When you wrestle in the same conference as five-time state champion Lake Stevens, you’ve seen the best Washington has to offer. So Arlington went in search of Oregon’s best.
The Eagles spent last weekend traveling to Central Point, Ore., to compete in an invitational tournament at Crater High School. It took nine hours to traverse the 450 miles south (Central Point is located along I-5 about 30 miles north of the California border). But once there Arlington found what it was seeking.
Crater, Arlington coach Doug Byers’ alma mater, is ranked No. 1 in Oregon in Class 5A and has won four of the last five 5A state titles. Also on hand was Roseburg, Ore., the state’s No. 1-ranked and defending state champion 6A squad, and Sprague, Ore., the state’s No. 3-ranked 5A team.
Those three schools finished first through third, but Arlington was fourth in the 13-team contest, ahead of Culver, Calif., and Grants Pass and Clackamas, Ore.
Arlington’s Richard Perkins captured the 215-pound championship, pinning a No. 1 seed in two minutes, 42 seconds. Teammate Chris Myers was second at 160, losing to a No. 1 seed 11-9 in overtime, and Mark Davis was second at 285.
“They didn’t know how to seed us,” Byers said, “so we won 11 of our 12 first-round bouts. But then we ran into first or second seeds in 11 of our next 14.”
As a result, several Eagles were knocked into consolation brackets and could finish no higher than fifth, which six did all going 4-1. They were: Chris Berg (125), Steven White (130), Jesse Bosley (152), Jordan Anderson (189), Danny Pierce (215) and Bryant Dickerson (285).
“I told my buddies, ‘If we come back next year, we expect more respect,’” Byers said.
Byers took 20 wrestlers, 14 varsity and six JV, on the trip. The entire entourage stayed at his parents’ home, sleeping two nights on the floors. But it was worth the discomfort to measure up to the best Oregon had to offer.
Love for the game
All the points, assists and other gaudy statistics Kristi Kingma generates are impressive, but she does plenty of other noteworthy things on the basketball court. When she isnt scoring or setting up baskets for teammates, the Jackson guard makes an impact in other ways by giving maximum effort — something some talented players dont do.
Last week in Jacksons victory at Meadowdale, Kingma skidded about 10 feet after falling to the floor on a leaning layin. She flew out of bounds and slid all the way to a padded wall behind the hoop. Later she dove head-first into her team’s seating area to try to save a loose ball.
Where does all her energy come from?
“I think part of it is I love what I do,” Kingma said. “If I didn’t enjoy (playing basketball) I wouldn’t (play so hard). I can’t get enough of it. Every play, I love it.”
Timely return
The Snohomish wrestling team might not have ended Lake Stevens’ 15-year dual-meet winning streak Thursday without the effort of senior Richard Reed. Initially Reed wasnt expected to participate in the Western Conference North Division showdown because he suffered a broken collarbone during a holiday tournament, Snohomish coach Kevin Judkins said.
But Judkins decided to use Reed against Lake Stevens, and Reed came through. Fighting through pain, Reed moved up a weight class and won a 16-8 major decision in the 171-pound match. It started a string of five match victories that propelled Snohomish to a 34-18 team triumph.
John McDonald, Prep Editor and Mike Cane, Prep Writer
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