TACOMA — Evergreen had two finalists in the Class 4A state wrestling tournament.
Turned out the best chance for a Plainsman to take a gold medal from Mat Classic XXV at the Tacoma Dome ended earlier on Saturday.
Evergreen’s Te’Kwon Wallace and Anthony Thomas were both pinned by decorated opponents in championship matches, settling for second-place medals on Saturday night.
Ramon Ortiz, the top-ranked 4A 120-pounder by the Washington Wrestling Report, came back to earn third place after an 8-7 loss in the semifinals to Timmy Martinez of Pasco.
Those three, plus a sixth-place from heavyweight Austin Wright, helped Evergreen score the most points by any Clark County team at this state tournament. The Plainsmen finished seventh with 65 points, five more than eighth-pace Union. Lake Stevens ran away with the Class 4A team title, scoring 162 points.
Camas junior Tye Lommasson also fell short of a championship, losing in the finals at 126 pounds in his first state tournament trip.
Evergreen’s Wallace was pinned 33 seconds into the second round of the 152-pound championship match as top-ranked Brandon Davidson of Bothell won his first state title.
“When we went into a scramble. I came up and he caught my arm and he turned me over,” Wallace said.
Scrambles worked well for Wallace in last-second turnarounds for wins in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. Those wins made Wallace’s second trip to the state tournament special.
“It’s actually been a real good experience,” Wallace said. “I’m not really disappointed in myself. I’m just happy that I got here and wrestled good.”
Thomas’ final challenge was even tougher. Mead’s Chandler Rogers is one of the top-rated wrestlers in the country. The junior from Spokane won his third consecutive state title when he pinned Thomas with 21 seconds left in the second round of the 170-pound final.
Evergreen coach Mark Castle said that Thomas’ best chance was to slow down the match. But Rogers took a 7-1 first-round lead.
“Once he got behind he had no choice but to attack,” Castle said. “That kid he wrestled is super, super tough.”
Ortiz fell behind by six points in his 120-pound semifinal match with second-ranked Martinez on Saturday morning, an early hole he couldn’t quite overcome. Pasco’s Martinez went on to win the title.
“I thought he had that match won (at the end),” Castle said about Ortiz’s narrow loss. “But he shouldn’t have given up six quick points.”
The championship experience was painfully quick for Camas’ Lommasson. Central Valley sophomore Blake Beard pinned Lommasson 21 seconds into the match.
“He kind of caught me by surprise,” Lommasson said. “I just needed to be more ready for that match. I’ll be ready next time.”
Lommasson said the quick loss will stay with him — for the better.
“I think it will help me in the future by just staying focused, not worrying about anything else but staying in the moment,” Lommasson said. “Even if it’s a big tournament, you just have to focus on that one match. It’s the same circle. Just go out there and wrestle hard.”
Union was led by Daniel Rice (113) and Junior Godinho (132), who placed fourth. Also placing for the Titans were Sam Berry (sixth, 145), Jeremiah Reynolds (sixth, 152), Jon Reynolds (sixth 160), Mason Proudfit (seventh, 195), and Alex Berfanfer (eighth, 170).
Gabe Morales of Heritage placed sixth at 152 pounds. Skyview’s Ian Horrocks took fifth at 182 pounds and Jose Nava-Montez took eighth at 106 pounds. Battle Ground’s Tyler Dady was eighth at 220 pounds.
