TACOMA — It was a sight so rare, there was a noticeable moment of silence.
Up 7-1 in the third period and seemingly on cruise control, W.F. West High School wrestler Tucker Land was all of a sudden taken down and put on his back. In the blink of an eye, he was down 8-7.
“I shouldn't have given up that takedown,” Land said. “It’s been a long time I’ve had to fight off my back.”
Two straight years of Mat Classic championship heartbreak nearly was a trilogy. Yet somehow, someway, in his senior year, Land found what he’d been looking for since he walked into the Bearcats’ wrestling room.
And he made sure to soak it all in.
In his final season donning the maroon singlet, Land pulled out an 11-8 TB-1 triumph in the Class 2A 190-pound finals over Chief Sealth’s Micah Policarpio to claim his first career state championship on Saturday night inside the Tacoma Dome.
“Emotions are high, it still hasn’t hit me fully,” Land said. “It’s all I've worked for my entire life. I’ve worked harder than I ever have and I know I couldn’t lose again.”
It caps a 28-1 senior campaign to go along with four career district titles and four state medals. Land climbed the mountain from fifth as a freshman, to back-to-back seconds, to a spot atop the podium.
As soon as he walked off the mat, he leaped over the fence and ran into the arms of his teammates, friends, family and the rest of the Chehalis community.
Watching that unfold? Jamie Rakevich struggled to fight back tears.
“He deserves it,” the Bearcats head coach said. “Last year, Tucker had the flu the whole week. He was nine (pounds) under.”
W.F. West, with six medalists, piled up 127.5 points to finish the 2A team race in fourth place and take a team trophy back to Lewis County. Orting secured its fourth consecutive state title with an astonishing 434 points, the most by a team in WIAA history and just the second time the 400-point barrier was broken.
The Bearcats were unsure how this season would play out. Rakevich had plenty of faith in his lineup behind a stout senior group and some young bucks that showcased talent from the first dual of the season to the final tournament.
His guys proved him right.
“We came here with something to prove,” Land said.
Land went in for a double leg shot that Policarpio fended off and turned into a go-behind, then tilt for a seven-point move. They didn’t shoot much in sudden victory and it would come down to rideouts.
It took Land eight seconds to get out and lead 9-8. Policarpio never got out and Land actually ended with two back points just before the clock expired.
The feeling of euphoria drenched Land. He raised his fist while Rakevich picked him up.
“I’m going to go celebrate with my family and friends,” Land said. “Very happy.”
Land’s path to the title was pin, pin, decision, major decision and his thriller in the finals. He avenged his lone loss of the season in the semis by beating Deer Park’s Evan Henry 12-3, a stark contrast from the 4-1 match they wrestled at Rumble in the Valley.
Still, that loss is what Land believes he needed.
“I needed to clear my head,” he said. “Start wrestling to win and not to lose. It was good for me.”
There’s a back-and-forth right now between football and wrestling for Land’s services at the next level. He’s unsure which way he’s going.
Whether or not he straps on the headgear again, Rakevich believes his legacy is solidified as one of the best wrestlers to come through W.F. West.
“It is important to look up at that wall and see all the guys,” Rakevich stated. “He did it right.”
The other area boys finalist – Black Hills’ Roberto Rivera-Jesus – had a different experience.
Orting’s Nery Rivas used five takedowns and put the Wolves’ junior on his back for a pin in 2 minutes, 36 seconds. It marked just the third loss of the season for Rivera-Jesus.
One of the trademarks for Rivera-Jesus is the ability to get to his offense quickly. Rivas shut everything down and was up 15-3 prior to the fall.
“He stayed low (and) that’s tough to do for someone as tall as Nery,” Black Hills head coach Jason Dick said. “Props to him for being able to break that offense.”
Rivera-Jesus will enter his senior year with two state medals already in his pocket and plenty of motivation to get back. Black Hills finished seventh in the team standings with 111.5 points.
“It was a long season, a lot of hard work to move back down to 106,” Rivera-Jesus said. “My goal was to be a champion, but I am happy in my heart on how I did placing second.”
