With as much effort and care as the Foothill High School wrestling family puts into its annual Tim Brown Memorial, the emotional reaction when one of its own wins a weight class is understandable.

Such was the case last year when Memorial Auditorium erupted upon heavyweight Michael Lowman's upset win in the finals. It was no less jubilant, or significant, Saturday night when he became the first Mustang to successfully defend his title, which Lowman did with a 3-1 win over Ponderosa junior Jeff Camilli.

"This is a hard enough tournament to win," Foothill coach and event organizer William Lum said. "It's an even tougher event to win twice."

In 16 years at the head of the Mustangs' wrestling program and in putting on the tournament, Lum said he has tried to foster a family-like atmosphere.

The motto "Foothill Family" is emblazoned on T-shirts worn by dozens of volunteers – many of them former Mustang wrestlers or their relatives – at the two-day event.

"It's equally great for me as a teacher and a coach to see everyone care enough to come back," Lum said.

Spurred on by cheers of "Let's go, Moose!" – an apt nickname for the 6-foot-7 senior – Lowman scored an escape 15 seconds into the second period to take the lead, and then two more points on a takedown with the score tied 1-1 with 40 seconds left.

"I can't even describe what this means," said a sweat-drenched Lowman, surrounded by his family after the match. "This event is so large – I feel more like a Foothill wrestler winning it twice."

Lowman, the third-ranked heavyweight in the state, said he won't spend much time reveling in the victory. Lowman has his eyes trained on a podium spot at the CIF State Meet in March.

Built Folsom tough – Folsom (199 points) won the team title for the first time, aided by eight place-winners, the most in a tournament by the Bulldogs this season. Elk Grove (fifth with 140) was the second-highest area finisher.

Connor Pollock, ranked third in the state, won the 126-pound title. Nick Fiegener was second at 145 and Jordan Alleva third at 285 pounds. Finishing fourth were Mason Koshiyama (138), Isaias Diaz (152) and Devon Nooner (160). Tony Hernandez (152) was fifth and Alex Wood (195) placed seventh.

"It's nice when everyone contributes, even if a guy only wins one match, he still scored crucial team points," Folsom coach Mike Collier said. "I'm real proud of the effort I saw this weekend."

Folsom entered the weekend ranked No. 15 in the state and second in the Sac-Joaquin Section. The Bulldogs finished second at the Doc Buchanan Invitational in Clovis and at Elk Grove's Curt Mettler Invitational.

Branum's reversal – Perhaps the most anticipated match of the weekend was the 152-pound championship bout between Del Oro senior Austin Branum and Oakmont senior Jake Elliott, the reigning 145-pound state champion.

Both were returning Tim Brown champions, Branum at 140, Elliott at 145.

Branum scored a dramatic 4-3 victory, earning two points on a reversal with 20 seconds left.

"I could tell he was getting tired," Branum said. "I knew if I just kept moving, he wouldn't be able to hold on."

Branum entered the event ranked No. 3 in the state, Elliott No. 2.

HOW LOCALS FARED IN THE FINALS

• 126: Connor Pollock, Folsom, def. Tyler Lawrence, Escalon, 4-3

• 132: Julian Purdy, Nevada Union, def. Avery Ward, Antelope, 15-0

• 145: Adam Hendrickson, Healdsburg, def. Nick Fiegener, Folsom, 4-1

• 152: Austin Branum, Del Oro, def. Jake Elliott, Oakmont, 4-3

• 160: Keaton Subjeck, Oak Ridge, def. Peter Santos, Oakmont, 7-5

• 170: Scott Votino, Elk Grove, def. Mitchell Woods, Union Mine, 5-4

• 195: Dan Chaid, Bellarmine-San Jose, def. Khymba Johnson, Center, 11-2

• 285: Michael Lowman, Foothill, def. Jeff Camilli, Ponderosa, 3-1

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Reach John Parker at johnparker2008@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @john_a_parker.

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