3A Wrestling Wrap up: Day One

Enumclaw took care of business on the first day of the Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome and looks primed to make a run at its third state title in four years.

The Hornets emerged as the big winners of the day, advancing seven wrestlers past the first round and five into the semifinals, to give Enumclaw a 66-57.5 lead in the team rankings over University.

State title favorites Josh Musick and Kario Wallin both performed as expected and are still in the hunt for a first place finish.

Musick’s two matches lasted a total of 2:27 as he pinned both opponents in quick fashion. Wallin also recorded back-to-back wins via pin.

Defending state champion Hunter File was shocked in the quarterfinals by Josh St. Marie of Glacier Peak, dropping File into the losers bracket and ensuring that he will finish no higher than third the year after winning it all.

Tyke Reid and Lucas Somera also advanced to the semifinals, giving the Hornets a guarantee of four places, strengthening their hopes of winning the state title they lost last year after back-to-back first place finishes.

“We almost feel like we got it in the sack,” Wallin said of the team title. “It’s meant to be, everything’s going together so well.”

Mercer Island was a surprise first-round success, as the Islanders put five wrestlers into the second round. But the Islanders luck ran out in the face of a tough round of match-ups and Mercer Island had to settle for ninth place after day one.

University, Sunnyside and Kelso all placed in the top 5 of team rankings, as expected. University and Enumclaw entered the tournament as the favorites, while Sunnyside and Kelso were expected to compete. While Enumclaw essentially controls its own fate at this point, coach Lee Reichert did not echo Wallin’s sentiments on the title being a given and said his team is taking everything one step at a time.

“We’ll take it one match at a time,” Reichert said. “We’re not looking past anything.”