TACOMA — It was emotional day for Arlington wrestling coach Rick Iversen.
His team won the 3A state wrestling championship on Saturday, edging second place Mount Spokane 148 to 126.
Shortly after clinching the title, he announced his retirement.
“I called everybody down here and they got into the picture and I announced my retirement,” Iversen said. “I don’t want the banquet to be about me, so I want it done now so that it’s out and now the banquet is going to be about the kids.
“For some time now my wife and I have looked this over and realized it’s probably that time of life,” Iversen added. “I have a sister in Arizona, a best friend down in California. I’m still in business. I work real estate and I want to work real estate when I’m home and travel a lot with my wife in the next few months and years.”
The 74-year-old Iversen informed his athletic director of his decision on Friday and his team late Saturday.
His team put itself in position to win the championship by getting seven wrestlers into Saturday’s semifinals. Four of those wrestlers went on to make it to the championship match and one — senior 170-pounder Ruben Crew — won an individual championship.
“It’s very overwhelming,” Iversen said. “I’ve been here in past years from other places. Seven times we were in it and we didn’t quite get the championship. All seven times we had good teams — maybe two or three of them were as good as this team. It’s just the breaks and the way that things go. These kids seized the moment and they wrestled so well.
“They made it possible that first day,” Iversen added. “They really made it possible by hitting those semis. Today they capped it off by performing once they made it possible. Sometimes all those things don’t come together, but today it did.”
Crew defeated Central Kitsap’s Calvin Fischer by a score of 9-5 in the championship just moments after his twin brother Azariah lost to Edmonds-Woodway’s Mason McDaniel in the final at 160 pounds.
“The best thing about Ruben winning that championship was that Azariah, who had just lost, was crying like a baby because he was so happy for his brother,” Iversen said. “That was the best part of it. They’re joined at the hip and they’re always supporting each other. Azariah did not forget after he lost to be there for his brother and I love that.”
Ruben Crew watched his brother’s match while warming up for his own.
“It angers me when he loses because it’s almost like me losing too,” Crew said.
Still struggling with his own disappointment, Azariah couldn’t help but enjoy his brother’s moment.
“We’re twins, so it’s almost like me winning state,” Azariah said. “It’s awesome.”
The Crew brothers were joined in the championship round by sophomore teammate Gavin Rork and senior Jeremy Nygard, who like Azariah both came up short.
“Of course the win was fun, but I always say this about the state tournament, once you get here, you know you’re wrestling the best in the state,” Iversen said. “If you let yourself feel like a failure leaving here when the truth is you qualified to be among the top 16 kids in the state, you’re not a failure. You had a fantastic year. We tried to tell the kids to remember that. All this is, is frosting on the cake.
“There is only one champion and if everybody else is going to leave feeling bad, then it’s a negative experience. We had a pretty positive experience throughout the tournament even with the kids that took third, fifth and seventh.”
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
