Toppenish Turns Back Lakeside’s Title Hopes

2A

It wasn’t what Lakeside didn’t do. It was what Toppenish did.

Toppenish won the State 2A wrestling crown at the Tacoma Dome with an overwhelming performance.

“We did all the things that I thought were necessary to win,” Lakeside wrestling coach Scott Jones said.

“But I never would have thought that we’d come in here, score 140-some points and be a distant second.”

The Eagles didn’t repeat as champs, but Matt Westenfelder, in the 168-pound class, and Sean Wheeler, at 178, brought home individual state titles.

“That makes it a little more sweet,” Jones said.

Also, Riverside’s Joben Nuesse defeated Toppenish’s Rigo Castaneda for the 122-pound championship.

Nuesse said he didn’t watch Castaneda during the tournament, and he wasn’t aware that the Wildcats had sent seven wrestlers to the finals.

“When I watch other wrestlers, I get scared, then I get beat,” said Nuesse, whose horn-rim glasses make him look more like a chess champ than a wrestling champ.

As for Lakeside’s team title hopes, they evaporated when Riverview’s Kit Ayers pinned Robert Painter in the 101-pound bracket in the morning semifinals.

Shortly thereafter, Toppenish’s David Escamilla beat Lakeside’s Jason Christen (141), 8-6 in overtime.

On the mat next to that match, Orting’s Ben Barkley beat Lakeside’s Aaron Laughery (148) in an overtime semifinal by a score of 8-6 as well.

“We weren’t backing down from those guys,” Escamilla said after beating Christen.

“We knew that to win state we’d have to go through them, so that’s what we did.”

Escamilla eventually pinned Medical Lake’s Matt Parker to win the state title.

As for the rest of Lakeside’s wrestlers, Robert Painter (101) finished fifth; Kris Matthews (101), seventh; Tim Weisser (122), fifth; Anthony Layton (129), third; Adam Christen (135), fifth; Jason Christen (141), fifth; Aaron Laughery (148), third; and Chad Charbonneau (275), fourth.

Other local 2A medalists were John Slater, Colville (115), fourth; Jesse Moroni, Medical Lake (122), fourth; Tu Le, Riverside (129), sixth; Tom Cahill, Colville (129), seventh; Josh Hafer, Colville (148), sixth; Justin Divis, Colville (158), sixth; and D.J. Hammond, Pullman (190), seventh.

, DataTimes