MARIPOSA’S KEENAN JOHNSON SLAMS A RIPON OPPONENT IN A DUAL MEET EARLIER THIS SEASON. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO After senior Keenan Johnson captured the gold medal with a pin in his 173-pound match, Mariposa’s wrestling squad claimed third place in the Trans Valley League team tournament last Saturday in Escalon.

To cap a stellar season, Johnson pinned his Escalon opponent, and his efforts earned him the TVL’s outstanding upper weight title for the week.

Escalon, the perennial TVL champ, won the league crown with 257.5 points. Waterford, which defeated Escalon early in the dual meet season, took second at 218.5. Mariposa scored 133 for third, followed by Ripon at 126, Hughson at 104, Denair with 56, and Riverbank, which scored 47.

Every Mariposa grappler qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Division IV small school meet this Friday and Saturday in Hilmar.

The league’s coaches seeded each weight category prior to the tournament.

At 105 pounds, Grizzly Will Auble finished in fourth place, where he was seeded. Mariposa’s Eric Pope, who was also seeded fourth, took the medal at 121 pounds.

In the 127-pound competition, Mariposa’s Justin Long was seeded to finished second, and he grabbed the silver medal.

Grizzly Joe Grabowski, who was seeded second at 132 pounds, finished one slot back in third when he lost his semi-final match to a two-time section qualifier.

Grizzly Chris Sherrill claimed second place at 137 pounds, right where he was seeded. Mariposa’s Matt Mason, who was seeded fourth at 147 pounds, suffered an injury default after he sustained a back strain and took fourth in his weight class.

At 154 pounds, Colin Ritter, who had a tough dual meet season, made a resounding comeback. Ritter wasn’t seeded in the tournament, but he pinned one seeded wrestler, and beat another by 7 points to capture third place.

Mariposa’s Alex Harrington was seeded third at 162 pounds, and claimed the bronze medal in that weight class.

“I’m really pleased with the dedication the members of this team have shown all season long,” said head coach Scott Seyour. “Their hard work paid off for us, and our junior varsity team was very successful in this meet.”