EDMONDS — Three of the four teams competing in Tuesday’s wrestling double dual at Edmonds-Woodway High School entered undefeated.
Just one left that way.
Glacier Peak’s 36-28 win over Everett gave the Grizzlies two victories for the night and a 10-0 record on the season.
“It goes to show that the hard work is paying off,” Glacier Peak head coach Bryan Mossburg said. “They put the time in the (wrestling) room. They’re learning how to battle in tough situations. Everett’s a solid team and they were able to go out there and compete and definitely got our emotions into it. These guys got excited about it and that was good to see. We also have a lot work to do and it reveals a lot in that respect as well.”
Glacier Peak defeated Arlington and Everett defeated Edmonds-Woodway earlier Tuesday night to set up a meeting between the two unbeatens in Tuesday’s finale.
The Grizzlies got off to a good start against the Seagulls with a victory by pin for senior Mason Fairbanks at 138 pounds. Glacier Peak won two of the first three individual matches to take a 9-3 lead, but Everett responded.
Sophomore Jake Leonard earned a comeback victory over Ian Jensen, scoring in the final moments to earn a 3-2 decision. The victory cut the deficit to three at 9-6, but Everett had a team point deducted after the match for unsportsmanlike conduct to make it 9-5. Everett junior Christian Bagdadi followed with the Seagulls’ first pin of the meet, taking care of Micah Palmaffy in 2:40. Bagdadi’s pin gave Everett its first lead at 11-9, but it didn’t last long.
In one of the finest — and most controversial — matches of the night, Glacier Peak senior Griffin Thomas scored a two-point takedown as time expired to defeat Everett’s Jasen Bergesen. Everett disputed the call and after a long delay, the official decided to stand by his original call. Everett head coach Brien Elliot notified the official that he was officially protesting the call to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, but the meet continued with Thomas giving the Grizzlies a 12-11 lead.
Everett had another team point deducted after Thomas’ victory to make the score 12-10.
Glacier Peak senior Marcus Beccera increased that lead by pinning Everett’s Anthony Brown. Brown held a commanding 10-2 lead before Beccera scored two points with a reversal and managed to pin Brown with just 15 seconds remaining in the third period.
Beccera’s victory gave Glacier Peak an 18-10 lead.
“It puts points on the board,” Mossburg said. “That counts for a lot. It gets the guys going and gets them fired up a little bit more. It helped us with our momentum. It was huge for those guys to do what they did.”
Two matches later, senior Mosese Fifita pinned Everett’s Cash Hatem in 19 seconds.
“I could say a lot, and then at the same time there’s not much to say,” Mossburg said. “He goes out there and he’s one of the hardest workers in the room. … I don’t think he’s wrestled much over a minute this year in a match. He’s a competitor. It’s fun to watch him.”
Everett answered Fifita’s victory with two of its own and actually took a 25-24 lead, but Glacier Peak responded with consecutive pins.
Sophomore Stefano McKinney’s pin of Everett freshman Riley Solheim clinched ensured a Glacier Peak victory.
“Stefano is a perfect example of one of those guys that’s been working hard,” Mossburg said. “His actions speak louder than words. He’s a quiet guy, but he gets out on the mat and he just keeps grinding. That was a tough match and he just keep working hard. He understood what he needed to do and he kept fighting and he got the chance and he finished it.”
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