EVERETT – Here is Tom Wilfong’s predicament.
The Stanwood High School wrestling coach leads one of the finest Class 4A squads in the state. His Spartans would tower over all comers in almost any other conference throughout Washington. But standing firmly in the way of any Western Conference championship honors like an impenetrable wall are the Lake Stevens Vikings – the defending 4A state champs – who just won’t fall.
The two teams waged quite a battle Saturday during the Wesco North Division Wrestling Tournament in Reg Scodeller gym at Cascade High School. They combined for 18 of the 28 championship finalists, and five of the 14 finals were head-to-head clashes between the dominant squads. But in the end Lake Stevens asserted its supremacy by scoring 414.5 points to take first place. Stanwood was second with 325, followed by Snohomish (237.5) and host Cascade (215).
The top three wrestlers in each class advanced to next weekend’s Wesco district tournament at Everett High. The fourth- and fifth-place finishers in each class advanced to Feb. 5 elimination bouts.
Lake Stevens led everyone with 14 advancing wrestlers, including a tournament-best seven champions: Kelly Kubec (112 pounds), Derek Carter (130), Lester Brown (135), Brock Austin (140), Blake Tate (152), Jon Wilbourne (189) and Clint Osborn (275).
Osborn rallied from a 5-2 deficit and took a 13-11 lead before pinning Mac Stach of Snohomish with 41 seconds remaining in the third round. Stach had the underdog-friendly crowd roaring after he nearly pinned Osborn early in the first round.
Eleven Stanwood wrestlers qualified for next weekend, including six champions: Zach Studley (103), Chris Mather (119), Riley Cornett (145), Jared Smith (160), Jake Allen (171) and Bryce Thorstad (215).
Stanwood’s Smith trailed 3-2 at one point against Mount Vernon’s Matt Roetcisoender but recovered to take a 6-4 decision in overtime.
Cascade’s Jonny Gilbertson (125) was the only champion not from Lake Stevens or Stanwood.
Lake Stevens coach Brent Barnes said his team performed as well as he expected it to, and freshman Josh Eacrett’s fourth-place finish at 103 pounds was an unexpected bonus. “That was a real nice surprise,” Barnes said.
Eacrett advanced to the consolation final with a 9-1 decision over Arlington’s Jeremy Goheen. Paul Thier of Snohomish pinned Eacrett for third place.
Stanwood gets another chance against Lake Stevens next week. Year after year the Vikings come out on top, but Wilfong has no regrets about competing in the same league as a perennial national power like Lake Stevens. In fact, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You wouldn’t have a team like (Lake Stevens) to push you and make you better,” said Wilfong, who received the Wesco North Coach of the Year award during the tournament. “Our goal is to beat them every year. I think that’s something that really pushes my staff and I and my kids.”
At Everett
Team scores: 1. Lake Stevens 414.5, 2. Stanwood 325, 3. Snohomish 237.5, 4. Cascade 215, 5. Oak Harbor 198, 6. Marysville-Pilchuck 191, 7. Arlington 183.5, 8. Monroe 140, 9. Mount Vernon 121.5.
Top five from each weight class advance
First-place bouts
103-Z. Studley (St) major dec. R. Walt (C) 8-0; 112-Kubec (LS) dec. Miller (OH) 9-4; 119-Mather (St) won by injury forfeit over Nagel (Arl); 125-Gilbertson (C) dec. Hise (Sn) 2-1; 130-Carter (LS) dec. Williams (MV) 6-2; 135-Brown (LS) won by technical fall over Lang (OH) 19-3; 140-Br. Austin (LS) dec. T. Smith (St) 8-4; 145-Cornett (St) dec. VanLeuven (LS) 4-2; 152-Tate (LS) dec. W. Smith (St) 4-0; 160-J. Smith (St) dec. Roetcisoender (MV) 6-4 OT; 171-Allen (St) pinned Bargreen (LS) 2:51; 189-Wilbourne (LS) major dec. Ritter (Arl) 13-2; 215-Thorstad (St) major dec. A. Smith (LS) 11-0; 275-Osborn (LS) pinned Stach (Sn) 5:19.
Third-place bouts
103-Thier (Sn) pinned Eacrett (LS) 3:44; 112-R. Studley (St) dec. Kalloch (Sn) 6-2; 119-Monson (LS) major dec. Barnes (M-P) 14-0; 125-Harris (M-P) dec. Guzman (Arl) 7-3; 130-Griffith (C) pinned Hale (Sn) 1:45; 135-Escalante (M-P) dec. Hughes (LS) 6-3; 140-Lampers (Mon) major dec. Hopkins (M-P) 11-3; 145-Jacobson (Mon) pinned McDonnell (Sn) 2:23; 152-Alyea (C) dec. Burnett (LS) 4-0; 160-Moehrle (LS) dec. Houck (Sn) 3-2; 171-O’Brien (OH) injury default Elledge (Mon); 189-Schwarze (St) dec. Masten (M-P) 5-2; 215-Campbell (MV) dec. Mann (St) 5-3; 275-Moynihan (M-P) major dec. McKinlay (C) 10-2.
Fifth-place bouts
103-A. Walt (C) pinned Goheen (Arl) 2:31; 112-Duncan (C) pinned Bowden (OH) 0:16; 119-Walker (Sn) dec. Lemme (OH) 7-3; 125-Wasickanin (OH) pinned Stump (St) 1:42; 130-Lewis (Arl) dec. Murray (Mon) 12-6; 135-Rios (C) major dec. Finch (MV) 13-4; 140-Byers (Arl) pinned Hartzell (St) 3:43; 145-Hartt (OH) pinned Spear (Arl) 4:53; 152-Irwin (Arl) dec. Jones (MV) 6-4; 160-Carrier (M-P) dec. Twedt (Mon) 4-1; 171-Bognar (Sn) dec. Myers (Arl) 5-4; 189-Lange (OH) dec. Bl. Austin (LS) 3-2; 215-Stewart (Sn) pinned Dean (MV) 2:26; 275-Baunsgard (Mon) dec. Whitlock (Sn) 3-2.
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