LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Saturday, Jan. 21, the Clear Lake Cardinals entered wrestlers into two separate tournaments.

Four boys headed off to the 18th annual King of the Mat in Windsor and four girls went to the fifth annual Lady Eagle Invitational, held at Del Oro High School in Loomis.

The King of the Mat, one of the tougher tournaments held in the North Coast Sections, proved to be so once again.

Justin Cantrell (154 lbs.) won a silver medal in the bronze division bracket going 2-2 on the day, unfortunately injuring his elbow in his finals match, possibly putting an end to his very successful first year of wrestling.

Frankie Sturr (128 lbs.) went 1-2 with one pin, with one of his losses against the No. 1 seed and eventual champion.

Brandon Dickey (140 lbs.) and Thomas Lairson (122 lbs.) also wrestled some tough matches in the tournament for the Cardinals.

At the Lady Eagle Invitational tournament in the Sac Joaquin Section, Mavis Pyorre (113 lbs.) took fourth place in the varsity bracket, going 2-2 with one pin.

Unseeded in the tournament, Pyorre went on to beat the No. 2 seed from Bear Creek 9 to 0, then lost a close battle to the wrestler (from Cordova) who advanced from the No. 3 seed.

A little banged up, Pyorre went on to pin the No. 4 seed from El Capitan and advance to battle for third place, against the No. 2 seed again. She controlled the first period but there were no points scored.

In the second period Pyorre took a shot to the head and used up most of her injury time, now down by two.

In the third period Pyorre came back taking the lead, almost pinning her opponent, who then slipped out. Pyorre took another bang to the head and was out of time and lost by injury default to take fourth.

Merari Alvarez (162 lbs.) won the silver medal in the novice bracket going 3-2 with two pins.

Along the way Merari got her first win by pin against a Christian Brothers wrestler, then beat a Del Oro wrestler 6-2, fell to a wrestler from Whitney, pinned an opponent from Will C. Wood and came up just short against a wrestler from Casa Robles.

Also wrestling some hard-fought matches for the Cardinals were Mackenzie Markham (103 lbs., varsity division) and Scarlett Ballard (123 lbs., novice division).