Isaac Blackburn – Loomis – Wrestling

  The Golden Eagles’ co-captain is off to a good start along with a squad expected to make noise in the Sierra Foothill League and beyond. Blackburn pinned Rocklin’s Logan Bik early in the second round of their 113-pound match during Del Oro’s dominating 70-6 SFL-opening victory, and won three tournaments in December. He captured the 106-pound titles at…

Del Oro-Loomis – Wrestling – Senior

   The Golden Eagles’ co-captain is off to a good start along with a squad expected to make noise in the Sierra Foothill League and beyond. Blackburn pinned Rocklin’s Logan Bik early in the second round of their 113-pound match during Del Oro’s dominating 70-6 SFL-opening victory, and won three tournaments in December. He captured the 106-pound titles at the Curt Mettler Invitational at Elk Grove High, the Joe Rios Memorial at Chico High, and the Sierra Nevada Invitational in Reno. Blackburn, who is ranked 5th in the state and 15th nationally, is also a 4.0 student and has been accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in Materials Engineering.

   IN HIS OWN WORDS: “The whole team goes to as many of the top tournaments as we can early in the year. The exposure that we get wrestling against top competition prepares us for the big tournaments later in the season.”

   WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW: Blackburn is a friendly guy, and does not want to come off as rude before matches. But when he enters a zone with 5-10 minutes left before before his match, talking is off-limits. “I try to avoid all distractions to get ready for my match, and ignore everyone and everything.”

HONORABLE MENTION

Destiney Lee — The McClatchy-Sacramento junior has been a force in the middle for the Lions basketball team. She scored 14 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in a 70-45 win over league rival Kennedy, her fifth double-double this season.

Alex Van Dyke — The Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove senior forward hung up his football pads and is already averaging 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.5 steals on the basketball floor. He scored a game-high 25 points in a recent 76-57 win over River City. 

Mandy Coleman — The senior has helped McNair-Stockton basketball to a fast 11-1 start by averaging 19.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. She had 17 points and 15 rebounds in a recent 93-29 rout of Merced..