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Lacy medals in Reno

Sonoma senior 5th, Dragons set for VOM

A hearty group of Sonoma Valley High School varsity wrestlers and their coaches braved cold, snowy and icy weather in making their annual holiday break journey to Reno to compete against the top grapplers from nine Western states in the challenging Sierra Nevada Classic last Thursday and Friday.

Let alone medaling, just reaching the event’s second day is a major achievement and two Dragons, senior co-captains Aidan Lacy and Sam Denning, battled their way through the pressure-filled first day and made it to the final rounds, where Lacy rose to the occasion and accomplished the rare feat of capturing a medal.

Sonoma’s Lacy went undefeated on Thursday before losing just his first match of the young season Friday morning.

But Lacy bounced back to capture a prestigious fifth-place medal in the 220-pound weight class with a 5-2 record, including one pin. It was the best Sierra Nevada Classic finish for a Dragon in more than a decade.

Also reaching Friday’s final rounds for the Dragons was Denning, who lost once on Thursday and won his first match on Friday before being eliminated just shy of wrestling for an eighth-place medal and finishing in the top-12 with a 4-2 record with two pins at 132 pounds.

As for Sonoma’s senior co-captain Giordi Serafini, he was upset for his first loss of the season in his opening match on Thursday, but battled back for two convincing wins before being upended for his tournament-eliminating second defeat and ended up with a 2-2 record, including one pin, at 126 pounds.

Sonoma junior Harris Meglen also claimed a pair of wins for a 2-2 record at 113; while junior co-captain Max Schimm and sophomore Jake Randuch (one pin) finished with a 1-2 marks each at 145 and 120, respectively.

Also pacing the Dragons – directed by head coach Kyle Baird and assistant coach Deets Winslow – at the Sierra Nevada Classic were senior Alex Ohan’s 0-2 record at 152; senior Jose Vazquez-Fierro’s 0-2 in the heavyweight division; and junior Chris Lohnes’ 0-2 at 106.

The Dragon wrestlers open their 2013 Sonoma County League dual-match season tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 2, against El Molino in Forestville.

Then Sonoma’s annual Valley of the Moon Classic takes place this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 4 and 5, in Pfeiffer Gym, with schools representing four NorCal sections and two states, competing.

Along with host Sonoma, the 26-team VOM Classic field includes Golden Sierra, Woodland, Bear River, Justin-Siena, Terra Linda, Rodriguez, Winters, Vintage, Rancho Cotate, Analy, Ygnacio Valley, Windsor, Santa Rosa, El Molino, Alhambra, Aragon, Campolindo, Fairfield, Foothill, Novato, Tamalpais, Ukiah, Lick-Wilmerding, AA Stagg (Stockton) and Ralston Valley from Colorado.