Latest news with #MatClassic
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mat Classic XXXVI: Harding, Salguero Jr. guide Orting to fourth consecutive 2A state title
It's become an annual tradition for Alan Salguero Jr. at the Tacoma Dome — win a state title, flash the 'O' for a delighted section of Orting supporters, then visit the bleachers to thank friends, family, and hundreds more. Salguero Jr. was sure to hug Mom and Dad first, but the senior superstar made plenty of time for the crowd, shaking hands and taking photos after claiming Saturday night's 2A 138 championship at the Tacoma Dome. 'This is our dynasty, the Orting dynasty,' Salguero Jr. said of his teammates, coaches, and supporters. 'It's really awesome.' This wasn't any state title win: It was Salguero Jr.'s fourth Mat Classic title, a symbol of perfection at the highest level. He took down Deer Park's Gavin Carnahan in a dominant shutout that ended via technical fall (15-0, 2:27) to make history, becoming just the 25th wrestler all-time to win four Mat Classic titles. 'I'm just really thankful,' he said. 'I get to experience this with my friends and family. It's really special to be a part of that four-time group.' Cardinals senior Quentin Harding followed suit, claiming his fourth Mat Classic title in a similar, suffocating fashion, and the Cardinals crowned six state champions in all. Orting piled 434 points and completed their banner year with another 2A team title, the program's fourth in a row. 'It's funny sometimes,' Orting's Levi DiCugno said, Saturday night's 2A 175 champion. 'People say, 'It's amazing Levi, you won state!' And I'm just thinking, like, 'Well, Q and AJ won it four times.' Orting's complete list of Mat Classic XXXVI champions: Nery Rivas (106): 'I've always dreamed about this. Being on this type of team, the support from Q-Harding, all of the seniors like AJ… really motivated me to be better.' Trevor Anderson (120): 'We had to come and dominate. We've been dominating all year at every tournament. I felt like we just had to. It was meant to be, you know? I could not see Toppenish beating us. I couldn't see us taking second this year. It just doesn't go through my mind, taking second.' Alan Salguero Jr. (138): 'The goal I've (had) since I was a kid was to become a four-timer. I wasn't going to let anything stop me from achieving that. I wanted to go in with a calm mind, and just do what I was going to do. Just let things fly and see what happens. I wanted to be relaxed and flowing.' Michael Fritz (144): 'I've got my parents (watching) up there. I've got my whole family. It's really special. My wrestling family. I've grown up with all of these people, so it feels like home.' Quentin Harding (157): 'It's everything I've wanted since I was little. … It's like, 'I'm going to be a four-time state champion. I'm going to be a four-time state champion.' I kind of tricked myself into thinking I'm going to be a four-time state champ. Now I am a four-time state champ.' Levi DiCugno (175): 'One of my favorite wrestlers always says: 'Listen like a robot, practice like a dog.' Listen like a robot in practice, record everything you hear, and get on the mat and wrestle like a dog.' Harding expected another state title, but he didn't expect to face longtime Orting teammate Will Lowery in the 157-pound championship. It took nearly five minutes, but Harding prevailed via technical fall (20-4, 4:59) and held up four fingers on each hand for the home crowd. 'We're teammates, we love each other, but we're going to go at each other the hardest we've ever gone at each other because we want the state championship,' Harding said. 'Shoutout to Will. He was overlooked the entire time in the bracket. They said a couple of other kids were dark horses, never mentioning his name. He showed out today. He was amazing.' Orting's Nery Rivas pinned Black Hills' Roberto Rivera-Jesus for the 2A 106 title and Cardinals sophomore Trevor 'TJ' Anderson smothered Woodland's Mathis Johns via technical fall, building a 17-0 lead in the championship's first period. Anderson said Friday he wanted to pin or tech each and every opponent he faced at Mat Classic XXXIV. Consider his mission a major success. 'Just stay dominant' was Anderson's mindset. 'I knew I could turn him on top, because I knew on his feet, he's good at those throws. I took him under… and dominated him.' Michael Fritz (2A 144) captured his second Mat Classic title over Burlington-Edison's Chase Weber via 7-1 decision, and Levi DiCugno won his second championship over Bainbridge's Garrett Goade in a physical 5-2 bout. Orting's Ty Satiacum Jr. (2A 126) and Dominic Thomas (2A 132) finished runner-up. 'This group ran on all cylinders,' Orting head coach Jody Coleman said. 'I love this group of kids. I'm bummed we don't have practice on Monday, and I hope some of them feel that way, too.' Harding and Salguero Jr. never lost inside the Tacoma Dome — and their team never lost, either. For a fourth straight season, the 2A team title heads to the same trophy case at Orting High. The Cardinals' 434 points were far and away the most by any team in any classification at Mat Classic XXXVI, adding to a dynasty that was already cemented. For Orting's seniors, winning at the Tacoma Dome is all they'll ever know. 'It's what we do,' DiCugno said. 'I just got used to it. Orting wins state, that's what we do. It's what (we) grew up with. They see all their friends winning it the years before, and they want to win it, too. I think it's a great community there.' Orting (434) pulled away from Toppenish (317) in the closing hours, fending off their rival in a two-man race between two of the state's premier programs. Both outscored 2A's third- and fourth-place finishers combined (Othello, 178.5 and W.F. West, 127.5). 'You're seeing talent from all different places,' Thomas said. 'You're seeing a lot of different wrestling styles, so you're adapting to all of them. Everybody's a killer in that room.' Anderson embraced the renewed rivalry after the Wildcats rose to 2A last fall. In the early hours of Friday's first rounds, he called his shot: 'A lot of (fans) came here to watch us beat Toppenish this year.' It wasn't an option, he said. 'We were both going for four straight team titles,' Anderson said. 'It feels good to stop their run.' It's way too early — but when Orting enters Mat Classic XXXVII next year at the Tacoma Dome, why not five straight titles? 'We're losing five really tough kids,' Coleman said, 'and we're getting five really tough kids in the door.' 2A BOYS — Orting (434) 2A GIRLS — Toppenish (273.5) 1A BOYS — Wapato (300.5) 1A/2B/1B GIRLS — Granger (184) 2B/1B BOYS — Tonasket (276.5)
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mat Classic XXXVI, Day 2: Capital's McEwen, Lincoln's Lee capture state titles in Tacoma
Lazarus McEwen can't be stopped: Capital's freshman phenom and TNT Untouchables pick has captured his first state title at Mat Classic XXXVI, and we're willing to bet it won't be the last. McEwen pinned Kent Meridian's Farzad Karimi in the closing moments of the second period and officially claimed Friday night's 3A 106 championship match via fall (3:53) in front of a healthy crowd at the Tacoma Dome. It was a longer bout by his standards — each of McEwen's other four wins this weekend took only 90 seconds or less. 'It feels pretty great,' McEwen said. 'I wrestled (Farzad) at Gut Check before. He was a little better this time, but I was still able to get the pin.' McEwen knows how important state championships are — but in comparison to his lofty resume, a Mat Classic title is just another box to check. Last October, the rising star won the 2024 Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, and cruised to victories at Rockwell Rumble (Utah), Tri-State, Gut Check, Pac Coast, and the Edmonds Invite. He spent the overwhelming majority of Friday's 3A 106 championship in the driver's seat, plotting his next move atop Karimi before the season-ending pin. '(I had to) open him up to get my shots, and I had to work my tilts on top,' McEwen said. The freshman's eyes are already focused on state title number two. 'I want to win four,' McEwen said. 'And then go to a good college.' Moments later on the same mat, Silas freshman Adrian Windsor claimed the Boys 3A 113 title — a 79-second thriller that ended via fall over Kennewick's undefeated senior Abraham Noriega. Undefeated no more. 'That's just one down,' Windsor said. 'I'm looking to get three more. … Every time I come here, I want to dominate. 'I just (had to) stay calm and get to my attacks. That's what I did.' Windsor basked in the moment, jumping into the arms of his coaches with excitement and pleasing the Mat Classic crowd with a celebratory backflip. He screamed with conviction: 'One down, three to go!' Windsor's freshman record? A perfect 40-0. 'Having my coaches in my corner means everything,' he said. 'Without them, I wouldn't be here. They push me every day to be a better person and just be a better athlete all-around.' In a sea of the state's best wrestlers, there's plenty of black and gold. Lincoln's Tavarre Lee captured the Boys 3A 132 title in a thrilling 1-0 decision, and the Abes control third place in the team standings as the Tacoma Dome's Mat Classic XXXVI rolls deeper into Friday night. 'The heart that our kids have,' Lincoln head coach Willie Ross said. 'That's what it is. They give me everything, I give it back to them. They're all family… They try their best and work their hardest. That's all I can ask for.' Lee's one-point escape in the third period prevailed over Hermiston's Aidan Larson, though a potential late Larson takedown required referees to converge and discuss. In the end, officials raised Lee's arm to the sky, and the Lincoln junior turned toward the Abes faithful to point to the 'Lee' tattoo on his left wrist: 'You see the name!' Four Abes reached respective state championships in all: Andrew Flores (120), William Ross (126), Lee (132), and Brad Amsden (285). Flores and Ross finished runner-up and, at the time of publication, Amsden had yet to wrestle. Either way, mark down another successful year for a Lincoln wrestling program featuring five total semifinalists and a handful more in consolation ladders. The cherry on top: Ross is the son of Lincoln wrestling coach Willie Ross, a father-son duo at the forefront of the Abes program. William won the 3A Boys 126 bracket as a freshman in 2024 at Mat Classic XXXV. 'I think I'm more nervous than they are,' Ross said with a smile before the semifinal rounds. '100 percent. 'It's overwhelming sometimes, because I get to watch the joy that (William) has,' Lincoln's coach continued. 'He loves to wrestle. It's not a competition to him. He just loves being here. He loves the family aspect of everything. 'It's amazing I get to watch him. It's hard because I'm his dad and his coach, but it's amazing.' The Four-Time State Champions Club just welcomed a new member. University's Libby Roberts defeated Shorewood's Finley Houck via fall (2:28) in Friday night's Girls 3A 110 championship match, completing the ultimate gauntlet to join elite company as the 23rd wrestler in state history to win four titles, boys or girls. Prairie's Faith Tarrant (Girls 3A 235) can join the club with a win later Friday night.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mat Classic XXXVI, Day 1: McEwen, Windsor among South Sound locals in state semifinals
Capital High's Lazarus McEwen doesn't wrestle like a freshman. The budding star wrestles like a seasoned vet — because he is. 'I've been at this for 11 years,' he told The News Tribune, smiling after his second win inside the Tacoma Dome on Thursday. 'Good shots and tilts. … I have to (take) fast shots, play at a fast pace, and be aggressive.' To nobody's surprise, one of the South Sound's untouchable wrestlers moves on. McEwen will face Sedro-Wooley's Giovani Panfilo-Ortiz in Friday's 3A 106 semifinals after notching two falls and a technical fall in the opening rounds. Orting coach Jody Coleman expects the freshman to 'tech his way' through the bracket. A near-perfect 46-1 this season, McEwen's only loss came in California to the current U17 world champion. He's the reigning Edmonds Invite, Gut Check, Pac Coast, Rockwell Rumble (Utah), and Tri-State champ, now in search of his first state title at Mat Classic XXXVI — perhaps the first of many. '(Laz) wrestles like Laz wrestles,' Capital wrestling coach Jimmy Belleville said, who won four straight Mat Classic titles with Black Hills from 2006-09. 'He just does his thing, has his own game plan, and he's ready to go. 'He goes. He just doesn't stop. He continues to progress and make every attack count.' McEwen received a first-round bye in the 3A 106 bracket's first round before dropping Auburn Mountainview's Mohammad Orozgaani via technical fall (1:30) in the Round of 32. It wasn't long before the Capital freshman dominated again, this time over Edmonds-Woodway's Isaiah Meyer with a fall that took only 67 seconds. Safe to say Day 1 of McEwen's first Mat Classic was a success? 'It's pretty fun,' he said. 'I've gone to the kid's state (tournament), so I've been here before… but high school is pretty different.' Silas freshman Adrian Windsor is making similar headlines one weight class above McEwen from the 3A 113. The undefeated ninth grader won his first pair of Mat Classic matches via fall in a combined 79 seconds, and he'll be the favorite to advance through tomorrow's state semifinals. 'I'm sticking to what I do, setting up my attacks and making sure I'm ready to go,' Windsor said. 'It's not really too big for me. I travel all over the world… (that) calms down the nerves, because I know I've wrestled better kids out of state. 'I just have to stay calm and do what I do.' If the name isn't familiar already, Windsor will star in Gregory Marks' Westbrook: A Wrestler's Story, premiering in Nov. 2025. The Tacoma-based fiction film features the likes of Josie Bissett and Chael Sonnen and follows the rise of the local high school's wrestling team, a struggling program on the brink of cancellation. 'I hadn't thought about acting,' Windsor said, 'but once (Marks) hit me up, I was very interested. Ever since then, I've liked it.' Nine seconds: That's all it took for Libby Roberts to storm through the Round of 32 at Mat Classic XXXVI. The University High School senior continues her chase for a historic fourth state title — something only 22 total wrestlers (and just four girls) have completed in Mat Classic history. Spectators can't blink without running the risk of missing a Roberts win. She took down Central Valley's Mary Healy via fall (0:09) in the opening round, then dominated Kennewick's Hannah Palmer by fall in similar fashion, a bout that took 13 seconds. Two matches for Roberts, and just 22 total seconds spent on the mat. Inevitable, unstoppable, untouchable — use whichever adjective you want. 'Just go out there and get the job done,' Roberts told The News Tribune, standing beside Mat 1 moments after her second win. 'I'm definitely focused on wrestling hard the entire time. Getting to my holds, staying in position.' She won again Thursday night, another fall in 38 seconds over Kelso's Marina Jimenez-Gonzalez, to return to Friday's 'Final Four.' Roberts is considered one of the dominant wrestlers in state history, now two wins away from becoming the fifth girl to win a fourth Mat Classic title; Prairie's Faith Tarrant is chasing the same feat this weekend. The last girls wrestler to capture a fourth state title? Davis High's Cameron Guerin finished her four-year run in 2018. 'Winning a fourth state title would mean a lot to me,' Roberts said. 'There's only a certain number of people who have been able to accomplish that, and I would love to add to that list. 'This journey has been incredible. A lot of time is put in with a lot of different people. It's been such a blessing having these amazing coaches by my side the entire time.' Lincoln and Decatur's football programs didn't meet on the gridiron last fall, but two of their top players just did at Mat Classic XXXVI: Decatur's star running back Nehemiah Washington emerged in the second period to fend off Abes LB Dre Sio-Fetaui in a calculated, physical 3A 215 quarterfinal at the Tacoma Dome. 'We line up pretty well size-wise and strength-wise, so it really comes down to the technique,' Washington said. The Gators senior picked up the pace and scored a second-period takedown, enough to win via 5-2 decision. Washington secures his spot for Friday's 3A 215 semifinals with Shorecrest's Carter Nichols. 'Just got to go, that's the mentality,' Washington said. 'Just got to go get it. 'It means a lot (to make the semifinals). It's my last year wrestling, so I've got to leave it all out on the mat before we leave. It's a great opportunity. I'm very blessed.'
