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Sonoma wrestles Healdsburg Duals

Lacy, Serafini again win gold, Dragons prep for Reno event

After an impressive third-place finish in the long-running 35-team Golden Gate Classic at San Francisco’s Washington High School,  the Sonoma Valley High School’s varsity wrestling team competed in the annual Healdsburg Duals on Saturday and earned a top-10 finish.

In their four-team group of the 16-team tournament, the Dragons dropped a pair of decisions – 52-23 to a tough Weston Ranch (Stockton) team and 48-26 to Red Bluff, before beating Watsonville 35-21 for third in their pool-play, then reaching the top-10 with a 45-34 victory over Washington.

Leading the Sonoma wrestlers – directed by head coach Kyle Baird and assistant coach Deets Winslow – at the Healdsburg Duals were co-captain seniors Aidan Lacy and Giordi Serafini, who, on the heels of claiming Golden Gate Classic titles, each decisively won all four of their matches to earn gold medals in their weight classes.

Serafini and Lacy posted 4-0 first-place records with two pins each in the 132- and 220-pound divisions, respectively, and both remain unbeaten in eight matches apiece after two early season events.

Taking home silver medals for the Dragons were senior Sam Denning and sophomore Jake Randuch, accompanied by bronze medalist senior Alex Ohan, junior Max Schimm and senior Jose Vazquez-Fierro.

Denning had a 3-1 second-place record with one pin and one technical-fall win at 138 pounds; Randuch’s 3-1 second with two tech-falls at 126; Ohan’s 2-0 third with one pin at 160; Schimm’s 2-2 third at 170; and Vazquez-Fierro’s 2-2 third in the heavyweight division.

Also pacing Sonoma were junior Tommy Jordan’s 1-3 with one pin at 145 pounds; junior Harris Meglen’s 1-3 at 120; freshman Brandon Ruiz’s 0-4 at 152; and junior Carlos Mendoza’s 0-4 at 182.

On Friday, the junior varsity Dragon grapplers competed in the Healdsburg Jayvee Duals and were paced by Ohan’s first-place finish with three pins at 160 pounds; Ruiz’s 3-1 third with three pins at 162; frosh Dalton Elster’s 3-1 third at 220; junior Chris Lohnes’ 2-2 fourth at 106; Vazquez-Fierro’s 0-4 in the heavyweight division; senior Sebastian Amara’s 0-2 at 160; and frosh David Price’s 0-2 at 126.

The varsity Dragons will next compete in the annual, and challenging, Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno on Wednesday through Friday, Dec. 26 to 28, followed by their 2013 Sonoma County League dual-match season opener against El Molino in Forestville on Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Sonoma’s annual Valley of the Moon Classic is slated for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 4 and 5, in Pfeiffer Gym.