MARYSVILLE — During stoppages in action at the wrestling dual between Snohomish and Marysville-Pilchuck, Snohomish coach Rob Zabel often gave his wrestlers a hug.
Zabel never missed an opportunity to teach the Panthers that the small things matter and lead to the big things — even if it meant up close and personal first-hand demonstrations. Snohomish’s strength in the less glamorous aspects of wrestling, showed in the results Thursday night when the Panthers escaped Marysville-Pilchuck’s gym with a 34-27 dual victory.
“Me and my coaching staff have a different perspective a lot of times,” Zabel said. “When they are out there in the heat of the battle, it’s hard to see some things. More often than not we are trying to remind kids that you can’t save the world with every takedown. Two hands on the leg. Let’s keep our head up. Let’s fight hands. The little battles are what we focus on to win the overall war.
“When the action restarts they have a very clear focus as to what’s going to happen next.”
For the Panthers the dual win was sweet revenge after losing to the Tomahawks a year ago.
“Last year we were really off,” Senior Matt Surdyk said. “We had a really tough match. We didn’t wrestle the right way. This match we didn’t take them for granted because they were good last year and were even better this year.
“We practiced for them and got ready the right way and it made all the difference.”
Surdyk’s hard-fought 2-1 victory against M-Ps Tanner Bengen at 160 pounds was the difference in the meet, clinching the team victory.
Ever since he was a sophomore Surdyk has written down his goals before the match and Thursday was no different. This time they were scrawled in pencil on a salmon colored 3×5 card.
“I write down the takedowns that I’ll do in the first round,” Surdyk said. “I get to the point that I can do it with my eyes closed. If they get a takedown on me I write down what I’m going to do. I find that if I write it down, it’s there and it’s solid. It’s like homework you have to do it.
“One of my teachers said, ‘If you have goals, write them down.’ and I thought maybe that will work for wrestling and it’s just worked for me.”
Surdyk took a 2-0 lead in the first period then held on. Bengen almost got a reversal early in the third period, but ran out of mat. When Bengen finally reversed time was just about to run out and Surdyk ahead by one point.
Zabel wasn’t only proud of the guys that won their individual bouts for the Panthers.
Sonny Bates-Mundell wrestled up a weight class at 125 pounds. The senior is ranked seventh in 4A at 119 according to Washington Wrestling Report. He lost to the Tommies’ Ruben Escalante 8-7 and Snohomish’s Steven Speer, who replaced Bates-Mundell at 119 pinned Tanner Daurie.
“Sonny is one of the guys that we can move around and get tougher matches,” Zabel said. “He’s a competitor. He might not win them all but he’s going to keep us in matches.”
Possibly the marquee bout of the night was the last when the Tommies’ Marcus Haughian escaped Nathan Proffit at 189 pounds with an 11-8 decision. It didn’t matter in the meet’s outcome, but the result still made M-P coach Craig Iversen smile.
“We were really excited with Marcus Haughian.” Iversen said. Snohomish’s Proffit is a great kid and those are two of the top 189 wrestlers in the league. That was an upper for us on a tough night.”
Heading into a weekend tournament that will again be held at Marysville-Pilchuck, Zabel is finally happy with where his team is at this point in the season.
“We are still trying to grow as a team and as a program,” Zabel said. “Tonight’s effort was perhaps our best of the season … We haven’t peaked yet, which is important. We don’t want to peak for another month or so.”
At Marysville-Pilchuck
103—Pere Hach (S) pinned Nathan Kelly 0:35; 112— Gino Obregon (S) dec. Billy Almachar 6-0; 119—Steven Speer (S) pinned Tanner Daurie 3:27; 125—Ruben Escalante (M) dec. 8-7 Sonny Bates-Mundell; 130—Christian Mendoza (M) maj. dec.Greg Eagle 20-6; 135—Brandon Blevins (M) dec. Lance Reandeau 7-2; 140—Jacob Proffit (S) maj. dec. Thomas Haas 10-1; 145—Demitri Robinson (M) maj. dec Tanner Perry 14-3; 152— Ammon Morrill (S) pinned Zach Perkins 1:27; 160—Matt Surdyk (S) dec. Tanner Bengen 2-1; 171— Chris Herbert (M) maj. dec. Garrett Stich 15-5; 189—Marcus Haughian (M) dec. Nathan Proffit 11-8; 215—Mark Morrill (S) pinned Skyler Hatch 3:26; 285—Thomas Hoeper(M) pinned Lucas Reinhard 1:55. Records—Snohomish 2-1 league, 7-2 overall, Marysville-Pilchuck 1-1, 11-1.
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