MARYSVILLE — Who said there’s no place like home?
Apparently for the Stanwood wrestling team Marysville Pilchuck H.S. is just as good. After a disappointing showing last week as the host of the district tournament, the Spartans came out with a renewed attitude Saturday to come away with a team regional title at the 3A Region 1 Tournament, which included teams from Wesco 3A North and the Metro and Kingco 3A leagues.
Stanwood had three champions, 10 placers and won 20 matches by pin. It all added up to 184.5 points, eight better than Oak Harbor and 27.5 more than district champ Ferndale. The best part: The Spartans brought 10 wrestlers to regionals and all 10 will be heading to Mat Classic XXV next weekend.
“Ferndale really got us with their depth last week,” said Stanwood head coach Ray Mather. “This week we came to wrestle. I’m just really proud of these guys. We had a great week of practice and the guys refocused after districts.”
Stanwood champions included district champs West Weinert and Zach Schut, who beat teammate Dalton Gilman in the championship match again, and Garrett Arrona, who pinned Marysville Pilchuck’s Ismael Perez after losing to him in the district final last week.
The rematches between Schut and Gilman and Arrona and Perez were not the only ones on Saturday. Nine of the 13 championship matches in Saturday’s regionals pitted the same wrestlers that went head-to-head in last week’s Wesco 3A North district finals. Of the 52 wrestlers heading to Mat Classic, 30 of them are from Wesco.
All but two of the matches had the same result as last week’s, including Weinert’s win over Oak Harbor’s Christian Bertram, Everett’s Jessie Lopez beating MP’s Killian Page and MP’s Drew Hatch pinning Joshua Crebbin. But along with Arrona, MP’s Ryan Daurie beat Jeremy Vester by a point after losing to the Oak Harbor wrestler 4-2 last week.
Other local champs included Oak Harbor’s Cody Fakkema and Courtney Shavers, who pinned Everett’s Anthony Hawkins, and Marysville Getchell’s Alfredo Diaz and Billy Almachar.
One of the most competitive and exciting matches of the day was Lopez’s win over Page. The Seagulls 145-pounder, who is the defending 132-pound state champ, is wrestling up 8-10 pounds so he can take a shot at two-time defending champ Enumclaw’s Lucas Somera at Mat Classic.
Lopez held off a hard-charging Page, who took sixth at 126 at Mat Classic last year, through technically sound wrestling and outpointed the Tomahawks sophomore 12-7.
“He’s really, really smart,” Page said of Lopez. “He knows how to get people into his match.”
After being sick during last week’s districts, MG’s Almachar made quick work of his regional opponents. The Chargers senior pinned his first opponent Friday and Nathan Hale’s Quinn Damon both in the first round en route to his 113-pound title.
“Billy is kind of flying under the radar … and hey we’re OK with that,” said MG head coach Todd Freeman.
At Marysville Pilchuck H.S.
Team results: Stanwood 184.5, Oak Harbor 176.5, Ferndale 157, Marysville Pilchuck 126, Bainbridge Island 116, Nathan Hale 75, O’Dea 65.5, Marysville Getchell 65, Everett 51, Eastside Catholic 40, Franklin 35, Chief Sealth 30, Bishop Blanchet 26, Cleveland 18, West Seattle 14, Ingraham 12, Rainier Beach 12, Lakeside 8.
Championship results: 106—West Weinert (S) pinned Christian Bertram (OH) 1:09; 113—Billy Almachar (MG) pinned Quinn Damon (NH) 1:06; 120—Matt Iwicki (EC) dec. Jesse Marek (BB) 5-2; 126—Ryan Daurie (MP) dec. Jeremy Vester (OH) 6-5; 132—Cody Fakkema (OH) dec. Jahleel Vester (OH) 4-2; 138—Dylan Read (BI) dec. Nate Turner (O) 4-3; 145—Jessie Lopez (E) dec. Killian Page (MP) 12-7; 152—Zach Schut (S) dec. Dalton Gilman (S) 6-5; 160—Drew Hatch (MP) pinned Joshua Crebbin 1:31; 170—Courtney Shavers (OH) pinned Anthony Hawkins (E) 1:16; 182—Tyler Moniz (BI) dec. Sam Alexander (Fern) 11-6; 195—Garret Arrona (S) pinned Ismael Perez (MP) 3:32; 220—Kam Williams pinned Carlos Vilchis (S) 3:54; 285—Alfredo Diaz (MG) pinned Jackson Constant (OH) 1:17.
Other advancers (top four to state): 106—3. Mike Carpenter (Fern), 4. Korry Broderick (O); 113—3. Nick McCaughan, 4. Isaiah Heredia (Fern); 120—3. Jacob Cole (S), 4. Jacob Scott (S); 126—3. Jack Sy (Frank), 4. Adaeus Wilson-Premo (Fern); 132—3. Derek Vajda (Fern), 4. Sam Bell (O); 138—3. Jacob Fitzgerald (OH), 4. Mark Johnston (OH); 145—3. Riley Saenz (Fern), 4. Joaquin Garza (BI); 152—3. Trenton Tibbetts (O), 4. Pablo Yeo (E); 160—3. Jasper Bourgette (NH), 4. Bryce MacDonald (BI); 170—3. Weber Coryell (BI), 4. Cody Stone (MG); 182—3. Klinton Maassen (Fern), 4. Keegan Noel (S); 195—3. Mike Lakisa (CS), 4. Hunter Grundhurd (Fern); 220—3. Iggy Gabov (MP), 4. Mike Grant (BI); 285—3. Jory Cooper (MP), 4. Joshua Forrest (RB).
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