EDMONDS — Arlington wrestling coach Rick Iversen said in the days leading up to his fourth-ranked Eagles’ dual with No. 5 Edmonds-Woodway that in matchups between two talent-laden squads, the contest often comes down to unsung heroes.
To the dismay of Iversen and the Eagles on Friday night, the match came down to a pair of frontline stars in an unlikely pairing, and the Warriors seized the hero moment.
Mason McDaniel, the state’s top-ranked 160-pounder regardless of classification, but the Warriors’ starter at 170 during the year, moved up to 182 and shocked the 1,000-plus in attendance by pinning Arlington’s Ruben Crew in the first period to clinch the 37-24 victory for Edmonds-Woodway.
McDaniel and Crew each entered Friday night’s match with only one loss, and were put on a collision course when Edmonds-Woodway coach Brian Alfi was forced to bump up the bottom four wrestlers in his lineup due to the absence of regular 285-pounder Generous Yeh, out with a concussion.
“We tried to put our kids in a position to succeed and they stepped up big-time,” Alfi said.
“It was a great night for us.”
McDaniel, a state finalist at 170 pounds as a junior at Juanita last season, came out looking to use his speed and motor against Crew, who is ranked second in 3A at 182 according to WashingtonWrestlingReport.com.
“I wanted to push the pace, and I knew he was a good wrestler, but I felt confident,” McDaniel said. “Off the whistle he was taking me out of bounds and it was frustrating me, so I shot a low single right in the middle of the mat. He tried to dive underneath me and I caught him in a cradle.”
McDaniel cashed in on the rare feat of taking a wrestler of Crew’s caliber to his back, recording the pin with only one second remaining in the first period to give the Warriors an insurmountable 34-24 lead.
The Eagles entered the bout at 182 facing a 28-24 deficit thanks to Azariah Crew’s 14-3 major decision over Abdoulie Jatta at 170. An Arlington win at 182 would have set up a winner-take-all bout at 195, but McDaniel dashed that thought.
“Mason has such a compact body, and in that scramble Ruben was spinning around and Mason was just waiting to catch him,” Iversen said. “Brian Alfi has to be complimented. The better team won tonight.”
The proceedings got off to a crackling start, as Edmonds-Woodway’s Spencer Schultz withstood an early barrage from Arlington’s Colton Ferro at 220 pounds, coming all the way back from a 6-0 first-period deficit.
Schultz, up from his typical 195-pound spot, took a 10-8 lead with a takedown with 1:03 remaining in the bout and held on for the victory.
The two teams traded pins atop the lineup to go into the bout at 120 pounds tied at nine.
The Warriors’ Ebrima Fatty, wrestling up a weight, faced a tough test from Arlington’s Will Rush, as the Arlington wrestler took an early 4-1 lead.
Fatty trailed 6-5 heading into the third period and needed an escape to tie the match. Rush did a tremendous job riding the long-limbed Fatty throughout the match and prevented the escape, but gave up a takedown and the match.
In one of the biggest bouts of the evening, Edmonds-Woodway’s Sidat Kanyi, ranked fourth in 3A at 120, squared off against Arlington’s Gavin Rork, ranked third at 126.
Both wrestlers moved up to 132 pounds on Friday, and locked horns in a back-and-forth affair that showcased both athletes’ explosive scoring ability.
Kanyi took control at the end of the second period, registering a takedown and a near-fall to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 7-5 lead. The Edmonds-Woodway senior scored the next five points on his way to a 12-7 decision.
Four bouts later, with Edmonds-Woodway protecting a 22-20 lead, Anthony Lindamood opposed Arlington’s Wyatt Hawthorne.
One of seven Warriors seniors to win in his final regular-season bout, Lindamood decked Hawthorne in 1:05 to give Edmonds-Woodway a vital eight-point cushion that Jatta protected by avoiding the pin at 170.
The Eagles came into the match down three projected starters.
The absence of Boston Jones, set to start at 132 pounds, was the biggest blow to the Eagles. Jones entered Friday with a record of 21-3, but Iversen said the senior cramped up trying to make weight and couldn’t go against the Warriors.
Trey Swanson and Christian Evanger, projected to start at 106 and 120, respectively, also weren’t able to suit up on Friday.
At Edmonds-Woodway H.S.
106—Mitchell Martinez (E-W) pinned Kadin Guzman 1:10; 113—Danny Herrera (A) pinned Dane Johnson 2:21; 120—Ebrima Fatty (E-W) dec. Will Rush 7-6; 126—Salihou Fatty (E-W) dec. Brantly Stupey 5-0; 132—Sidat Kanyi (E-W) dec. Gavin Rork 12-7; 138—Jeremy Nygard (A) pinned Jonah Cortezzo 2:55; 145—Riley Seward (E-W) maj. dec. Riley Oakes 9-1; 152—Cooper McAuslan (A) won by injury default over Trevor Hendricks; 160—Anthony Lindamood (E-W) pinned Wyatt Hawthorne :55; 170—Azariah Crew (A) maj. dec. Abdoulie Jatta 14-3; 182—Mason McDaniel (E-W) pinned Ruben Crew 1:59; 195—Konstantin Stratiev (E-W) dec. Andrew Roundy 8-6; 220—Spencer Schultz (E-W) dec. Colton Ferro 10-8; 285—Adalberto Ramos (A) dec. Michael Swires 3-1.
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