EDMONDS — Edmonds-Woodway served notice that the Warriors will be a force in the postseason.
Edmonds-Woodway advanced five wrestlers to the finals at the 38th annual Edmonds Invitational Jan. 7 at Edmonds-Woodway High School.
Four of the five – Noah Cuzzetto (113 pounds), Matthew Cuzzetto (145), Zach Perez (170) and George Johanson (285/heavyweight) – won titles to lead the Warriors to a second-place finish behind Oak Harbor. The Wildcats scored 212.5 points to finish just ahead of Edmonds-Woodway (207). Ellensburg was third with 173 and Everett was fourth with 166.5. Oak Harbor had 14 placers to Edmonds-Woodway’s 12.
Warriors coach Brian Alfi was pleased by his team’s performance.
“We had a lot of contributions,” he said. “Overall the kids wrestled very well. They’re getting better.”
Heavyweight George Johanson successfully defended his title with a pin of Oak Harbor’s Raymond Quinday in four minutes, 35 seconds. The junior standout also recorded pins in his other two matches.
Preparation has been the key to Johanson’s success this season
“I started practicing more and started with a lot more conditioning,” he said.
The latter definitely helped him record the pin in the finals, Johanson added.
Johanson advanced to regionals last season and is looking to head to the Tacoma Dome this year.
“I think I should do pretty good,” he said. “I’ll do a lot more training before I go into the postseason.”
Edmonds-Woodway junior Matthew Cuzzetto won his third straight Edmonds Invitational crown with a hard-fought 5-2 decision over Meadowdale’s Morgan Smith.
“I moved good on my feet,” said Cuzzetto, who placed eighth in the 135-pound division at last year’s state tournament. “I didn’t get taken down once, so that was good.
“I’m expecting to take top three this year if not making it into the finals and possibly winning it,” he added. “I’ve always been good on top and bottom, which has helped me. I’ve struggled with the main part of wrestling, which is on your feet. This year I’ve worked a lot on trying to move my feet better and just getting better on taking people down.”
Cuzzetto has always been one of the team’s better athletes, but he’s made significant strides this season, Alfi said.
“He’s wrestling with a purpose. He’s one move ahead of guys,” Alfi said. “You’re never going to turn him. You have to beat him. He’s not going to beat himself.”
Perez won a 9-5 decision over Everett’s Zack Skorka. Alfi describes the two-time state participant as the complete package.
Matthew Cuzzetto’s younger brother, Noah, moved up from 106 to the 113-pound division and recorded a pin over Juanita’s Phuoc Nguyen at 1:54. Noah Cuzzetto currently is ranked No. 1 in the Class 4A 106 division, according to the statewide Washington Wrestling Report. On Jan. 6, Noah Cuzzetto beat Kamiak’s Joshua Hetzman 4-0.
“He’s looking really good,” Alfi said. “He’s poised to make a big postseason run.”
Noah Cuzzetto wanted to wrestle up a weight class to face tougher competition, Alfi noted. “That’s the type of attitude he has. That’s the type of athlete you want. You want them to step up a weight class to prepare for the postseason.”
Teammate Marq Brown lost a 10-4 decision to Jackson’s Jefferey Stephan in the finals. Brown likely will have an opportunity to avenge the loss when Edmonds-Woodway and Jackson face off on Jan. 26 in the final regular season match.
Meadowdale advanced two to the finals with Ciaran Ball winning a 7-0 decision over Ellensburg’s Jason Glenn at 195 and Dustin Diemond falling 10-6 to Ellensburg’s Blake Haberman at 138. Lynnwood’s Matthew Calkins lost a 10-2 decision to Oak Harbor’s Cody Fakkema in the 126 finals.
Alfi was recognized with the Mike Hess Sportsmanship Award, which is given in honor of the late Edmonds-Woodway coach.
“It was a pretty big surprise and a nice honor,” Alfi said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
