By Chris Beatty
Herald Writer
Mariner sophomore Trenton Tuiasosopo, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs a chiseled 206.5 pounds, was coaxed into wrestling this season as a means of helping his football skills.
He’s glad he gave it a shot.
Tuiasosopo won the Western Conference South Division 275-pound title bout Saturday despite being by far the skinniest in the field.
He’ll be among the 112 Wesco grapplers at the regional tournament Friday and Saturday at Snohomish High School who will be vying for a trip to Mat Classic.
The top four finishers in each of the 14 weight classes from each of the South and North division meets over the weekend will be joined by the top four from the Narrows League.
“I never expected what I’ve accomplished so far,” said Tuiasosopo, who was an All-Wesco linebacker this season for the Marauders. “I’m not a wrestler yet, but I’m getting the hang of it.”
With a 21-2 record so far against opponents who can weigh as much as 70 pounds heavier, Tuiasosopo has proven to have a very fast learning curve.
“My coaches say ‘takedown,’ I call them tackles,” Tuiasosopo said. “They can be King Kong and it doesn’t matter. As long as I know I tried my best, I’ll be happy.”
Tuiasosopo had a large cheering section at last weekend at the sub-regional meet, including his father Sani and anxious mother Suzanne.
“There’s a big difference between watching him wrestle and watching him play football,” Suzanne Tuiasosopo said. “In football they have all that safety equipment. There’s just so much more tension at a match, you’re exhausted at the end.”
Four weeks ago, Tuiasosopo learned why wearing head gear is so important. He has a pocket of fluid on his ear lobe the size of a golf ball that needs to be drained almost weekly, and will require surgery after the season.
Martinez re-focused: For Tuiasosopo’s teammate, Victor Martinez, the road to wrestling success was not a straight one. Martinez says he lacked discipline his junior year, and numerous missed practices led Mariner coach Carl Wilkins to kick him off the team last season. Martinez, whose brother Cecilio finished second at 160 pounds at the 2001 Mat Classic, said that moment changed him for the better and made him more dedicated this season.
“I’m glad (coach Wilkins) did it,” Martinez said. “He told me that if I’m willing to put effort into it then he’ll be behind me 100 percent. But if I’m going to keep acting like I did, then not to even come out this season.”
Martinez focused and was rewarded with a sub-regional championship at 171 pounds.
“This is my senior year, it’s my time. I have an opportunity to prove a lot of people wrong.” Martinez said.
Unlikely finalists: Some wrestlers came from seemingly nowhere to make a splash in the North Division tournament.
No. 7 seed Tyler Dormaier of Marysville-Pilchuck upset second-seeded Josh Bergman in a 140-pound class quarterfinal on Friday and beat Mount Vernon’s Chad Suomela Saturday morning. Top seed Willie Ward of Monroe pinned him in the third round of the championship bout. Only two points were scored on Ward during his four matches.
Sixth-seeded Curtis Stribling (135) of Lake Stevens edged Marysville-Pilchuck’s Norman Orr by a 14-13 decision Friday and qualified for the final by beating Snohomish’s Tommy McDonnell 11-6. He trailed Mount Vernon’s Robbie Curry 6-2 before suffering what was believed to be a minor knee injury early in the third round and could not continue.
“I thought he had a chance to do well because he’s been in matches all year,” Lake Stevens coach Brent Barnes said.
3A sub-regional: Five Lynnwood and two Meadowdale wrestlers advanced to the 3A Region 1 meet at last weekend’s sub-regional in Bellingham. They’ll compete Saturday at Sedro-Woolley H.S. for a place in the state meet.
Lynnwood’s Geof LeGrandeur won a sub-regional championship at 119 pounds. Teammates Tesir Al-Hussaini (135) and Reese Cogdill (215) managed runnerup finishes, while Matt Suthern was third at 189 pounds and heavyweight Josh Martin was fourth.
Meadowdale cousins Dave (130) and Kaleo Primacio (160) finished second and third, respectively.
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