Since coach Blaine Smith started the Archbishop Murphy wrestling program in 2003, the team had never won a tournament championship of any kind. But that changed on Dec. 29 when the Wildcats prevailed in the Brian Hill Classic at Eastside Catholic in Bellevue.
Archbishop Murphy had seven finalists and topped the runner-up, host team Eastside Catholic, by 12 points.
Archbishop Murphy participated in the tourney in 2003 but finished last. Smith said he’s excited to see his team, including athletes who were freshmen in 2003, come so far: “It just means that the hard work’s paying off for us, really.” Three Archbishop Murphy wrestlers took first place in their respective weight classes: freshman Brad Gee (171 pounds), junior Zeke Evers (189) and sophomore Keegan Kruse (285).
Smith hopes his squad will continue to improve. “We’re kind of doing what we set out to do, and that’s to get better every week. We’re making progress. We don’t expect to light the wrestling world on fire, but we’re taking steps here and there.”
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