EDMONDS — The Edmonds-Woodway boys wrestling team has competed in the most dual matches of any Wesco 3A South team so far this season with eight tilts on their resume. The Warriors’ 6-2 record overall and 3-0 league mark puts them atop the league, excluding the 8-3 record they accumulated at the Winter Duals and Northwest Duals competitions in December.
Thursday night was more of the same, as E-W took down league opponent Meadowdale (3-2, 3-2) 68-6 with eight pins. Head coach Brian Alfi has seen a major change in how the Warriors, a perennially competitive squad, produce their varsity talent.
“This year’s seniors and last year’s seniors, none of them wrestled in middle school. The juniors wrestled in middle school and we’re getting our philosophies and programs in again,” Alfi said. “We’re building all that depth and that’s kind of always been our secret sauce — winning with depth.”
Edmonds-Woodway wrestlers react to a pin during the match against Meadowdale on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Indeed, the Warriors had 26 wrestlers suit up against Meadowdale, a luxury that pays off in the quality of each wrestler according to Alfi.
“We have two full lineups that are ready to go versus varsity competition,” Alfi said. “When you’re at practice every day, there’s someone behind you pushing you, and you have a good partner in every weight class.”
One of those experienced wrestlers is 175-pound senior Ever Yamada, who defeated Meadowdale sophomore Jamier Perry by technical fall (18-3, 4:26) to improve to 8-0 in dual meets. Yamada, who placed third in his weight division at state last season and won his bracket at the Dick Pruett Memorial Tournament last week, is leaning on his supporting cast as he strives to repeat last year’s success.
Edmonds-Woodway’s Ever Yamada turns Meadowdale’s Jamier Perry toward his back during the 175-pound match on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“I’m gonna go for the title this year,” Yamada said. “I have some great guys in that room to help me out and some great coaches.”
Thanks to some key rule changes by the WIAA this past offseason, E-W will have a chance to send plenty of teammates with Yamada to compete at next month’s Mat Classic XXXVI. The state tournament will forego the regionals that traditionally proceeded it this season. This change means those with high enough finishes at districts will instantly qualify for the expanded three-day state competition.
“I think anywhere from 15-20,” Alfi said of how many E-W wrestlers he sees competing at state this year. “We’re really deep.”
That depth showed on Thursday night as two-thirds of the night’s bouts ended in E-W pins. 165-pound sophomore Nathan Schlack looked to be on the way to a lopsided 12-1 decision when he quickly pinned sophomore Brandon Shaw with five seconds to go. That urgency to go for pins showed earlier in the night during the 138-pound bout, as Edmonds-Woodway senior Sam Schimpf pinned sophomore Hector Castro with a 15-2 lead late.
For Meadowdale, the loss was a humbling moment.
Senior Lukah Washburn’s 8-4 decision win over sophomore Aziret Bakytov in the 126-pound bout and junior Mathew Slepiness’ 6-3 win by decision against junior Jacob Ramos in the 150-pound matchup were the Mavericks’ sole wins. Both matches involved clutch play to stave off E-W comeback efforts, as Washburn scored a late near fall to take the lead and Slepiness avoided a late near fall to maintain his advantage by fighting to stay on his chest for around half a minute.
Meadowdale’s Jaxson Hulbert grimaces as Edmonds-Woodway’s Edson Belizaire gains control of his back during the 285-pound match on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
But for a late reversal by Edmonds-Woodway junior Edson Belizaire to force overtime and an eventual three points for the Warriors, sophomore Jaxson Hulbert would have pulled off another late decision win for the Mavericks in the 285-pound bout.
Jamier Perry’s loss to a proven state contender in Yamada was his first of the season in dual meets, dropping him to 4-1.
“It showed me that there’s definitely levels to this sport,” Perry said, having started wrestling just three years ago. “It was just a good punch in the mouth to remind me that I’m still the little man in this equation… there’s a lot of guys that I gotta go through before I can have that number one spot at state.”
Perry’s confidence remains, however, as he has set a goal to finish top-four at districts and get his first taste of state competition.
Meadowdale head coach Joshua Knowles has been proud of the way his team has fought through adversity more than anything this season.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries that we’ve dealt with, and we’ve had a lot of young guys step up and win some dual matches that we’ve won earlier (this season),” Knowles said.
Despite the loss, Knowles has faith his squad can compete against the best teams in the area.
“I hope we can get second place and maybe scare Edmonds-Woodway a little bit at districts, that’s the expectation,” Knowles said.
Edmonds-Woodway is certainly a tough foe to scare — if the Warriors’ league lead holds, it will mark their 11th consecutive Wesco title and 24th overall.
The Warriors will be back in dual-meet action on Jan. 28 against Lynnwood. The Mavericks will battle Archbishop Murphy next Thursday as squads around the area prepare for districts on Feb. 8 at Edmonds-Woodway H.S.
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Match summary:
106—Isaiah Meyer (E) won by forfeit; 113—Alex Krumov (E) won by forfeit; 120—Jude Haines (E) pinned Michael O’Neal, 1:57; 126—Lukah Washburn (M) dec. Aziret Bakytov, 8-4; 132—Hollender Lynch (E) pinned Miguel Garcia, 4:50; 138—Sam Schimpf (E) pinned Hector Castro, 5:08; 144—Dylan Rice (E) pinned Logan Palmer, 3:15; 150—Mathew Sleipness (M) dec. Jacob Ramos, 6-3; 157—Mason Collins (E) pinned Nezttali Ramos Ramirez, 1:10; 165—Nathan Schlack (E) pinned Brandon Shaw, 5:55; 175—Ever Yamada (E) tech. fall Jamier Perry, 18-3 (4:26); 190—Carmelo Larocca (E) pinned Francesco Bazan-Ramirez, 2:35; 215—Alex White (E) pinned William Brundage, 1:53; 285—Edson Belizaire (E) sud. victory Jaxson Hulbert, 6-3.
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