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Heartbreaking Valentine’s Day for Psalmonds
UKIAH, Calif. – The Girls 2015 NCS Wrestling Championships was held on Friday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 14, in Ukiah.
The Clear Lake Cardinals sent three wrestlers to the tournament, where a first-, second- or third-place finish would advance them to the state championships.
Emily Psalmonds, the Cardinal 106-pound wrestler who was seeded fourth in the tournament, started the first day off right, pinning her opponent and advancing to the second day quarter finals.
The next day things seemed to be starting in the right direction. The No. 1 seed lost her quarter finals match to a wrestler Psalmonds had beaten and pinned three times earlier this year.
Psalmonds would get to face her again in the semifinals if she won her quarter finals match, against another wrestler she also had beaten and pinned twice before this year.
However, it proved to be a heartbreaking Valentine’s Day for Psalmonds.
In the quarterfinals match, her opponent hung in long enough to force overtime, with the match tied at 9-9.
In the first period of overtime, the first points scored wins. Psalmonds was called for stalling and her opponent was awarded the winning point, ending the match 10 to 9.
Psalmonds would then move on to the consolation bracket, pinning her next opponent.
The rest of the matches, just to get to wrestle for third, would be tough. Psalmonds would have to go through the No. 1 and No. 2 seeded wrestlers who also had lost and been knocked into the consolation brackets.
Psalmonds lost the next match against the No. 1 seed, but then went on to win her next match to take seventh place and end this year’s wrestling season at 22-9.
Mariela Soto (101 pounds) and Mia Miller (126 pounds) also competed for the Cardinals at the tournament.
Soto lost a couple of tough battles, while Miller – just back from an injury – realized after losing her first match she was still not ready to go 100 percent and ended her season to get ready for next year.
Next up the boys will head to their CMC League Championships, where a first-, second- or third-place finish will advance them to the Boys 2015 NCS Championships.