District wrestling: University surges to 3A title, while Cheney qualifies 13 for Mat Classic
The past few years in 3A wrestling have been dominated by the likes of Mead, Mt. Spokane and Hermiston.
But with the three-time defending state champion Mead Panthers moving up to 4A this season, the throne is open for the taking.
On Saturday, University and Cheney added their names to the mix.
Czar Quintanilla and Samuel Thomas won district titles at 126 and 165 pounds, respectively, to help the Titans capture 342 points and stun top-ranked Hermiston in Saturday’s District 6 3A tournament at Hermiston (Oregon) High School.
“At the start of the season we set team goals, and this was one of the tournaments that we wanted to win,” Thomas said. “Knowing that all of our guys put points on the board and battled through the back channels for important points shows how much we believe in our group. Our wrestling room stepped it up once the postseason hit and that extra effort was on full display here.”
University will send 12 wrestlers to Mat Classic in two weeks, but that total is still one short of the 13 qualifiers that Cheney will send to the Tacoma Dome.
The Blackhawks, who were ranked 16th in the latest 3A poll by Washington Wrestling Report, had three finalists and finished with 324.5 points – good enough for third place, just five points behind Hermiston.
“I’m hearing a lot of comments from other coaches and other guys like, ‘Hey, your guys wrestled really well this weekend.’ but to me and our coaching staff, we expected this from our kids,” Cheney coach Brian Skaff said. “We knew what we could do, and they went out and executed. So to send 13 to state just makes me really proud of this group that has worked so hard for it.”
Mt. Spokane also finished the tournament with two champions, as sophomore Maddox Taft won at 106 and two-time state placer Jayson Bonnett held off Cheney’s Jackson Syron in the 144 final with a 9-3 decision. The Wildcats finished sixth with 209.5 points, but Bonnett believes the team’s 10 state qualifiers will use the result as fuel going into Mat Classic
“I think guys like Maddox and myself just really want to show everyone that Mt. Spokane wrestling isn’t far from being where we should be,” Bonnett said. “We have the belief in ourselves and in the room from the younger guys that we can learn from these results and keep building.”
Shadle Park’s Tyrese Guzman (157) and Brayden Burgener (175) had commanding wins, and Central Valley’s Bayden Beard (190) and Ridgeline’s Preston Wentling (215) rounded out the Greater Spokane League champions.
Now the attention turns to Tacoma, where the Titans and Blackhawks hope to bring the fight to Hermiston and the rest of 3A in hopes of claiming the crown for themselves.
“I’m impressed with our performance, but our mind always looks at what we can improve,” University coach Ryan Montang said.
“Everyone did their jobs this weekend, and even the guys that we aren’t bringing to state were able to find ways to score big points for us. So we need to continue that in two weeks and keep pushing for the best out of our guys.”
Mead dominant in 4A: After three consecutive titles at the 3A level, Mead showed no signs of slowing in the District 6 4A boys tournament at Pasco High School.
The Panthers scored 493.5 points – nearly 200 points clear of second-place Chiawana (300.5) – and qualified 18 wrestlers for Mat Classic.
Mead had five winners , with Bodie Slater (106), Kaysic Lundquist (120), Billy Weisgerber (126), Cole Schumacher (175) and Braeden Harvey (215) earning titles.
Gonzaga Prep also had a pair of district winners in defending State 2A champion Israel Acosta (144) and senior Noah Holman (165).
Roberts among trio of Titans winners: The road to a fourpeat is one step shorter for University’s Libby Roberts.
The Titans’ senior standout won both of her matches in a six-wrestler bracket at Hanford High School in Richland to claim the District 6 3A girls 110-pound title.
Roberts is looking to become the fifth girl in Washington history to win four state titles. She will be joined in her title quest by teammates Lily Cunningham (100) and Samara Wienstock (140), who also won their district brackets. Cheney’s Jalisca Holmgren (125) and Paige McGee (130) also won district championships.
In the 4A girls tournament, also at Hanford, Mead finished with a pair of champions in Taylor Pascua (105) and Raenah Smith (125). Lewis and Clark also qualified four wrestlers for Mat Classic.
The 4A and 3A boys and girls state tournaments will take place Feb. 20-21 at the Tacoma Dome, with finals talking place during Friday evening’s session.