Lakeside wears crown

TACOMA – For Lakeside wrestling coach Scott Jones, Mat Classic XVIII had to end like this. In his Eagles’ 2A swan song, they emulated the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Super Bowl “One for the thumb” with their fifth state team championship.

Lakeside scored 151.5 points and placed 9 of 10 entrants to finish 52.5 points ahead of second-place Orting.

And what better way for this delicious championship sundae to be topped than by the cherry that was his son Levi’s first individual title. Levi’s hard-earned 135-pound triumph was one of two by Lakeside’s three repeat finalists.

He claimed, at last, the state medal that had eluded him, and it came in his last stop of a sterling four-year career.

“It was a great reward for a kid who’s paid a big price,” Scott Jones said. “He had two painful seconds and a lot of emotions to work through. I’m proud of him.”

Jones had finished seventh as a freshman and lost two straight title matches by a point before overcoming the bleeding of a painfully skinned nose and tough foe Jack Prince of Orting 7-1 to lay the past to rest.

The match was stopped numerous times, using up nearly three minutes of “blood time” while the scrape was patched up. The burly Prince was hard to overcome, but when the time came, Jones muscled him for a decisive takedown and near-fall points in the final period.

“I didn’t think about it,” said Jones of his injury. “All I could think about was I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it. But you have to give props to Prince. He’s a really good athlete and I think really worked hard for it (a state championship), too. One of us had to get it.”

By the time Jones, Kyle Johnson at 119 pounds and 171-pounder Jon Millard took the mat in the night’s finals, Lakeside had already won the title.

The Eagles had a sufficient lead after Friday’s competition to win their fifth state title, four as a 2A school, with seven semifinalists. And on Saturday they built on it as the day went on.

“We really had such a great round last night and a great round this morning, we’d have really had to fall down not to get it (the team championship) again,” said Jones.

Johnson who met Tony Farrington in a rematch of their 103-pound final a year ago, dominated through a scoreless contest, only to give up a takedown with 8 seconds left to finish second again.

Jones followed three contests later with his victory that prompted congratulations from numerous sources and an emotional celebration by father and son.

Only one thing would suffice to complete the evening, Scott said: for Millard to win his second straight title. Millard obliged with a 3-1 victory over Chewelah’s Devon Benedict.

“I was thinking it was my last match, and I wanted it to be a good one,” Millard said.

Added Scott Jones, “(Levi and Millard) have wrestled together and traveled all over since they were 4 or 5 years old. I got everything I wanted. It was a perfect weekend and a great ending to a couple of boys’ careers.”

The Great Northern League advanced a total of six to the finals. Another winner was Riverside sophomore Ryan DeRosches, who won 7-2 at 160.

He said the championship was a goal, but didn’t know if it would be realized, but his coach, Randy Miller did.

“He had what it took,” said Miller. “We’ll keep him around for awhile.”

Finishing second were Benedict and Frank Trampush at 189 for the Cougars, and Levi Zadorozny from Deer Park.