With five finalists and two champions, the Lady Bearcats claimed their second-straight 1B/2B/1A/2A Region 2 girls wrestling tournament championship on Saturday at Centralia High School.
Additionally, Bearcat coach Matt Patana was voted the Evergreen 2A Conference and Region 2 Coach of the Year by his peers for the second year in a row.
At 130 and 135 pounds, Kaylee Lehman and Lia Hornby claimed regional championships fwith three pins each, including in their finals matches. Shelby Hazlett (125), Brooke Johnston (130), and Lily Canfield (155) were also finalists for W.F. West
Hazlett had two wins by decision on the way to the finals before taking a tough loss to place second. Johnston opened the day with a pin, and followed that with a major decision before a loss to teammate Lehmam to give the Bearcats the top two spots at 130. Canfield secured two pins to earn her spot in the finals before losing to claim second place.
Aurora Martin (125) placed third for W.F. West. Martin started the day with a second period pin before a hard fought loss to the eventual champion in her weight. She bounced back with a win by major decision and a 12-8 victory in the consolation finals. The Bearcats had a trio of fourth place finishers and state alternate qualifiers in Eden Hornby (110), Emily Mallonee (120), and Bailey Simper (190). All three of the girls wrestled tough to go 2-2 on the day, respectively, and earn their fourth place finish.
Wrestling hard, but falling just short of qualifying for the Mat Classic state tournament were Berkeley Varick (6th place at 115), Yasmine Azcunaga (170), and KD Obtinario (235).
In the team score race, the Bearcats scored 167 points to outpace second place Aberdeen (115) and third place Centralia (96).
"The first place finish was the result of the hard work that all of these ladies put in every day. Actually not just these ladies, but also the ones that did not participate because we are so deep in several weights,” W.F. West coach Matt Patana said. “It is also a testament to the many great leaders who come to help coach in our room."
Patana and the team thanked Centralia staff for running a great tournament.
Tigers win three individual regional titles
By The Chronicle staff
Three Centralia wrestlers claimed titles on Saturday at the 1B/2B/1A/2A Region 2 tournament Saturday in Centralia.
Luna Martinez-Arevalo won the 100 bracket, picking up a 3-1 decision over La Center’s Leah Wallway in the finals. Ramona Reinitz won at 110, pinning Rainier’s Emma Desotell in 4:44 in the finals.
Eva Reinitz won the 115 bracket, with a 9-7 decision over Woodland’s Couly McReynolds in the finals.
Teammate Jocelyn Navarro (100) was third, helping the Tigers to a third-place team finish.
Black Hills’ Sloane Kruger won at 105 with a 16-0 technical fall in the second round against Shelton’s Adell Anderson in the finals. Izzy Steinebach also came out on top at 145, earning the victory with a second period fall. Madison Mounts (120) finished third.
Tenino’s Ynavi Rodriguez won the 190-bracket, pinning Rainier’s Katherine Kinahan in 2:19 in the finals.
Napavine’s Maya Kunkel won at 155 with a first-round pin over W.F. West’s Lily Canfield.
Rainier’s Kiera Anderson (170) finished second.
The top three finishers in each bracket advance to Mat Classic XXXV, which begins Friday morning in the Tacoma Dome.
