Reardan wrangles B crown
TACOMA – If wrestling officials would have known what kind of show Class B wrestlers were going to put on, they would have split the State 1A/B tournament well before Mat Classic XIX.
In the most stirring team race of this six-class extravaganza in the Tacoma Dome, Reardan won the first B team championship when heavyweight Derek Toney pinned Kyle Strode of Ocosta in the third round Saturday night.
“I felt a lot of pressure because it was up to me to get my title and the team title,” Toney said. “The way I stayed focused (through the first 13 finals) was to get in my zone and not talk to anyone.
“I was worried because the guy I pinned in the regional final (Strode) pinned in the first round.”
Toney’s six points gave Reardan 107, leapfrogging Republic, which had 104.5 and Oroville, 103.
“He went out and won it, that’s just how it should be done,” Republic coach Jim Gubler said. “He outwrestled that guy. If you’re going to lose it, that’s how you want it to happen.”
That capped a wild day that saw area wrestlers win eight individual titles and the Eastern Region take the top three team trophies. Kittitas, which won the regional title, was fifth in the team race behind Concrete.
Reardan coach Mark Leehouts said the heavyweight match was a toss-up.
“I just told (Toney) you have a great opportunity,” he said. “But if we didn’t win it, I hoped Republic would.”
The two teams formed a bond at Christmas when Republic slept on mats in the Reardan gym during a camp.
Everything had to fall just right for the Tigers and it almost did, with Reardan and Oroville both going 1-1 in championship matches.
The Tigers had slipped past Oroville when Jordan Hancock (140), last year’s 130-pound champion who battled a broken leg and mono, won their third individual title with a pin. They hoped heavy underdog Landis Mills could upset two-time 1A/B runner-up Beau Stevie of Liberty Bell at 160, but after Mills dropped a tough 10-6 decision they had to sweat three more matches before the heavyweight showdown.
“For a team sport with all these individuals, it comes down to one weight, one match. It doesn’t get any better than that,” said Gubler, who had all six of his competitors place at state after the Mills match. “I don’t know what else we could have done. I can’t cheer against Toney. I’ll sit back and enjoy the show like everyone else.”
Strode, who had pins in 1:59 and 1:04 in the first two matches of the eight-man bracket, got a takedown midway through the first 2-minute period.
But with 5 seconds left, Toney got a reversal and three-point near fall for a 5-2 lead. He got an escape and another late takedown in the second period for an 8-2 lead. The double-barreled state championship was finalized with 44.9 seconds left.
“It feels like I beat one of my best friends for the state championship, but I know they’re happy for me,” said Toney, who credited assistant coach Matt Leehouts, the 2002 heavyweight champion, and quick 215-pounder Rory Beckstrom, who placed third. “In the second round, I knew I had it. I had more conditioning.”
It capped a great comeback for the Indians, who won eight of nine first-round matches, lost six of eight in the second round.
“It was a roller coaster,” Mark Leehouts said. “I just told them to keep their heads up and let’s try to make history. We want our name on the board coming into town.”
The Indians ended up with seven placers, including four thirds that gave them 101 points, two up on Oroville and 10.5 on Republic, entering the finals.
Ryn Rollins became Republic’s first freshman champion with a second-round pin at 112. Gubler’s son, J.J., won a 7-5 decision at 119.
In an all-Wilbur-Creston final at 125, sophomore Cody Stevens beat senior Deven Johnson 4-3 with a takedown at the final buzzer.
“I have no idea, I really don’t,” Stevens said when asked if he thought the takedown came in time. “I feel bad because he’s a senior.”
Liberty senior Adam Thies won the 145-pound title with a 4-2 decision.