Ignited by nearly the entire lineup qualifying for Mat Classic XXXVI, the Rainier High School wrestling team came away with a team runner-up finish of 294 points and 15 state qualifiers at Saturday’s Class 1B/2B District 4 Championships at Winlock High School.
Forks won the team title with 323.5 points while Napavine (228), Pe Ell (162), Toledo (146), Onalaska (144.5) and Adna (142.5) recorded top-10 finishes. Winlock (44) and Mossyrock (38) placed 15th and 16th, respectively.
Coach Chris Holtermann’s squad had three bracket champions in Addison Poole (138), Zander Peck (157) and Dorien Cano (175) left with titles. Poole has wrestled just 24 matches this season while battling injuries and sickness. He recorded four falls on the day.
“That was outstanding,” Holtermann said. “He’s always had a good attitude and a good focus.”
Peck wasted little time en route to a victory. The reigning 1B/2B runner-up had two pins and a 15-0 tech fall. Cano notched three pins, including sticking Pe Ell’s Ethen Noble after getting out from bottom and locking Noble up in a cradle.
Napavine qualified 11 for state and saw Peyton Hernandez (126) and Tommy Deebach (165) picking up bracket wins. Hernandez, the top-ranked wrestler in the combined classification, had nine sets of back points in three matches.
Pe Ell sent seven to Tacoma behind two runner-ups in Noble and Blake Burnett (165). Toledo secured five spots, including two champs in Bomani Birdwell (190) and Chris Eberle (215). The two Riverhawks combined for five bonus point wins.
Onalaska’s Benito Escalera moved to 36-6 on the season behind three pins to win at 120-pounds. The Loggers will have six representatives in Pierce County. Adna will have seven wrestlers at state; its best wrestler was Alex Richards at 113, placing second.
Winlock’s best finisher was Blake Burkett, fifth at 215 and Mossyrock’s Kyle Brockway registered a third place performance at 190. The Cardinals notched three state qualifiers and the Vikings left with two.
