The Golden Eagles dominated, with six of seven matches ending in pins and five pins coming in the first round. Nate Mitchell, Siraj Sidhu, Christian Perez, Cooper Sheesley, Logan Banks and Jagger French pinned their opponents, with French being the only one to go to the second round.
Patrick Bailey defeated Rocklin’s Chase Baker 4-0 in the 215-pound matchup.
The Golden Eagles wrestled with heavy hearts Wednesday night, honoring teammate Miguel Cortez with a moment of silence before the match. Cortez, who would have been a senior on this year’s wrestling team, passed away in October.
“We lost Miguel right before the season and it's been tough but sometimes a loss and tragedy can bring a team together and if anything, it's brought us a little closer, a little tighter,” Del Oro coach Clint Madden said. “It makes the kids appreciate each other a little bit more.”
Del Oro has dedicated its season to Cortez and has lofty goals, including aspirations of 3-peating as SFL champion and winning a second consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section championship.
Madden says he's confident the Golden Eagles can handle business in league but says the dual meet with Folsom on Jan. 17 should determine the champion.
“We're looking forward to that matchup, we always are,” Madden said. “We're always trying to do the best we can and we always want to win our league. We always want to be right up there at the top of the mat and the Masters tournament and do as well at state as we can. I think we're right on track to do all three of those things.”
Madden says this Del Oro team is among the best in the section, and it has proven that with strong finishes at the Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno, Mark Fuller Invitational in Lincoln and James Riddle Invitational at Oakdale.
“I think we're a top-three team in the section, we’re just gonna have to battle and do our best to see where we finish up among those top teams,” Madden said. “At the state level, we've been pretty fortunate to have been putting kids in the state medals and bringing home state medals every year and that's our plan once again this year.”
Madden says French is the biggest leader on the team. The senior, a Cal Poly commit, is one of many with a strong opportunity to compete for a state championship.
“Jagger really is the leader of this team and we really feel strongly that he can finish towards the top of the state meet,” Madden said. “He can pretty much wrestle with anybody and he just brings this real love of the sport to the team.”
Also, sophomore Siraj Sidhu is ranked sixth in the state in the 113-pound class and placed fifth in the state at 106 pounds last season.
“He's been wrestling for a long time at a high level and he is just a very talented wrestler,” Madden said. “He brings a lot of skill and technique to the mat and he does things so well that the rest of the team can pick up on it.”
Del Oro will be split up this weekend, with some wrestlers going to Chico for the Joe Ri... Click here to read full article
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