Two Palo Alto High School wrestlers competed in championship matches this Saturday Dec. 17 at the Lynn Dyche Classic at James Lick High School in San Jose. Although only five members of the Viking squad participated, they all placed in their respective weight classes.

Christian Lonsky (’12) was one member who reached the final round of his weight class. Lonksy was going for a takedown in the last seconds of the match, but did not succeed before the blow of the whistle and was narrowly defeated 3-2.

Erik Anderson (’13), beat the first seed of the tournament who was ranked seventh inCentral Coast Sectionals (CCS), in the third round of the tournament (6-1). Anderson rose to the championship match where he faced the second seed, ranked tenth in CCS . The grueling match reached a third period where Anderson then defeated his opponent (4-1) with a decisive pin. This was Anderson’s first championship win for varsity.

“The tournament was a good start for my season and also good for the wrestlers who are just getting back in to the swing of things,” Anderson said.

His fellow team members displayed strong performances, as they all succeeded in placing.  Trenton Marshall (’13) reached third place and Gary Hobauch (’13) tied for third. Jared  Swezey-Gleason also (’12) finished sixth in his weight class.

The past two tournaments have helped the team as a whole prepare for future competition.

“We are looking forward to seeing how we can compete against better wrestlers,” Anderson said.

The Vikings will hit the mat again this Friday, Dec. 23, where they will face both St. Francis and San Benito at St. Francis High School.