CAMAS — For Michael Snediker, getting knocked out cold was a wakeup call.
Saturday, the senior and his Union teammates didn’t blink at the Greater St. Helens League 4A District Wrestling Championships.
Snediker has been the state’s top-ranked wrestler at 160 pounds for most of the season. But he was on the receiving end of the No. 1 takedown at the Clark County championships three weeks ago.
That’s when Skyview senior Cameron Hutchison slammed Snediker to the mat with such force that it knocked him unconscious.
Saturday, Snediker got revenge at Camas High School. He pinned Hutchison 1 minute, 23 seconds into the district championship match.
“It set a fire,” Snediker said. “I got knocked out and I couldn’t live with that. I wanted to get that pin. I needed to redeem myself.”
Snediker helped Union pin down its seventh consecutive district title. With six champions and 10 finalists, the Titans scored 367.5 points to finish 120.5 ahead of second-place Battle Ground.
The top three wrestlers at each weight advance to regionals on Saturday at Kent-Meridian High School in Kent. The top four wrestlers at regionals advance to Mat Classic, which takes place Feb. 20-21 at the Tacoma Dome.
And that’s where Snediker, who placed fifth in state last year, expects to see Hutchison.
“This isn’t done yet,” he said. “I know for sure that I’ve set a fire in him.”
Indeed, Hutchison said he’s now extra motivated for a possible rematch with Snediker over the next two weeks.
“I’ve got to work twice as hard now,” he said. “I’m about to go work out right now. I just got caught in a bad move. Hopefully I won’t make the same mistake next time.”
That match was one of several clashes between wrestlers who expect to face each other at regionals or Mat Classic.
At 145 pounds, Union’s Tommy Strassenberg and Bryant Elliot of Camas had the tensest match of the tournament.
Last year’s fourth-place finisher at state, Strassenberg won 5-4 in overtime against last year’s fifth-place finisher.
“It helps to wrestle close matches like that because you’re not going to be able to pin everyone,” Strassenberg said. “You need to learn how to win.”
The match went to overtime after Elliot was awarded a point in the final seconds of regulation due to a technical violation.
“They said I was pushing him out of bounds,” Strassenberg said. “But you have to live with the calls.”
At 106 pounds, Ethan Rotondo is another Union wrestler who narrowly won his championship match. The sophomore scored a two-point takedown with 32 seconds left to beat Mountain View’s Will Taisacan, who placed fourth in state last year.
“I’ll probably see Will all the way to state,” Rotondo said. “He’s definitely at a lot higher level than a lot of guys here. So it was good to be able to wrestle him.”
Evergreen’s Isaiah Av is another state placer who is peaking at the right time. Last year’s eighth-place finisher has overcome knee and elbow injuries this season.
In the 120-pound championship match, Av pinned Battle Ground’s Chris Joner, who won a Clark County title three weeks ago.
“Beating kids like that just boosts my confidence,” Av said. “It was pretty rough at the beginning. Throughout the season I was getting beat up a lot at tournaments I shouldn’t have. But this is a great time to peak because Mat Classic is just around the corner.”
Beginning with Saturday’s meet, Clark County’s top wrestlers are hitting their stride in a two-week sprint to Mat Classic.
WRESTLING
Class 4A District meet
At Camas
Team scores — Union 367.5, Battle Ground 247, Camas 235, Mountain View 229, Evergreen 226, Skyview 100.5, Heritage 68.5.
Top three to regionals
106 – Ethan Rotondo (U) d. Will Taisacan (MV) 7-6; 3/4th: Max Grimes (C) d. Troy Ewers (MV) 9-5 .
113 – Brandon Huft (MV) d. Joseph Harnett (BG) 16-0; 3/4th: Andrew Lonero (E) d. Michael Strickland (C) 9-1.
120 – Isaiah Av (E) p. Chris Joner (BG) 3:54; 3/4th: Dominic Delgado (C) d. Ryan Kay (C) 10-3.
126 – Rylan Thompson (C) d. Taggart Hartwig (U) 4-2; 3/4th: Jason Cole (BG) p. Austin Henderson (E) 0:38.
132 – Damon Thomas (MV) d. JJ Talavera (U) 8-7, OT; 3/4th: Robert Golumkiewicz (BG) d. Adam Smalley (BG) 6-4.
138 – Emanuel Mendez (MV) d. Ebrahim Babajan (H) 6-0; 3/4th: Colton Blake (BG) d. Carlos Simon (U) 9-2.
145 – Tommy Strassenberg (U) d. Bryant Elliot (C) 5-4, OT; 3/4th: Chucky Hudgins (U) d. Jacob Kokinakis (BG) 13-3.
152 – Skylar Scott (MV) d. Marcus Hendrickson (H) 4-1; 3/4th: Judah Reynolds (U) d. Taylor Stewart (BG) 8-2.
160 – Michael Snediker (U) p. Cameron Hutchison (S) 1:23; 3/4th: Sam Malychewski (C) p. Jeremy Hood (U) 2:00 .
170 – Javier Martinez (U) d. Luke Christensen (U) 11-5; 3/4th: Grayson Funk (MV) d. Stephan Evans (BG) 5-0.
182 – Alex Berfanger (U) d. Shan Singh (U) injury default; 3/4th: Jesse Valitalo (BG) p. Luke Pipkin (C) 3:39.
195 – Zach Berfanger (U) d. Travis Hullinger (E) 7-1; 3/4th: Justin Sherwood (MV) d. Brandon Thomas (U) 3-1.
220 – Dallas Goodpaster (E) p. Kevin Kruse (S) 1:02; 3/4th: Chase Wilson (U) d. Justin Bellcoff (BG) 7-4.
285 – Austin Wright (E) p. Tristen Groth (H) 1:38; 3/4th: Joe Garrison (S) p. Caleb Eldred (C) 0:30.
