Deer Park champion for 1st time
TACOMA – The gravity of it all overwhelmed Drew Acorn.
Acorn and the Deer Park wrestling team didn’t repeat history, they wrote it. For the first time – in any sport – the Stags can call themselves state champions.
“I don’t know when it’s going to sink in but these kids and our other coaches just worked their tails off and the support throughout the community has been awesome,” said Deer Park coach Matt Jorgensen, after Acorn’s 8-6 victory in the 103-pound title match on Saturday at the Washington State Mat Classic XX 2A Wrestling Championships.
Deer Park amassed 167.5 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Blaine with 88.
Junior Cody Miller also won a title for Deer Park, nabbing the 152-pound championship with a 13-7 decision over Hockinson’s Joseph Wagner.
Acorn held on for the decision over Wapato senior Luis Gomez, last year’s runner-up. Upon the completion of the three-round match, Acorn burst into tears of joy and went searching for his older brother Levi Zadorozny, who finished fourth at 119.
“My brother is a senior,” said Acorn. “I did it for him and my oldest brother. (Levi) pushed me to do 103 (instead of 112) this year. I just have the best coaches … I feel like we deserved this.”
En route to their team title, the Stags placed several wrestlers in the top eight.
At 112, sophomore Blake Adams placed third, along with juniors Brandon Leliefeld (140) and Ryan Jorgensen (160). Senior Waylan Cork placed fourth at 160, as did junior Ethan Grable (171). Freshman heavyweight Shawn Burton was sixth.
Riverside senior Ryan DesRoches finished his high school career a three-time champion. Competing up from 160 this year, DesRoches pinned Cedarcrest’s Brady Paxman in 1 minute, 20 seconds for the title at 171.
“It means everything,” said DesRoches. “It’s been a goal since I was a little kid … I couldn’t have done it without my coach or my family.”
Right before his match, DesRoches watched as his younger brother Jacob surrendered a one-point lead with 10 seconds remaining to lose a 5-4 decision to Tumwater’s Patrick Prentice and finish second at 160.
“It fired me up a little bit,” said Ryan DesRoches, who will wrestle on scholarship next year at Cal Poly. “I was pretty upset that he lost, but he tried his hardest and I know he’s got another year to win it.
“He made the finals with me and that was good enough for me.”
Pullman’s Matt David finished second for the second straight year, falling 17-2 to River Ridge’s Marques Ford.
Other Great Northern League wrestlers that finished in the top eight included: Colville’s D.J. Hall (second, 215), Pullman’s Ruslan Cox (fourth, 103), West Valley’s Justin Fiman (fifth, 130) and Riverside’s Ryan Major (sixth, 119).
Clarkston had two top-eight finishers – junior Matt Powell (fourth, 135) and Frank Willis (sixth, 189).