As usual, Union crowded the medal podium.
Camas snagged five titles.
And Heritage continued to grow the prestige of its program.
Such was the scene Saturday at the 4A District Wrestling Championships at Hudson’s Bay High School.
Union advanced 13 wrestlers to 14 championship matches, including three in which two Titans faced off for the title.
That allowed Union to win its third consecutive district team championship and its 10th in the past 11 years.
“We’re just ready for the next step,” said Union senior Noah Talavera. “We’re ready to compete at regionals and kill it there too.”
Talavera won his third district title, winning a hard-fought match in the 145-pound final against Isaac Duncan of Camas, 6-2. Talavera and Duncan are ranked sixth and eighth in 4A statewide, respectively.
“I’ve wrestled since I was five and faced tough competition all my life,” Talavera said. “I know the drill. I’ve been there.”
Postseason success isn’t new for several other Titans.
Danny Snediker, a reigning state champion, won the 160-pound title Saturday.
Kyle Brosius, ranked No. 5 in the state, won a high-scoring final at 182 pounds, beating Dustin Hubbard of Camas 19-13.
Brandon Esperto (113 pounds), Levi Harms (220) and Marvin Barber (285) also won titles for Union on Saturday.
Though Camas couldn’t catch Union in the team race, placing second, the Papermakers have a few wrestlers primed to chase state titles.
Jack Latimer, the state’s No. 2-ranked 132-pounder, needed less than a minute to win the title match by pin.
Gideon Malychewski, the state’s top-ranked 170-pounder, also made short work of his title match, winning by pin in 58 seconds.
Tanner Craig, a state champion last year at 132 pounds, is a top state contender in a loaded 138-pound class, where four wrestlers earned top-three finishes last year. Saturday, Craig claimed the district title 7-1 over Skyview’s Logan Smith, the No. 10 ranked wrestler statewide and two-time Clark County champion.
Ryan Ball (120 pounds) and Colby Stoller (195) also won titles for Camas.
A program on the rise is Heritage, which had four wrestlers reach the finals.
At 106 pounds, freshman Israel Gonzalez opened the finals with a bang by beating teammate and defending district champ Sanry Nguyen 3-1 in overtime.
“When you have someone who is the same caliber as you in your practice room, you two are battling it out,” Gonzalez said. “It’s great because it builds the whole team. We push ourselves and lead with our work ethic.”
Alex Newberry also earned a title for Heritage, winning 2-1 at 152 pounds over Union’s Six Buck.
Gonzalez, Nguyen and Newberry are all ranked in the top eight in their weight classes. Chasing state medals gives a boost to a program that is building a new foundation.
“For seven years we hadn’t won a league dual,” Gonzalez said. “This year, we got a couple. It’s great because we’re a really young team still.”
Daniel Joner won his third district title for Battle Ground, claiming the title at 126 pounds.
