Stags make it three

TACOMA – “Awesome” was a word used freely Saturday by Deer Park’s Jake Konzal, describing his feeling after winning his initial state championship as a 103-pound freshman, and coach Matt Jorgensen, talking about the Stags’ third straight State 2A team wrestling title at Mat Classic XXII.

“I feel our kids are awesome,” Jorgensen said. “They keep pushing through. They’ve had lots of ups and downs, but keep battling.”

The ups at state included Konzal’s title, 13-5 over fellow freshman and teammate Cole Harris, that secured the team title. The downs were the fact that three defending Stags champions, Blake Adams, Billy Rhoads and Shawn Burton, were denied second titles in other finals.

Nonetheless, the Stags scored 150 points to turn away the other premeet favorite, W.F. West of Chehalis, which finished with 125.5.

In winning the title, Konzal reversed a regional loss to his teammate. He jumped out to a 7-2 first-period lead.

“I learned what he was doing last week in practice,” Konzal said. “You have to keep moving and moving and moving.”

Deer Park had all but wrapped up the title in the morning’s semifinals when its five wrestlers made the finals, beginning with both freshmen.

“We knew both were really tough,” Jorgensen said. “But getting two of them to the finals, that’s a feat.”

Konzal was one of three individual champions from the Great Northern League.

Quinn Tate-Gannon (130) became West Valley’s first two-time state champion.

Clarkston’s Nick King won at 215.

But the fates weren’t kind to Adams, who lost for the second week to Prosser’s Osmar Jaimez, 7-2; Rhoads, who was beaten 11-3 by Alex Nunez of W.F. West; and Burton, edged 3-2 by Jake Welch of Mark Morris.

Quinn-Gannon, who also is a wrestling family’s only two-time champ, would not be denied. Quick to opponent Manny Ybarra’s legs in a rematch of the regional championship with the Quincy wrestler, he had three early takedowns and won 8-4.

“I don’t know what to say,” Quinn-Gannon said. “That was just adrenalin. The only thing in my head was no one would take the title from me.”

State B

The cowboy hat is a dead giveaway that the school is from a farming community. But Reardan wrestling coach Bjorn Anderson is not. Indeed, he was Ferris’ first State 4A champion at 129 pounds in 1985 and two-time conference placer at Eastern Washington University.

The Indians piled up 152 points to Pomeroy’s 127, placed 10 wrestlers – six of them finalists and two of them champions, including his nephew Kaare and Logan Zunker, two of four sophomores to finish in the top two.

Zunker put in the time to go from state alternate last year to 135-pound champion.

Finalist Raleigh Beckstrom wrestled up a weight to 189 and Ty Williquette, a 177-pounder, went at 215 did so to best help the team.

Their efforts are reasons the Reardan is state champion.

Republic put five into the finals and all five won – third-year champ Ryn Rollins (119); three-time finalists and two-time champs Levi Larson (125) and Scotty Bacon (145); second-year winner Kyle Kirkendall; and Gilbert Maycumber (103).

“All five won. It’s the best we could do,” said Bacon of the school’s fourth-place finish.

Other local champs: Herson Rodriguez (Lind-Ritzville, 140) and Reid Ashley (Almira/Coulee-Hartline, 285).

State 1A

No Northeast A League boys won championships, but the league wasn’t shut out. Chewelah’s Chel-C Bailey captured the 119-pound title during the girls tournament.

Lakeside’s Josh Lauderdale (135), Kettle Falls’ Tanner Bolt (152) and Chewelah’s Will Peters (285) placed second.

Orting won the boys title.