Lake Stevens wrestlers pin loss on Sedro-Woolley

Published 9:43 am Wednesday, December 5, 2007

LAKE STEVENS — A large banner in the Lake Stevens High School gym displays many of the wrestling team’s remarkable accomplishments since 1990.

A message on the banner, referring to the squad’s more recent success, sums it up: “Another Decade of Dominance.”

Facing an equally renowned program that has won six consecutive Class 3A state championships, the Lake Stevens Vikings generated even more dominance Tuesday. Lake Stevens, the defending 4A state champion, started fast and drilled the Sedro-Woolley Cubs 46-21 in a high-profile non-conference meet at the Lake Stevens High School gym.

It’s the third straight season the storied teams have clashed. Lake Stevens has won every time, but this was by far its most decisive triumph.

“They were way more aggressive than we were,” Sedro-Woolley coach Jay Breckenridge said. “But what team does not come in intimidated?”

Watched by an energized crowd of about 1,400 that almost filled the gym, Lake Stevens surged to a 28-0 lead through the first five matches and tallied five total pins. The Vikings appear primed to add new achievements to their impressive banner.

“We obviously lost a lot of good guys (from last year’s team) but we’re still just really solid. We have a lot of depth this year and just a lot of really good kids coming back,” Lake Stevens senior Zach Zweifel said.

Zweifel, who won the 103-pound state title last season, pinned Sedro-Woolley’s Cody Forst in the 112-pound match. Zweifel got the pin in one minute, 21 seconds and gave Lake Stevens a 12-0 lead after Sedro-Woolley forfeited the opening 103-pound match.

Freshman Josh Villani (119), senior Branden Austin (130), junior George King (152) and sophomore Justin Grow (189) also had pins for the Vikings.

Lake Stevens coach Brent Barnes said he was pleased with several of his other competitors’ performances too.

“We wrestled their (best) wrestlers very well, like (Derek) Garcia and (Shane) Hunt. Those were close matches,” said Barnes, referring to two three-point decisions at 135 and 145 by the Sedro-Woolley teammates, two of the state’s elite grapplers. Alex Pelligrini and Josh Eacrett kept the respective matches tight for Lake Stevens.

Barnes also praised Josh Monson, who earned a 12-6 decision at 140 over Sedro-Woolley’s Kevin O’Neil, a three-time state runner-up.

“Monson came out and was ready to go. It looked like he was going to take charge from the get-go,” said Barnes.

Illuminated by a light fixture that hung over the center of the mat in an otherwise dark gym, Monson had three takedowns in the first two periods and backed up Barnes’ claim that he is a state-title contender. Last season Monson was fifth in 4A at 135.

O’Neil suffered an ankle injury during Monson’s first takedown, coach Breckenridge said, but kept fighting.

Sedro-Woolley scored its first points via Hunt’s decision in the sixth of 12 matches. The Cubs used back-to-back pins at 160 and 171 to cut the deficit to 37-18, but Lake Stevens’ early eruption was too much to overcome.

Lake Stevens improved to 3-0 in dual meets this season. The Vikings begin their Western Conference North Division schedule Thursday at Stanwood before traveling to Idaho this weekend for the prestigious Tri State tournament.

“We just look at it as another good chance to get better, really,” Zweifel said of wrestling Sedro-Woolley. “Good competition, a good opportunity to show what we have — I think we’re all just excited to get to wrestle them and I think it showed in the score.”

At Lake Stevens H.S.

103—Heinzer (LS) won by forfeit; 112—Zweifel (LS) pinned Forst 1:21; 119—Villani (LS) pinned Morgan 0:57; 125—Anderson (LS) major dec. Howell 18-6; 130—Austin (LS) pinned Eaton 1:17; 135—Hunt (S-W) dec. Pelligrini 6-1; 140—Monson (LS) dec. O’Neil 12-6; 145—Garcia (S-W) dec. Eacrett 6-2; 152—King (LS) pinned Zitkovich 1:37; 160—Bisbey (S-W) pinned Mahn 1:09; 171—Pohren (S-W) pinned Welch 5:03; 189—Grow (LS) pinned Knutson 5:12; 215—Grobschmit (S-W) dec. LeHuquet 5-4; 285—Teuber (LS) dec. Bragg 11-5. Records—Sedro-Woolley 1-1 overall. Lake Stevens 3-0.