Gut Feeling Saxons’ Daryl Gardner Knew He Could Become A State Champion

“The way I was placed in the bracket at the beginning, I knew I was in a good situation to take first. I had it in my mind from the beginning of this day, I’m supposed to be the state champion.”

Daryl Gardner, Ferris F erris High School wrestler Daryl Gardner made history with his State 4A 140-pound championship in Tacoma Saturday.

The title was only the second ever by a Saxon in that sport.

And of the three Ferris state placers, Gardner’s might have been the least expected.

Teammates Aaron Sedler, fourth behind three seniors at 215 pounds, and Doug Baker, second at 101, both had finished higher than Gardner at state the last year.

But there was no doubt in the Saxon senior’s mind what he was going to accomplish.

“The way I was placed in the bracket at the beginning, I knew I was in a good situation to take first,” he said on Saturday. “I had it in my mind from the beginning of this day, I’m supposed to be the state champion.”

Gardner’s Tacoma performance was methodical, though at times harrowing. He won decisions by 9-5, 8-7, 6-2 and 10-8 in overtime.

He jumped to early leads using a textbook double leg takedown and weathered comebacks to get Ferris’s first championship since Bjorn Anderson in 1985.

“He not just gets to it,” said coach Tim Owen of the spectacular takedown move, “but he has the ability to get his hips in and take kids off their feet.”

Owen was joyously emotional following Gardner’s win. It also made him happy that Sedler finished second this year behind an unbeaten wrestler, and Baker, in the rugged 112-pound weight class, placed fifth. Sedler’s loss was just his second all season.

The Saxons, after going 1-8 in league, finished fifth at state, second highest among GSL schools.

“It doesn’t get any better than to bring the team over and do this,” said Owen. “We had undergone a lot of adversity. This is really exciting.”

Cheney duo grabs titles Accepting congratulations for his team’s fourth-place finish at state, coach Aaron Mason said the team was fortunate.

Fortunate isn’t the word. The Blackhawks won two individual state titles in the same meet for the first time in school history.

Between them, Dave Courchaine and Blake Falor won 74 matches this year and lost but three. They were dominant in Tacoma. Falor’s pin in the final, his third of the tournament, lifted the Blackhawks to their 3A team trophy.

Courchaine’s wins were either by pin (twice), technical fall or major decision.

Combined with Paul Kimball’s seventh place at 103 and points for wins by Joe Wulczynski and Steve Rasmussen, the trophy was well-earned.

Medical Lake placed 12th in the 2A state tournament with 50 points, although Jonny Varona was disappointed in his bid to repeat a 215-pound title.

Varona lost 7-6 in the semifinals and finished third, as did teammate Josh Cruger at 152 pounds. Aaron Gomez was fourth at 125 pounds.

Liberty sophomore James Miller reached the semifinals of the 1A/B 119-pound weight class and wound up fourth.