Mat Classic preview: Top local wrestlers, teams to watch

The pinnacle of the high school wrestling season takes place Friday and Saturday, as the state’s best converge on the Tacoma Dome for Mat Classic XXXIII.

It will be the first Mat Classic since 2020, due to last year’s event being canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here’s a preview of the top local wrestlers and teams to watch. All state rankings are from Washington Wrestling Report and are classification-specific.

When: Friday and Saturday

Where: Tacoma Dome

Schedule: Friday — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 3 p.m. to conclusion

CLASS 4A BOYS

Top-ranked teams: 1. Sunnyside 2. Chiawana 3. Lake Stevens T4. Central Valley T4. Tahoma

Wrestlers per local team: Lake Stevens (13), Glacier Peak (6), Kamiak (1)

Local top-10 ranked teams: No. 3-ranked Lake Stevens qualified 13 wrestlers for state, including three regional champions. The perennial powerhouse Vikings took second place in their regional, finishing close behind fourth-ranked Tahoma. Lake Stevens has 11 wrestlers with top-10 rankings in their respective weight classes.

Local individuals with top-three rankings: Glacier Peak senior Jacob Erickson (25-1) is the top-ranked 220-pounder in 4A. This is his first Mat Classic appearance since his freshman year in 2019. He won a regional title last week with two sub-60-second pins and a 6-3 decision over 4A fifth-ranked Lake Stevens sophomore Koen Mattern. … Lake Stevens senior Tyler Fouts (21-2) is ranked No. 2 in 4A at 145 pounds. He reached the Mat Classic in each of his first two seasons, including a fourth-place 4A state medal at 120 pounds in 2020. He won a regional title last week with a 10-2 major decision over 4A seventh-ranked Kentwood senior Karandeep Chauhan. … Lake Stevens senior Wyatt Springer (23-4) is ranked No. 2 in 4A at 160 pounds. He reached the Mat Classic in each of his first two seasons, including a fifth-place 4A state medal at 152 pounds in 2020. He earned a third-place regional finish last week after bouncing back from a semifinal loss to top-ranked Kennedy Catholic senior Mateo De La Pena.

CLASS 3A BOYS

Top-ranked teams: 1. Mead 2. Hermiston 3. Mt. Spokane 4. University 5. Yelm

Wrestlers per local team: Stanwood (10), Edmonds-Woodway (7), Arlington (4), Shorecrest (4), Shorewood (4), Snohomish (4), Lynnwood (3), Marysville Pilchuck (3), Monroe (2), Cascade (1), Marysville Getchell (1), Meadowdale (1), Mountlake Terrace (1)

Local top-10 ranked teams: No. 8-ranked Stanwood qualified 10 wrestlers for state, including three regional champions. The Spartans took second place in their regional, finishing behind fifth-ranked Yelm. Stanwood has five wrestlers with top-10 rankings in their respective weight classes. … No. 10-ranked Edmonds-Woodway qualified seven wrestlers for state, including two regional champions. The Warriors placed third at their regional, finishing close behind No. 11-ranked Auburn Riverside and No. 12-ranked Silas. Edmonds-Woodway has three wrestlers with top-10 rankings in their respective weight classes.

Local individuals with top-three rankings: Edmonds-Woodway senior Alex Rapelje (29-1) is the top-ranked 152-pounder in 3A and the area’s lone defending boys state champion. He won the 3A state title at 138 pounds in 2020 and earned a fourth-place state medal at 120 pounds in 2019. He won a regional title last week with a technical fall over fourth-ranked Spanaway Lake senior Jermaine Broussard. … Stanwood junior Mason Ferguson (22-0) is ranked No. 2 in 3A at 182 pounds. He won a regional title last week and is making his first Mat Classic appearance. … Arlington senior Trevor Latta (23-5) is ranked No. 2 in 3A at 160 pounds. He reached the Mat Classic two years ago as a sophomore. He won a regional title last week with two sub-60-second pins followed by a pin of seventh-ranked Monroe senior Brian Zebley Jr. in the final. … Shorecrest senior Thomas Rhodes (26-0) is ranked No. 2 in 3A at 145 pounds. He reached the Mat Classic in each of his first two seasons, including a fourth-place 3A state medal at 113 pounds in 2020. He won a regional title last week with a 6-3 decision over fifth-ranked Lynnwood senior Nathaniel Wilder. … Stanwood junior Tyler Rhue (21-0) is ranked No. 2 in 3A at 126 pounds. Two years ago as a freshman, he claimed a third-place 3A state medal at 106 pounds. He won a regional title last week with a 7-5 decision over fourth-ranked Mount Vernon junior Ryan Wilson. … Shorewood junior Hunter Tibodeau (21-1) is ranked No. 2 in 3A at 195 pounds. As a freshman two years ago, he claimed a fifth-place 3A state medal at 182 pounds. He won a regional title last week with an 8-1 decision over seventh-ranked Silas junior Charlie Larsen. … Stanwood junior Keaton Mayernik (20-4) is ranked No. 3 in 3A at 132 pounds. Two years ago as a freshman, he claimed a fifth-place 3A state medal at 120 pounds. He won a regional title last week with a 5-0 decision over seventh-ranked Yelm freshman Lake Harris. … Edmonds-Woodway senior Alec Rust (26-2) is ranked No. 3 in 3A at 170 pounds. He reached the Mat Classic in each of his first two seasons, including a fifth-place 3A state medal at 160 pounds in 2020. He won a regional title last week with a major decision over ninth-ranked Auburn Riverside senior Collin Morrow.

CLASS 2A BOYS

Top-ranked teams: 1. Orting 2. W.F. West 3. Selah 4. Bremerton 5. Othello

Wrestlers per local team: Lakewood (6), Cedarcrest (3), Archbishop Murphy (1)

Local top-10 ranked teams: none

Local individuals with top-three rankings: Cedarcrest senior Evan Reid (19-2) is ranked No. 2 in 2A at 145 pounds. He reached the Mat Classic in each of his first two seasons. He won a regional title last week with a 2-0 decision over ninth-ranked Sedro-Woolley junior Conner Mellich.

CLASS 1A BOYS

Top-ranked teams: 1. Toppenish 2. Deer Park 3. Lakeside 4. Colville 5. Wapato

Wrestlers per local team: Granite Falls (5), Sultan (2)

Local top-10 ranked teams: none

Local individuals with top-three rankings: none

CLASS 2B/1B BOYS

Top-ranked teams: 1. Granger 2. Tonasket 3. Lake Roosevelt 4. Forks 5. Okanogan

Wrestlers per local team: Darrington (4)

Local top-10 ranked teams: none

Local individuals with top-three rankings: Darrington junior Aksel Espeland is ranked No. 3 in 2B/1B at 113 pounds. He reached the Mat Classic two years ago as a freshman. He won a regional title last week with a pin of sixth-ranked Adna freshman Cohen Hartley.

GIRLS

Top-ranked teams: 1. Toppenish 2. White River 3. Curtis 4. Moses Lake 5. Yelm

Wrestlers per local team: Arlington (5), Cedarcrest (3), Everett (3), Lake Stevens (3), Shorewood (3), Glacier Peak (2), Marysville Pilchuck (2), Stanwood (2), Cascade (1), Kamiak (1), Lakewood (1), Marysville Getchell (1), Monroe (1), Mountlake Terrace (1)

Local top-10 ranked teams: none

Local individuals with top-three rankings: Marysville Pilchuck junior phenom Alivia White (31-0) captured the 190-pound state title two years ago as a freshman and is the state’s top-ranked wrestler in that same weight class this season. She’s also ranked No. 3 in the nation at 180 pounds by USA Wrestling. She has pinned second-ranked Burlington-Edison senior Delaney Cobbs three times this season, including in last week’s regional final. … Glacier Peak sophomore Karianne Baldwin (26-1) is the top-ranked wrestler in the state at 125 pounds. She won a regional title last week with a pin of eighth-ranked Everett senior Sela Ho. … Cedarcrest senior Abby Varady (20-1) is ranked No. 3 in the state at 135 pounds. She’s also ranked No. 18 nationally at 138 pounds by USA Wrestling. She won a regional title last week.