The Oakdale High School wrestling team went in a couple of different directions over the weekend.

Several grapplers headed to Clovis for the annual Doc Buchannan Invitational while others traveled to nearby Escalon.

The two day invitational tournament in Clovis was held Friday, Jan. 4 and Saturday, Jan. 5. As a team, Oakdale did not place in the top 15. Oakdale sent seven wrestlers to the tournament, with two of them placing in the top five of their weight classes. Brayden Abell (106) and Henry Porter (126) each placed fifth in the tournament.

Abell started the tournament off fast with an 8-0 win, fall, and in the quarterfinals he earned a pin fall victory with one second remaining in the contest. In the semi-finals Abell fell 9-0 but regrouped and won his next bout 5-2 to claim fifth overall.

Porter scored a 9-2 win in the opening round, followed by a 15-0 technical fall, he answered with another pin fall victory, and then with an 18-3 technical fall; before losing 6-4 in the quarterfinals. In the blood round, Porter survived with a second period pin fall to advance. He then followed up with 6-0 consolation round victory, but then fell 7-2 to set up his fifth place match. Porter outwrestled his opponent and picked up a 10-2 win to place fifth overall.

Others who made the trip but did not place were Caesar Garza, Cody Golding, Clayton Bashor, Ricky Torres and Gabe Martinez.

Closer to home, several other members of the team traveled to Escalon for the Lloyd C. Engel Invitational. Shining there for Oakdale was freshman Michael Torres. The 109-pound grappler finished in first place, going 5-0 for the weekend. Torres picked up four pin falls and a technical fall on his way to the top. The effort by Torres was the only one for which information was provided by coaches from the Escalon event.

This weekend Oakdale will travel to Sacrament to for the Tim Brown Memorial Tournament.