West San Jose Resident

Sports

TRIO OF PANTHERS PLACE AT TOURNEY

By Dick Sparrer

Prospect's Shohei Takagi and Zack Cook were both seeded in their respective weight classes heading into the rugged Mid-Cal Invitational Tournament in Gilroy on Jan. 26. Teammate Janik Santana wasn't.

Still, all three exceeded expectations by placing high in competition against some of the finest high school wrestlers in the Central Coast Section.

Prospect finished competition last weekend with three placers to nail its top-25 finish at the Mid-Cals, claiming 21st overall. And all three Panthers finished higher than anyone expected.

Takagi, seeded No. 7 at 132 pounds, was fifth in his weight class to top the list of Panthers who placed in the tourney. Santana, unseeded entering the tourney, was sixth at 121 pounds and Cook, seeded eight at 162 pounds, ended up seventh.

Kusumoto a champ

Prospect's Kelly Kusumoto won an individual girls title when she competed in the California Interscholastic Federation's Northern California Regional Tournament in Sacramento on Jan. 19.

Kusumoto rolled through the field to win all four of her matches at the CIF Regionals to claim the 132-pound crown.

The four wins helped the Prospect senior improve her season record to 19-1. She's ranked No. 1 in the state in her weight class, according to TheCaliforniaWrestler.com.