had a lot of guys in position to win and they did.”

Escalon’s Lady Cougar wrestlers traveled to the Enochs Tournament on Saturday, along with eight JV wrestlers. None of the JV grapplers got a win at the tourney but the girls did well, said Scott.

Ashley Mullen showed improvement from her first time on the mats and Julia Casillas took first place honors with a 4-0 mark.

Varsity wrestlers headed to the Gregori Tournament on Jan. 20, many of them coming home with hardware.

At 108 pounds, Braiden Vega took second; Aidan Krieger was fifth at 122 pounds; Garrett Nash was third with a 4-1 mark at 132. At 147 pounds, Brad Hagglund took fourth place honors; Ethan Krieger went 4-1 for third place honors at 152 pounds. David Ryan was third at 162 pounds; Izaac Sipma was sixth at 162. At 172 pounds, Alfredo Zarate was third and Roman Gonzales was sixth. Luke Anderson compiled a 4-1 record for third place at 182 pounds and Stephen Mendez was fourth at 197, with Miguel Granillo taking sixth. At heavyweight, Jonathon Santos took sixth and Sean Vassallo was seventh.

Escalon hosts Mountain House in a dual meet starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24. They will host Senior Night on Jan. 31, when Modesto Christian is scheduled to visit EHS.