Conservatively good: Moses Lake pounds Pasco

Chiefs 42 Bulldogs 12

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake head wrestling coach Jamie Wise expected a big battle when the Pasco Bulldogs invaded Chief Gym on Tuesday night.

What he got was little more than a whimper from a team that had beaten Moses Lake two years running.

The Chiefs lost just two of the 12 contested weight classes, breezing to a 42-12 win over the Bulldogs and running their Columbia Basin League dual meet record to 2-0.

It was a surprising result to Wise, who was aware of the trouble Moses Lake has had with Pasco in recent meetings. The Chiefs wrestled fairly defensively as well, but won the last six matches - five by decision.

"I didn't think (Pasco) would be in as bad of shape as they are," Wise said. "I wish we would've beaten them better. They looked really tired.

"We wrestled more conservatively than we probably should or could," he added. "I think that the kids just wanted to beat them finally, because we've lost to them two years in a row."

Moses Lake might have been conservative, but the Chiefs also gutted out some close matches. It all began with 171-pounder Brian Chamberlain's 3-0 win over Frank Garza to start the night, a victory in which Chamberlain barely avoided a tying takedown in the third period.

Spencer Fackrell followed with a similar test of will at 189 pounds, and he passed with a 2-1 victory over Nick Smiley. The difference-maker was Fackrell's second-period reverse.

"Spencer Fackrell rode the heck out of Smiley," Wise said. "And that was important, because that was a great win. That will set him up for a better seed at districts."

Pasco's James Roth put his squad on the board with a 12-6 win over Levi Walpole at 215 pounds. Chiefs heavyweight Tad Harman had an emphatic response - Moses Lake's only pin of the night, coming at the 3-minute, 21-second mark against Damien Adams.

"We were expecting that out of Tad," Wise said. "Tad just needs to kind of settle in, and then start getting in a groove. He's starting to pin that bottom shoulder really well."

The teams exchanged forfeit wins at 103 and 112, giving Moses Lake an 18-9 lead. Pasco would get just one win the rest of the way - Zeke Castro's 12-6 decision over sophomore Ricco Moreno at 125.

Even that match, however, wasn't much of a downer for Wise or his kids. The 125-pound class is one the Chiefs are hoping to double up on come playoff time, and Moreno got the start Tuesday in place of the more experienced Tyler Vela.

"Ricco didn't do a bad job," his coach said. "He'll figure that guy out and do better next time. I let the kids decide if we were going to go with Tyler there or Ricco."

At 119, David Peralez earned a third-period takedown and held on to beat Manuel Luna 4-1. The 130-pound match was one of constantly shifting momentum, and Moses Lake's Gabe Guzman had the last laugh with two takedowns and two near falls in the third period, beating Cody Rush 18-9.

Cameron Chlarson (135) took an early 4-0 lead on Pasco's Gerardo Castro and went on to win 8-2. At 140, John Silva returned from a recent injury and rallied over Michael Elizondo, 9-6.

"He was protecting his knee, not doing anything crazy," Wise said of Silva. "He's a tough kid. He's in great shape, even for being hurt and not wrestling for a couple weeks."

Cody Hoiness, fresh off a title at last weekend's Pacific Northwest Classic in Spokane, absolutely battered James Garza at 145 pounds, finishing off a 17-1 technical fall just 24 seconds into the second period.

"He didn't even throw his signature (move)," Wise said of Hoiness. "For him, that was really good to stick with other things. He's getting better every time out."

The Chiefs finished the night with two more bruising wins - Parker Byington's 5-0 decision over Zach Banks at 152 and Josh Nielsen's 5-2 triumph over Mario Corrales at 160.

Moses Lake hits the road again on Thursday, traveling to Richland for a CBL dual at 7 p.m. Less than three weeks remain before the district tournament, and now is the time Wise expects his troops to begin honing their craft.

"We just need to really start cutting back on the little, tiny mistakes," he said. "Everybody has all the core stuff. Now it's time to tweak just a few little things."