TACOMA — Winning a state championship was almost too much for Alec Bird to comprehend. And that’s maybe because so much has happened so soon for the Everett wrestler.
A year ago, Bird wrestled with the Seagulls junior varsity until late in the season, when he was promoted to the varsity and ended up placing fourth at 171 pounds at the state tournament.
On Saturday night, Bird added another chapter to his remarkable success story with a 5-0 victory against Brad McCutchen of Enumclaw for the Class 3A 215-pound state title.
Also winning a girls championship on Saturday was Christina Ordonez of Lakewood, who recorded a first-period pin against Antonia Nevejas of Kentwood at 152.
Bird, who improved his season mark to 33-6, scored two points with a first-period takedown and three points in the second period with an escape and takedown. The third period was scoreless.
“This feels amazing,” said Bird, a junior. Coming into the tournament, “I was expecting to go to the finals,” he said, “but I didn’t think I’d win it.”
State champions at Everett are nothing new, of course, and Bird can now add his name to the school’s distinguished roster of titlists.
“I’ve seen a lot of kids on our team win (championships),” he said, “but I never thought I’d have a chance to do the same. I’m just blown away.”
Bird is still a relatively young wrestler and that means “we’re quite a ways from him being where he needs to be,” said Everett coach Brien Elliott. “But the will to win is way more important than the skill to win. And Alec’s will to win ranks with the other state champions we’ve had before.”
In her title match, Ordonez had a dominating performance to become the first Snohomish County girl to win a state championship. She managed a takedown with 40 seconds remaining in the first period, worked Nevejas onto her back and posted the pin with 3.7 seconds remaining.
“It feels awesome,” said Ordonez, who lost her first two state tournament matches a year ago. “To come back and redeem myself … I told myself before every match (this season) that I was going to win, and I did.”
She finished with a 19-0 record against girls this season and 18 of those victories were pins.
“This was another overpowering performance,” said Lakewood coach Tom O’Hara. “Nothing was going to get in her way. She was ready to wrestle all tournament and it showed.”
Arlington had two senior wrestlers with runnerup finishes in Class 4A. At 160, Chris Myers lost in a technical fall to Jake Mason of University and Bryant Dickerson lost a heartbreaking 2-1 decision to defending state champion Tevyn Tillman of Decatur at 285.
The losses were disappointing, said Arlington coach Shaun Williams, “but to take two guys to state and two guys in the finals, I can’t ask for more.”
Everett’s Danny Lopez came back from a disappointing semifinal loss to eventual state champ Cody Pohren of Sedro-Woolley to place third. Lopez, a junior, eked out a 3-2 victory over Jacob Longmire of Yelm in his final match.
In Class 2A, Archbishop Murphy’s Cameron Wade also finished third with a thrilling 8-6 overtime victory against Reuben Lopez of Othello in his final match.
JoMae Alewine of Lake Stevens suffered a sudden, shocking loss in the girls title match at 103. With the score 2-2 in the second period, Bremerton’s Lauren Richardson managed a reversal and a pin, all in less than 10 seconds.
Lakewood’s Keely Caldwell lost in the semifinals, but came back in the consolation bracket to finish fifth with a pin of Sara Moquin of Sedro-Woolley at 130. At 125, Julia Perry of Monroe lost her semifinal match and ended up sixth. Also sixth after losing in the semis was Christina Alter of Oak Harbor at 160.
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