EG Wrestlers Fifth At Zinkin

The Zinkin Classic is always one of the best wrestling tournaments in all of California annually. Held generally the weekend prior to Christmas, the Zinkin always hosts Central California schools that typically are hot beds of wrestling.

Several eventual state champions and state contenders grapple in an early preview of who might be the very best wrestlers in all of California.

This year the Clovis schools dominated the meet with a good showing by Clovis and host Buchanan. Elk Grove had its moments, too at the Dec. 20-21 event.

Tristan Scott, the Herd’s 120 pounder, defeated Jansen Englebrecht of Del Oro via a pin in 1:46 to grab the third place medal. Scott is off to a 5-1 start this season in his matches.

Thomas Aguila was fourth at 220 as was Marcus Worthy at 285 pounds.

Eighth place finishes were earned by Chris Ennis at 113 pounds, Kalani Tonge at 126 pounds and Carson Sperber at 138 pounds.

With those performances, Elk Grove finished fifth in the team standings with 105.5 points. Del Oro finished eighth.

The event was  won by Clovis High School by almost a full one hundred points over the host Buchanan squad.

The Herd wrestlers will compete in the California Coast Classic, Dec. 27 and 28 at Aptos High School in Santa Cruz.

Folsom Cries Foul Over Loss To De LaSalle

The 2013 football season may be over yet complaints over the state playoff system continue to brew, especially in Folsom.

For the past two seasons the Bulldogs have mopped up opponents in the Sac-Joaquin Section, yet have been blown out by De LaSalle in the NorCal Open Division Regional game.

Folsom fans have been laying the blame for those losses at the feet of Section Commissioner Pete Saco, the man who has been the driving force behind a state playoff system in football.

In a Folsom Telegraph story on Dec. 24, parents of the Bulldogs’ players claimed the public schools should be separated from the private schools in the regional and state playoffs.

“De LaSalle is a private school which can attract talent from all over the state, and in some instances, the country to play for their team,” Jennifer Cartier, mother of Folsom offensive lineman Nick Bolling, wrote.

Saco told the Telegraph he’s been the brunt of these complaints by Folsom fans and is willing to push a change in the post-season format. He said there could be the possibility of placing the Open Division team from Northern California directly into the State Championship and have all Section champions play a regional game. Instead of five regional games, there would be 12.

“I think it can be done and it could happen next year if enough people get behind it,” Saco told the Telegraph.

Del Oro, the Division II Section winner, lost to Bakersfield, 56-26, in the State Division I championship game.

Holiday Tournaments Galore

There’s no rest for the local basketball squads this weekend. Just about every team is playing in a tournament.

Elk Grove (5-6 thus far this season) is at the Jaime Angley Hornet Classic at Enterprise High School in Redding. Laguna Creek (6-3) is at the Modesto Christian Tournament this weekend.

Pleasant Grove (4-4) will play at the Holiday Hardwood Invitational at Westlake High School. They will open the tournament with a rematch of the State Championship game last March against Santa Monica High School.

Sheldon (3-3) is at the Under Armour Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines High School.

Bradshaw Christian (1-3) is in Los Angeles for the Maxpreps Holiday Classic.