Lassen High School wrestling coach Rudy Valentine said he was pleased with the performance of his wrestlers in their home debut Friday-Saturday, Dec. 15-16, but will expect more later in the season. The Grizzlies finished fourth as host of the Lassen Rotary Tournament at Lassen College. Two wrestlers won gold medals.

Lassen went 4-3, finishing behind Modoc (7-0), Hughson (6-1) and Reed (5-2). Wins came against Bishop Manogue, Etna, Fernley and Truckee.

Trailing the Grizzlies were Bishop Manogue (3-4), Etna (2-5), Fernley (1-6) and Truckee (0-7).

Travis Jones and Matt Maumoynier walked away with golds. At 122 pounds, Jones won all seven of his matches and Maumoynier also went 7-0.

Lassen's Moses Valentine went 6-1 to win a silver, and Ricky Rizzato (5-2), Peri Zamora (5-2) and Chris Seals (5-2) placed third. Mike Duffy took fourth at 3-2.

Other Lassen wrestlers included Mike Mesa (2-5), Daniel McClure (3-4), Ryan Verboomen (2-5), Phillip Bush and Kory Walesch (1-1).

"It was a good tournament for us," Valentine said. "I'm excited and enthusiastic about what this group of kids can accomplish. We've got a lot of freshmen and sophomores, but I expect them to improve in a short period of time."

Lassen entered last weekend's tournament with two wrestlers ranked in the Northern Section - Valentine at 119 pounds and Maumoynier at 160. Valentine, who has pinned all of his opponents so far this year, is a perennial section-ranked wrestler and Maumoynier started the season ranked higher but has dropped because of a lack of matches.

"Moses and Matt are the cornerstones of our team. We need wins out of them for us to do well as a team," Valentine said.

Talent also exists at 112 pounds with Jones and 125 with Tyler Singh. Duffy and Walesch will share mat time at 130, and Rizzato has looked strong at 135.

"Ricky is aggressive and never quits. He has been a good addition to the team," Valentine said. "Mike (Mesa) should do well this year. He's coming back after a year off."

Colin Duron will work at 145 and Zamora is the anchor at 152. An improved Verboomen will help out at 171, and Seals steps in at 189 after a solid football season. Bush will square off at 215 and the team is without a heavyweight.

"Chris is a great athlete and a real team leader. We're glad he 's on the team," Valentine said.

Valentine said awaiting the return of Warren Jones (103 pounds), Alma Miles (140, 135) and Thomas Fred (140, 135). The three are missing from the team because of poor grades.

At the Modoc Northeast Classic, Moses Valentine captured MVP lightweight honors and Jones was also a champion. Singh took third; Zamora was third; Rizzato placed fourth, and Seals placed fifth.

Although Lassen touts plenty of potential, the young group will encounter some of the stiffest Westside League competition in recent memory. Corning, Orland and Oroville have shots at the league crown, while Lassen may have to settle for fourth place

"We've got one of the toughest leagues in the section, without a doubt. If we live up to our potential, we could possibly take third," Valentine said. "If everything works out toward the end of the season, then we should do well at sections. Moses and Matt should have a good chance there, and we've got some others that could break through and surprise someone."

Lassen hosts Quincy at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19. The team travels to the Sierra Nevada Classic Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 28-30.

Westside League duals start Wednesday, Jan. 10 with the Grizzlies traveling to Oroville. Lassen hosts its first league dual meet Wednesday, Jan. 24 against Orland.

The Grizzlies host three duals this season.

See next week's SCORECARD for section rankings.