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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Seeking a championship

Titan wrestler Ryan Zumwalt tries a new strategy to reach his goal

Ryan Zumwalt finished fifth in state last year at 140 pounds for U-Hi and hopes to hopes to contend for the state championship this year. (J. BART RAYNIAK / The Spokesman-Review)
Steve Christilaw Correspondent

Ryan Zumwalt is semitired of just being semitough, and the University High junior is ready to break through what has kept him semiblocked as a wrestler.

“I’m tired of losing in the semifinals,” he says. “I want to win a state championship. I want to find a way to reach the state finals.”

Zumwalt believes he’s found a way to do just that, but it involves a change in strategy. And it involves a little self-sacrifice and more than a little self-control. It involves the one thing just about every wrestler dreads: cutting weight.

Ryan Zumwalt has been a standout wrestler at U-Hi since the first day he walked into coach Don Owen’s practice room.

As a freshman, he reached the state semifinals at 130 pounds, where he was pinned by multiyear state champion Kelly Kubec of Lake Stevens in the first round. Consecutive losses to fourth-place finisher Kevin Healy of Gonzaga Prep and Brad Perry of Snohomish left him with a sixth-place state medal.

As a sophomore, Zumwalt again charged into the state semis, this time at 140 pounds. Perry again stood in his path, pulling out a 6-5 victory en route to a state title. A loss in the consolation semifinal dropped him once again into the fifth-/sixth-place match. This time he regrouped to win his final match to claim the fifth-place medal.

“This year Ryan came in and wanted to wrestle at 152,” Owen said. “He’s a little light for 152, and he gives up a couple pounds, which is pretty big at that weight. There’s no doubt in my mind that he can handle anyone at 152 in the league, but once you get outside our region, that’s a pretty tough weight.”

The need to change strategy became apparent at the Tri-State Tournament in Coeur d’Alene late last month.

Ranked No. 3 in the state at 152, Zumwalt placed fifth in the tournament. George King, last year’s 145-pound champion, placed first, edging Sam Villegas of Moses Lake in a final-round battle of the state’s No. 1- and No. 2-ranked wrestlers in that weight class. Montana state champion Bryce Stacy was third and Cody Miller, the defending state Class 2A champion at 152 was fourth.

“We took a look at those results, and we talked about it,” Owen said. “He decided he’d probably be better off going down to 145. That’s a tough division and there are some tough 145-pounders in our league. But Ryan is going to be a monster 145 – he’s strong enough to compete at 152, and he’s bringing that to a smaller weight.”

Zumwalt said he liked the idea of wrestling at 152. It’s an easy weight for him to make on match-day and an easy weight for him to maintain during the week.

“Right after I made that decision, I got the flu,” he laughs. “It was Christmas, and I got sick. That day I weighed myself, and I was 157. I went to the Y to work out the next day, and I was 148. I guess that was nature’s way of telling me I should be at 145.”

The plan, he said, is to make his weigh-in at 145 for the Pacific Northwest Classic this weekend at University, but still wrestle at 152. It is likely, too, that he will wrestle most of the remaining Greater Spokane League matches at 152.

But there are two upcoming events that already are on his radar.

“I’m looking forward to our match with East Valley,” Owen said. “Ryan will wrestle Chris Tripplett at 145. That may be the best match of the season.”

Tripplett reached last year’s state Class 4A finals at 145 a year ago, wrestling for Gonzaga Prep. This year he’s ranked No. 1 in the state at that weight in Class 3A wrestling for East Valley.

In the GSL, Zumwalt’s primary competition will come from Central Valley’s Tyler Simmet and Mead’s Ben Snow, ranked No. 7 and No. 9, respectively, statewide.

“I’m looking forward to the Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula,” Zumwalt said. “That’s the first major tournament I’ll be able to wrestle at 145. That’s going to give me a chance to see where I am and how I’m doing. There are always great teams there for that tournament.”

Zumwalt is unfazed by quality competition.

His back-to-back runs to the medal podium at state were fueled by some of the fiercest practice-room competition imaginable.

For two seasons, Zumwalt was a practice partner with Brian Owen – a two-time state champion and four-time state placer who is now nationally ranked at 125 pounds as a freshman at Boise State University.

“Brian taught me a lot,” Zumwalt said. “I sometimes think he’s a wrestling encyclopedia. He knows so much about the sport and he shared what he knows with me. He made me a better wrestler.”

Owen said he’s pleased with Zumwalt’s decision and can see him reaching his goal and standing atop the medal stand at next month’s Mat Classic.

“But you know what?” he asked, “Ryan is already a champion of a kid. He’s a great son to his parents, he’s a great friend to the people around him and he’s just a nice, hard-working kid. And I can tell you this, he may only be a junior but he gets a tremendous amount of respect from the rest of that wrestling room every day. The respect him and he has a lot of leadership qualities.”

Contact Steve Christilaw by e-mail at schristilaw@msn.com.