TACOMA — There are no surprises with Jake Welch. That makes his coach very happy.
Welch, a junior on the top-ranked Lake Stevens High School wrestling team, never makes Vikings coach Brent Barnes guess what sort of effort he’ll give.
“You know what he’s going to do. He’s going to give you a hard six minutes,” Barnes said Friday after Welch emerged from three grueling 2-minute periods with a big upset.
Welch, not ranked by Washington Wrestling Report in the 160-pound weight division, beat Bethel’s Nick Budinger with a 7-2 decision in a Class 4A quarterfinal match during Day One of Mat Classic XX, the state championships at the Tacoma Dome. Budinger is ranked No. 4 in the state.
Barnes, whose Lake Stevens team seeks its second consecutive state title and its sixth since 1990, called Welch’s triumph “awesome.” One of five Lake Stevens semifinalists, Welch did it with pure determination, said Barnes.
“He’s not going to do anything flashy. He’s not a phenomenal athlete but he’s going to get in the guy’s face and work,” Barnes said.
Welch is the most unlikely Lake Stevens wrestler still contending for an individual title. The other Vikings who went 2-0 Friday and advanced to today’s semifinals are Josh Heinzer (103 pounds), Zach Zweifel (112), Josh Monson (135) and George King (145).
Mat Classic continues today at 10 a.m. The finals are scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m.
Lake Stevens is firmly in the hunt for the team championship, and one of its Western Conference North Division rivals is positioned for a prominent finish too.
Through Day One, the 4A team leaders were Lake Stevens (82.5 points), Graham-Kapowsin (71.5) and Kentwood (56). Snohomish is fifth with 50 points.
Four of Snohomish’s eight participants plowed into the semifinals. One of them was 125-pounder Sam Ottow, a two-time state placer who was the 119-pound runner-up in 2007.
Ottow, a junior, kicked off his title chase in style. He needed just 48 seconds to pin his first-round opponent. He followed it up with a 9-1 decision over Graham-Kapowsin’s Ryan Johnson in the quarterfinals.
It was actually beneficial to have a challenging second-round battle, Ottow said.
“You want to wrestle at least three rounds before the semifinals,” he said, “because (otherwise) you might not be physically and mentally prepared for a tough match.”
Beating an opponent from Graham-Kapowsin, one of the team-title contenders, was extra-rewarding for Ottow.
“Giving them one less chance to score points and giving us a chance to score points helps a lot,” said Ottow.
Snohomish’s other semifinalists are Stefan St. Marie (135 pounds), Brad Perry (140) and Richard Reed (160). St. Marie improved his season record to 39-0 with a second-round pin in his quarterfinal match.
On the opposite end of the size spectrum, it was a successful Mat Classic debut for Michael Pfeiff. The Marysville-Pilchuck heavyweight, who weighs 260 pounds, zoomed into the semifinals with two victories despite being a bit overwhelmed when he walked into Tacoma Dome and saw the 24-mat, six-tournament spectacle.
“When you first get here, it’s amazing. It’s so big,” Pfeiff said.
But, said Pfeiff, once his first match began, it was easy to focus.
3A tournament: Ranked ninth coming into Mat Classic, Everett showed it can hang with the upper-echelon programs. The Seagulls scored 49.5 points and were in fourth place after Day One.
Leading the way for Everett were Cary Irwin (152 pounds), Alec Bird (171), Kramer Burns (189) and Jake Anstett (285). All four wrestlers advanced to the semifinals.
Anstett, ranked No. 2 in the state among 3A heavyweights, escaped the first round with a 5-4 decision against Evergreen’s Cody Treddenbarger.
East Valley of Spokane (66.5 points), Auburn (63.5) and Enumclaw (62.5) finished in a tight three-team pack in the 3A team standings.
Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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