TACOMA — First-year Edmonds-Woodway head coach Joe Trieu had high hopes for the five Warriors who advanced to last weekend’s Mat Classic XXII and they did not disappoint.
Three individuals came home with medals, the highlight being Ryan DeWeese’s surprising second-place finish in the 130-pound division in the Class 4A state tournament Feb. 20 at the Tacoma Dome.
DeWeese was the first Edmonds-Woodway wrestler to advance to the finals since Edmonds and Woodway high schools merged in the early 1990s. Saturday’s championship match against eventual champion Kurtis Giberson of Kelso also was only the third time DeWeese advanced to the finals of any tournament. Giberson edges DeWeese 4-1 for the title.
“It was good to be in the (state) finals for the first time,” DeWeese said. “Second was OK for me. I worked so hard to get to the finals. I’ll take whatever place I can get.”
DeWeese definitely hit his stride in recent weeks, finishing first at districts and second at regionals. He opened the tournament with a pin of South Kitsap’s Spencer Ricketson in 1 minute, 33 seconds.
“Ryan was peaking,” Trieu said. “He wrestled to his fullest ability. Everybody was really happy for Ryan. He’s such a quiet, shy guy. He leads by example. All the kids agreed, he deserved the most to be in the finals.”
Following his first-round victory, DeWeese knocked off Mead’s Tyler McLean 8-3 in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal clash with Graham-Kapowsin’s Travis Metcalf, who came in ranked No. 1 in the division according to the Washington Wrestling Report.
The plan was to keep battling Metcalf until the end.
“We came in really prepared,” Trieu said. “Guys at that level are not used to wrestling all the way to the end. Ryan kept on wrestling.”
His persistence led to a 6-4 decision and a trip to the championship match.
While most wrestlers who are in the finals for first time battle nerves, DeWeese didn’t let the surroundings or the magnitude of the match bother him.
“It seems more fun to be wrestling someone who is new to you,” DeWeese said.
Trieu noted that DeWeese wrestled the same all year and didn’t change his approach at the state tournament.
“The finals, it was just another match in just a different place,” Trieu said. “He was proud of himself and happy his family was there to support him.”
Teammate Andrew Vulliet matched last year’s sixth place finish at 112. Yet Trieu described this year’s tournament as being a breakthrough for the Edmonds-Woodway junior. Vulliet scored a 7-6 victory over Kelso’s Riley Miller in the consolation bracket. Vulliet has never beaten Miller before.
“He changed his approach,” Trieu said of Vulliet. “In the past he wrestled not to lose. This time he wrestled to win. He left it all out on the mat.”
After not placing last year, Mac Hutchison earned an eighth-place medal at 125 this season.
“Mac learned a lot about himself,” Trieu said. “He’s doing some things really good. He’s having a lot more fun. He realizes how much more moves he has to learn how to do.”
All three Edmonds-Woodway medalists as well as state participants Zack Perez (171) and Matt Cuzzetto (119) will be back next year.
“The biggest thing for these guys is that they have skilled practice partners,” Trieu said.
Edmonds-Woodway placed 20th overall in the team standings. University won the title and Lake Stevens was the top Western Conference finisher in fourth place.
In the Class 3A tournament, Lynnwood’s Zack Calkins took eighth at 112. The Lynnwood sophomore is the first Royal to earn a medal since 2007.
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