SPARKS, Nev. — The South Tahoe wrestling program opened 2023 on a high note, picking up a trio of first-place finishes last weekend at the Sparks Invitational to earn fifth as a team.

Senior Patrick Webster topped all four of his opponents by fall to take first place in the 150-pound division.  Webster defeated all but one opponent in the first period.

Senior Garrett Friederici also took home a first-place finish in 144-pound division. Friederici managed to pin each of his four opponents on the way to the win.

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At 138 pounds, Kash Hendrick was able to top his first four opponents by fall to reach the finals. Hendrick then took a 17-3 major decision in the finals to win the tournament.

Senior Andrew Singelyn finished in fourth place in the 175-pound division. Singelyn won his first three matches by fall. Junior Zach Brigs won three matches by fall and another by major decision to finish in fifth place. Senior Jacob DeLeon also finished in fifth with three wins by fall. The Vikings also had Charlie Berquist, and Chris Mossorte picked up team points with wins by fall.

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South Tahoe finished with 161 points as a team. Fernley won the 25-team tournament with a high score of 235 points.

Incline also competed and had senior Joshua Fragoso lead the team with a fifth-place finish. Fragoso pinned two opponents during the tournament.

On the girls’ side, Junior Hana Muller led the Vikings with a second-place finish in the 145- through 165-pound division. Muller won three matches by fall.

In the 120- through 126-pound weight class, freshman Lillia Verduzco took fourth place behind three wins. Freshman Diem Johnson also took fourth place in the 145- through 165-pound division with a win by fall in the fourth round. Sophomore Esmeralda Silva also scored team points for the Vikings.

As a squad, the Lady Vikings finished in fifth place with 27 points. Fernley won the meet with a high score of 91 points.

South Tahoe will host the Queen of the Mountain Girls Tournament on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The boys’ team will have a dual on Monday at Reed High School in Reno.

Basketball

In other prep news, the South Tahoe basketball teams will return to action on Wednesday after having games this week rescheduled due to weather.

The boys’ team will look for their first Class 3A Northern-West League win on Wednesday at Sparks. The girls’ team will look to improve to 2-0 in league play when they host Sparks on Wednesday.

In Class 2A play, the Incline boys improved to 3-0 in Northern League play with a 55-37 win at North Tahoe on Wednesday. The Highlanders will host Battle Mountain on Friday and West Wendover on Saturday.

The Incline girls’ team suffered a 57-2 loss on the road to North Tahoe. The Highlanders will look to bounce back this weekend with home games Friday against Battle Mountain and Saturday against West Wendover.

The Whittell boys’ team will be looking for their first win of the season on Friday on the road against Oasis Academy.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun, a sister publication of the Tribune.