By Aaron Coe
Herald Writer
He walked off the mat, angry at himself.
Yes, Lake Stevens wrestler Burke Barnes had dominated the match at the state wrestling tournament, but for him it simply wasn’t enough.
He didn’t pin this opponent, and that was two fewer points for the Lake Stevens wrestling team.
That is how good Barnes is, and how much he wants his team to win.
Barnes led the Vikings to state titles in 2000 and 2001, and had hoped to make it three in a row this year. The Vikings fell short, but Barnes did not.
He became only the third wrestler in state history to win four individual titles. Despite suffering a broken rib early in the season, Barnes finished the season 24-0. He won his final 74 high school matches to run his record to 128-4. He did not lose after his sophomore year, and three of the four losses were to multiple-time state champions who were two years Barnes’ senior.
For the last two years, he has literally been unbeatable. Many consider him the greatest wrestler in state history and one of the best athletes ever to come out of Snohomish County.
“He has a different level of intensity than just about anyone in the tournament,” Cascade coach Sherm Iversen said. “He enjoys what he does. He’s very fast and deceptively strong.”
If Barnes wins, but without a pin, it’s news.
Barnes, a two-time national champion, pinned seven of eight opponents during his last two trips to the state tournament. The average length of those seven matches was 101 seconds.
The one match that didn’t end in a pin – the one that made Barnes so mad – he won by a 16-4 decision. It was clear to most that his opponent was not interested as much in trying to win as avoiding a pin.
“He’ll probably tell his grandkids, ‘Burke Barnes didn’t pin me,’” one bystander said.
As a freshman, Barnes pinned two of his first three state-tournament opponents. He built a big lead in the 115-pound title bout and held on for a 10-8 decision. The Vikings finished second behind perennial power Moses Lake in the team standings.
That was the only Barnes state tournament bout that was ever in doubt.
In 2000, Barnes pinned two of his 125-pound opponents and beat a third by a 17-2 technical fall. He then avenged his final high school loss in the title match, which he won 14-7. He beat Arlington sophomore Jimmy Jayne, who had defeated Barnes a week earlier at the regional tournament.
In 2001, Barnes pinned his way through the tournament to help Lake Stevens secure its third state championship. He finished his junior season a perfect 34-0.
Of Barnes’ 16 Mat Classic matches, only four lasted the entire six minutes.
Lake Stevens coach Brent Barnes, Burke’s father, says his son has been a large part of the Vikings’ success in recent years.
Though it helps to have someone on the team who picks up points for pins, Burke Barnes is more to his team than just a dominant wrestler.
He often plays the role of an assistant coach both at practice and in meets. He sat by his father’s side in the Lake Stevens corner for several of his teammates’ matches at the North Division tournament. When he’s not in the corner, he’s as close to the mat as he can get, shouting encouragement and suggestions.
Brent Barnes said that just having a state champion in the wrestling room every day at practice raises the level of the entire team. While wrestling for the 2002 North Division 125-pound title, Burke even sneaked a peak at a neighboring mat to see how his teammate was faring.
“It’s always good to have a state champion to emulate,” Brent Barnes said. “The other wrestlers start thinking, ‘I’m not that far off, I can do that.’”
Burke Barnes has also been known to take promising wrestlers from other schools under his wing.
“He’s a real good coach,” said Tony Kubec, a sophomore state competitor from Cascade. “We drilled a few times over the summer. When you’re wrestling, he always points out little things that help. He’s going to be a great coach someday.”
Barnes, however, still has much wrestling to do. He’ll wrestle next winter for Boise State, an up-and-coming NCAA Division I program that has made strong showings in recent NCAA tournaments. He believes that by working hard and avoiding injuries he can win one or more NCAA national championships. He and his father believe reaching the Olympics is a possibility.
“That’s everyone’s dream, but that’s a long way off,” Burke Barnes said.
With his drive, determination talent, nothing seems out of reach.
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