On the wrestling mat, Ethan Rotondo and Dallas Goodpaster are opposite yet equal.
One wrestles at the lightest weight, the other at the heaviest. But both have been equally dominant this season.
Rotondo, a Union junior, is the state’s top-ranked wrestler at 106 pounds at all classifications. He improved to 36-0 and won the regional title Saturday at Camas High School.
Goodpaster, an Evergreen senior, is the top-ranked 4A wrestler at 285 pounds. He pinned all three of his opponents at regionals to improve to 39-2.
After each finished second last year, both are eyeing state championships at Mat Classic this weekend.
Each is a storyline to follow at the annual wrestling extravaganza at the Tacoma Dome.
Here are the top five Clark County storylines to follow at Mat Classic, which starts Friday and concludes with championship matches Saturday evening:
1. Grappling with perfection
Rotondo hasn’t lost a high school match in a year. This season, he has beaten the defending 3A state champion, the top-ranked 2A wrestler and the top-ranked 1A wrestler. If rankings hold true this weekend, Brandon Kaylor of Bonney Lake will repeat as 3A champ, Dalton Port of Clarkston will win the 2A title and Trevor Morrison of Colville will win the 1A title.
All will have lost to Rotondo, making him a true state champ if he seals the deal.
Many wrestlers move up in weight as they get older. But Rotondo has maintained his spot in the 106-pound class while increasing his strength.
Staying in a low weight class means he has experience on his side. Of the top-10 ranked 4A wrestlers at 106 pounds, six are freshmen.
“It’s really just being disciplined, saying I’m going to lose this much today and this much tomorrow and I’m going to eat this much,” Rotondo said. “It’s just balance. A lot of guys cut weight the last two days and they feel it. I think I’ve been cutting weight pretty well. It hasn’t been too tough.”
2. Hoping to pin a title
At 285-pounds, Goodpaster wrestles in the weight class most associated with brute strength.
But strength alone isn’t why he is favored to claim a state title this weekend.
Goodpaster is remarkably quick, which explains why he pinned all three of his regional opponents in the first round, including two in less than a minute.
Goodpaster has worked to boost his conditioning. He hopes that will pay off at the end of the two-day grind of Mat Classic, where last year he pinned three opponents before losing in the 220-pound final.
“Just increasing the intensity of the workouts,” Goodpaster said. “I started running more and doing stuff that’s going to build me up for (Mat Classic).”
Goodpaster isn’t too sentimental about his final trip to Mat Classic. He’s considering wrestling in college, so this weekend won’t necessarily be when he hangs up his shoes.
“I’m not thinking about what it’s going to be like,” he said. “I’m more thinking about how I’m going to get to the final match again.”
3. Lees is more
Abby Lees has made the Tacoma Dome her home.
The Washougal junior won the 155-pound title last year after finishing second as a freshman. This year, she’s the top-ranked wrestler at 170 pounds.
At both districts and regionals Lees has faced a familiar foe in Skyview senior Hailey Horrocks, the No. 5-ranked wrestler at 170 pounds.
Lees won with a third-round pin at districts, then beat Horrocks 3-1 in overtime at regionals.
“I feel good that both me and Haley are going to be up there wrestling side by side,” Lees said after the district tournament.
4. Monsters of the midweights
A handful of Clark County wrestlers in the middle weights have their sights on state titles.
Union junior Tommy Strassenberg is ranked No. 2 in 4A at 152 pounds after winning the regional title. He is 30-1 after placing fifth in state last year and fourth as a freshman. His top rival figures to be Bethel’s Dante Springsteen, who placed third at state last year.
Battle Ground freshman James Rogers is ranked No. 4 at 145 pounds after winning the regional title. He is the only underclassman ranked in the top 10 of that weight class.
At 220 pounds, Hockinson senior Cameron Loos is favored to win a 2A title after placing second last year.
At 126 pounds, Ridgefield junior Trevor Newburn is seeking a 2A title after finishing second last year.
Three local wrestlers are also highly ranked, but have tough opponents standing in their way.
Hudson’s Bay senior Darion Green is ranked No. 3 in 2A at 132 pounds, a weight class that has returning champ Josue Rodriguez of Toppenish.
Union senior Zach Berfanger is ranked No. 3 at 195 pounds, but he’ll likely have to get through undefeated returning champion Emmanuel Diagbe of Kent-Meridian.
Mountain View senior Will Taisacan is ranked No. 2 at 113 pounds. He too will likely have to beat a returning state champion in Derek Freitag of Kentridge.
5. Team races
Union has placed third in the 4A team race the past two years. With seven wrestlers in this year’s competition the Titans hope to win another trophy. Perennial powers Moses Lake and Lake Stevens are favorites for the team title.
Washougal’s girls team placed eighth in 2015 and sixth the previous year. The Panthers hope to place high at state after qualifying six wrestlers and winning the regional title last weekend.
Mat Classic
* State wrestling championships at the Tacoma Dome
* Matches start Friday at 10 a.m. Finals start Saturday at 5 p.m.
* For updates, follow The Columbian’s Micah Rice on Twitter @col_mrice
