‘Inconsequential’ Match Gains Title For Knights

3A wrestling subregional

The strategy was that it didn’t matter whether East Valley’s John Sommer-DeVargas won in the finals of Saturday’s 3A subregional wrestling meet.

Knights coach Craig Hanson just wanted his 108-pounder to gain some momentum to take into next weekend’s regional meet in Ellensburg.

But as things turned out, it did matter.

With Sommer-DeVargas’ 6-5 decision over Jaime Garza of Moses Lake, the Frontier League-champion Knights scored enough points to hold off the Chiefs 243 to 238-1/2 for the team title at Cheney High.

The host Blackhawks finished third with 197 points.

The top five in each weight class advance to regionals, which begin Friday and continue through Saturday.

Sommer-DeVargas, who was runner-up to Garza at regionals and state last year, overcame a 5-3 deficit. He got an escape to make it 5-4, then scored a two-point takedown with about 30 seconds left.

“It was huge,” Hanson said. “It was the difference between us and Moses Lake. He’s wrestling him better each time.”

Sommer-DeVargas is now 2-0 against Garza this season, after a 3-2 victory last month in the Washington Dream Duals at Mead. He also defeated Garza in the subregional meet last season.

Sommer-DeVargas was thrilled with the win considering he has felt ill the past few days.

“I knew I had to hold on the last few seconds,” he said, shaking. “It comes from the heart. You have to pull it out if it means hurting yourself to do it.”

Andy Soloman of Prosser remained unbeaten for the season at 32-0 with a 9-1 decision over Cheney sophomore Dave Courchaine in the 135 finals. Soloman, a senior, is the reigning regional and state champion.

Cheney received an upset win at 148 pounds when senior Jake Jarvis defeated top-seeded Joe Castro of Moses Lake 14-4. Castro placed second in regionals and fourth in state last season.

Jarvis (28-3) hasn’t lost in his weight class this season. Blackhawks senior 215-pounder Seth Morris also won.

West Valley of Spokane senior Ty Roberts (27-5) fell behind in the 158-pound finals to Moses Lake’s Golden Baker, but won 11-9 in overtime with a takedown.

“I knew he was tough but if I wrestled the way I could, I would have a good shot at it,” said Roberts, who took fifth in subregionals last year but went on to place third in regionals and fifth in state.

The night’s final match, heavyweight, also went the distance. Drew Kok of West Valley in Yakima defeated Cheney’s Blake Falor in overtime.

East Valley advanced 11 to regionals. Besides Sommer-DeVargas, the Knights’ other champions were Josh Birt at 178 and Matt Jolley at 190. Birt earned a 5-1 decision over Luke Ehlis of West Valley-Yakima and Jolley pinned Cheney’s Joe Wulczynski.

Hanson had been hoping eight to 12 wrestlers from his squad would go on.

“We’re on the upper end of what I was hoping for,” he said. “We had an outstanding round all afternoon.”

Coach has surgery

Moses Lake coach Ron Seibel underwent emergency double bypass heart surgery Saturday morning in Spokane. Word midway through the meet was that he was doing fine.

Chiefs junior John Zamora dedicated his win at 141 to Seibel.

“You just do it for him since he couldn’t be here,” Zamora said. “It’s kind of hard. You just try to focus on the match. That’s all you can do.”