Hester wrestles way to second

TACOMA

It’s wait ‘til next year for Tim Hester.

The Shorewood junior standout came up short in his bid to become the Thunderbirds’ first state wrestling champion.

Hester lost a 9-1 decision to Moses Lake’s John Fackrell in the 189-pound finals Feb. 17 at Mat Classic XIX in the Tacoma Dome.

While disappointed, Hester still was glad to have finished as high as he did.

“It’s good,” Hester said of second place. “Nobody has a state championship at Shorewood. We’re still not going to have one but maybe next year.”

Shorewood coach Arnie Moreno had absolutely no complaints about Hester’s performance at the Class 4A state tournament.

“How can you be disappointed?” he asked. “He can’t be. We’re happy for the recognition he brings to our school and our program. I’m happy for him. What a great honor to be the second best wrestler at the state tournament at his weight class.”

Moreno expects Hester will use the loss in the finals as motivation for his senior year. He noted that after Hester finished second at districts, he rebounded to win his first-ever regional title two weekends ago.

“He’s going to come back just like when he lost at districts,” Moreno said. “It’s going to make him motivated to come back next year and want to win this whole thing.”

Hester struggled against Fackrell, scoring his only point of the match in the third period.

“He’s a lot stronger than me,” Hester said.

Moreno described the match as an old-fashioned street brawl. Hester didn’t seem to be able to do what he wanted to do against Fackrell.

“He ran into a tough, tough guy,” Moreno said. “Tim went in and wanted to wrestle, do what he’s comfortable with … he was looking for a certain type of throw. He wanted to wrestle his kind of a match. The other kid was well-coached.

“It looked like two bulls out there. It was a tough match.”

Hester also noted that one of the Moses Lake coaches accompanied him to nationals, so he was familiar with Hester.

“I’ve never seen this kid in my life,” Hester said.

The loss in the finals shouldn’t overshadow what was a terrific tournament for Hester, Moreno said.

Hester opened with a 14-6 decision over Bethel’s Mitchell Solomonson in a first-round match.

“He was a little sluggish but came awake in the second and third rounds and took control,” Moreno said.

In the quarterfinals, Hester recorded a pin over Inglemoor’s Jordan Krich in 4 minutes, 25 seconds.

Hester then scored a 7-5 decision over Kentlake’s Taylor Firman in the semifinals.

“He came out strong, but he didn’t finish as strong,” Hester said. “He burned a lot of energy in the first period.”

As for what’s next for Hester, he’s thinking about trying to attend the high school nationals and shooting for a top eight finish there.

“That would be really cool,” said Hester, who is a year-round wrestler.

Moreno expects Hester to continue to improve on his technique and to pick up some more match experience.

“He gave it his best shot. Maybe next year he’ll be right on top,” Moreno said. “He’s going to come back next year and be a more complete wrestler. … We’re looking forward to next year already.”