MUKILTEO — Meet Josh Marson, aka Super Sub.
Filling a hole in the lineup after one of his teammates turned an ankle during warmups, Marson quickly went from likely bystander to hero Thursday for the Kamiak High School wrestling team.
In the final match of an intense dual meet that crowned the Western Conference South Division regular-season champion, Marson pinned his opponent in 42 seconds and launched Kamiak to a 35-28 victory over the Mariner Marauders at the Kamiak gym.
It was the first varsity league appearance of the season for Marson, whose first-round pin against Adam Nelson decided the Mukilteo School District rivalry and gave Kamiak (8-0 Wesco South, 10-1 overall) the program’s first regular-season dual-meet title.
“It was amazing. It was exhilarating. My adrenaline was pumping. My blood was pumping. When I won, I couldn’t believe it,” Marson said.
Kamiak coach Dan Hanika called on Marson after the squad’s usual heavyweight, Adam Clarkson, tweaked an ankle while warming up. Hanika bumped Tyler Nigg up from his usual 215-pound slot to heavyweight (285 pounds) and Marson, Nigg’s backup, took the 215 slot.
It all worked nicely for the Knights. Nigg started the meet with a pin and Marson finished it with one.
Hanika beamed when asked about Marson’s contribution.
“It’s probably, other than birth, the apex of his athletic career,” Hanika said.
Mariner (7-1, 10-2), which last season won its second consecutive division title and third in four years by beating Kamiak 37-22 in Everett, trailed by one point (29-28) entering the final match. Sophomore Garry Kroshko kept the Marauders in it with a third-round pin in the 189-pound bout.
It set up the winning moment for Marson, who said he “felt anxiety, but I knew I had to get the job done. I knew I had to step up and win the match.”
Marson’s triumph set off a huge Kamiak celebration that included a giant dog pile of students on the mat.
“It feels great,” Hanika said. “Any time you beat a team of Mariner’s caliber it’s good stuff. And it’s great for wrestling.”
Mariner coach Otto Olson said of Kamiak: “Their whole team came in and wrestled smart. They didn’t give up pins when they could have.”
Kamiak won the first two matches with first-round pins by Nigg (285) and Adam Alexander (103). Worth six points each, the pins gave Kamiak a quick 12-0 lead. The Knights never lost the lead, although Mariner twice cut it to one.
“It was critical,” Hanika said of his team’s strong start. “Any time in high school sports when you can jump out to a lead, no matter how big it is, it’s a big mental advantage for any team.”
Mariner got within 17-10 and later made it 23-22 on Daniel Link’s second-round pin at 152.
The only other pin in the match came from Kamiak’s Anthony Jacobson at 135.
Fans for both sides turned out in large numbers, creating a loud, energizing environment.
“The whole thing tonight was great for wrestling,” Hanika said. “It was just like when we wrestled over at Mariner last year for the title.”
“The gym was packed,” Hanika added. “The kids were having a great time. Mariner kids were right here (cheering) in our ear holes (and) it was all good, clean fun.”
At Kamiak H.S.
285-Nigg (K) pinned Ratuniyauravu, 1:24; 103-Alexander (K) pinned Parker, 0:49; 112- Keoamphay (M) dec. Nelson, 7-4; 119-Kusilek (K) technical fall over Johnson, 17-0; 125-Tiongco (M) major dec. Salazar, 16-5; 130-Boyd (M) dec. Semple, 7-3; 135-Jacobson (K) pinned A. Coffman, 3:01; 140-Bush (M) dec. Reim, 6-4; 145-Yee (M) dec. Regan, 7-2; 152-Link (M) pinned Newman, 3:20; 160-Manzano (K) dec. Do, 12-7; 171-Munoz (K) dec. R. Coffman, 13-6; 189-Kroshko (M) pinned Boyle, 4:39; 215-Marson (K) pinned Nelson, :42. Records-Mariner 7-1 in division, 10-2 overall. Kamiak 8-0, 10-1.
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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