The postseason continues for six Wolves this weekend on Washington’s biggest wrestling stage — The Tacoma Dome.
Three of the six wrestlers — Kiara Pierson, 110 pounds, Alma Mendoza, 140 pounds, and Kevyn Ward, 160 pounds, return to the Mat Classic State Tournament on Feb. 19-20, along with newcomers Craig Baker, 132, Adrian Klarich, 170, and Michael Latimer, 220.
They are part of a growing future for Sequim’s wrestling squad that sent 13 wrestlers to regional tournaments last weekend.
On the girls’ side, Pierson was again Sequim’s top finisher overall. She took second in the 110-pound bracket by pinning her first two opponents — Hunter Goucher of Puyallup in 2:54 and Carson Torres of Highline in 1:33 — before losing in the finals 6-0 to Brooklyn Bartleson of Puyallup.
Pierson, who took eighth last year at state, opens the girls’ state tournament against Nicole Whittern of Nooksack Valley.
Head coach Charles Drabek said Kiara has “really excelled and she’s only a sophomore.”
Mendoza also returns to state with a fifth-place finish at regionals at 140 pounds. She’ll open the tournament against Hailey Hall of Pasco. At regionals, she opened with a pin over Rebecca Diego of Spanaway Lake in 3:01 but was pinned by second-place finisher Flor Parker-Borrero of Wilson in 1:51. Parker-Borrero lost in the finals to Port Townsend’s Chloe Rogers. In the consolation, Mendoza pinned Madison Asaro of Olympic in 2:17 and won 9-3 over Anna Watson of Kentwood. However, a 4-1 loss to Brianna Galvan of Steilacoom set up a fifth/sixth matchup with Makayla Ramirez of South Kitsap, last year’s fourth-place finisher at state. Mendoza won 8-0 and took the final spot to state.
Sequim’s Aylee Bennett took sixth place at regionals and an alternate spot to state, too. She was pinned in her opening match to Selena Garza of Curtis but in the consolation she pinned Maria Dimas of White River in 3:37 and won 10-0 over Jemma Souza of Rogers. But Bennett lost 11-9 to Madison Altamirano of White River and 12-4 in a rematch with Garza in the fifth/sixth place.
Sequim’s other competitor, Abigail Hansted, 145, won her opening match 9-4 over Jazlyn Aubert of Spanaway Lake but was pinned by Matlyne Mecham of Shelton and she lost 8-6 to Elizabeth Bibb of Evergreen Seattle in the consolation.
Boys in Bremerton
For the four Wolves competing in the boys’ state tournament, Drabek said they all hope to place, particularly Ward, who went 1-2 at last year’s tournament.
Drabek said Ward was winning his third-round match-up against Dustin Nading of R.A. Long at state last year but through a turn of events Nading came from behind and won 13-10. He went on to take fifth place.
“(Ward) realized he should have placed, but I think he’s a better wrestler this year,” Drabek said.
At the regional tournament in Bremerton, Ward opened with a 11-7 win over Noah Stroosma of Sedro-Woolley but lost 8-0 to Riley Fritsch, who won the weight class. Ward swept the consolation bracket though with a 48-second pin of Alex Maxwell of Kingston and a 56-second pin of Noah Stroosma of Sedro-Woolley. He opens the Mat Classic against Connor Horton of Aberdeen.
Three Wolves, Baker, 132 pounds, Klarich, 170, and Latimer, 220, all took fourth in their brackets at regionals.
Baker opened with a pin over Daniil Fedoruk of Sedro-Woolley in 1:15 but lost to Michael Leger of Sedro-Woolley by tech fall in 4:18. Leger won the division. In the consolation, Baker pinned Diyamante Hall of Bremerton in 2:12 but lost to Derreck Camba of Blaine 7-3 in the third/fourth match.
Drabek said the match with Camba was close and well-contested.
“(Baker) is stepping up and he has a strong desire to get better and place,” he said.
Baker opens state against Darion Green of Hudson’s Bay.
Sequim’s Klarich lost to Jacob Burgoon 13-6 of Squalicum to open the tournament but won two matches in the consolation by pinning Christopher Figueras in 4:39 and winning 7-5 over Evan Gallaci of Port Angeles. But in a rematch with Burgoon, Klarich lost 14-4 for third/fourth place.
Drabek said Burgoon is bigger than Klarich, which he needed to adjust to, but winning against Gallaci was an accomplishment because Klarich lost to him the previous week at sub-regionals. Klarich faces Diego Gallegos of Lindbergh to open the tournament.
Sequim senior Latimer advances to state after three previous years of different injury setbacks preventing him from advancing/competing at different levels of the postseason.
“He felt snake bit the past few years,” Drabek said. “But he felt like he made it finally (to state) and he was OK with that.”
Latimer lost his opener 4-2 to Zach Zimmerman of Sehome but in the consolation he pinned Adrian Miranda of Olympic in 3:38 and Chayse Becar of Olympic in 2:34. However, in a rematch with Zimmerman for third/fourth, he lost 11-2. He’ll face Cameron Loos of Hockinson at state.
McKenzie Stockdale, 285, also placed for the Wolves at sixth but just missed out on an alternate spot to state. He lost his opener but in the consolation he pinned Isaiah Nicholas of Port Angeles in 4:16. However he was pinned in his next match and for fifth/ sixth Stockdale lost 9-4 to Oliver Chapman of North Kitsap.
Sequim’s other competitors included Dalton Brown, 106, Jamie Schroepfer, 120, Ben Newell, 126, and Grant Pierson, 135, who all went 0-2. Pierson lost his opener 9-8 to first place finisher Thor Wagoner of Sedro-Woolley, and his second match to 11-6 to Morgan Mower of PA, who took fourth.
At regionals, Brown and Schroepfer were alternates selected to wrestle. Madison Uranga was an alternate for the girls but did not get to wrestle.