Warden, Royal prepare for SCAC districts

COLUMBIA BASIN — One team appears destined to always be at the top of the 1A wrestling ranks while the other has overcome early adversity to put itself in the running for respect.

With a strong team once again, the Warden Cougars’ wrestling squad is readying itself to defend its South Central Athletic Conference (SCAC) East District crown Saturday in Benton City at Kiona-Benton High School.

While the Cougars launch another assault on their next state championship, the Royal Knights, who dealt with a coaching change mere weeks before the start of the season, has come along well and now are ready to prove their worth.

Coach Rick Bowers says of his Cougars that they simply come to wrestle, don’t worry about rankings, and simply worry about performance.

The rest of the SCAC East may just have to worry about Warden period as the Cougars end an era before they move down to the Class 2B level next year.

Warden Cougars

District roster: 103-pounds: Javier Tapia (top seed), 112-pounds: J.P. Martinez (top seed) and Ruben Martinez (sixth seed),  119-pounds: Carlos Gomez (third seed) and  Gabriel Pruneda (fifth seed),  125-pounds: Ernesto Orozco (fourth seed) and Derek Pruneda (seventh seed), 130-pounds: Cesar Rangel (third seed) and Anthony Platas (sixth seed),  135-pounds: Scott Henderson (top seed) and Oliver Niesel (seventh seed), 140-pounds: Sam Suarez (top seed) and Nick Deleon (seventh seed), 145-pounds: Hector Camacho (third seed) and Jesus Landeros (fifth seed), 152-pounds: Kenny Sullivan (third seed), 160-pounds: Cruz Pruneda (sixth seed) and Rudy Martinez, 171-pounds: Dakota Scott (top seed) and Johnny Pruneda (fourth seed), 189-pounds: Adam Hansen (third seed) and Hugo Rodriguez (sixth seed), 215-pounds: Matthew Deleon (third seed), 285-pounds: Gerino Luna (top seed).

Outlook: With all the 16-wrestler brackets unfilled and Warden coming to down with a bevy of wrestlers, it may be a forgone conclusion that the Cougars are fit to win on sheer numbers alone.

But with three state medal winners returning from last year in Martinez, Tapia, and Henderson, and multiple state-ranked wrestlers on board, this season it may just be talent which carries the day for the Cougars.

Tapia is ranked second in the state at his weight class, according to Washington Wrestling Report, and Martinez and Suarez are slotted at third in their respective classes.

“The goals for the team are the same as the start of the season,” Bowers said. “Win league — which we have — win district, and come home with a top four finish at state.”

Bowers noted Royal and Wahluke as two teams to keep an eye on during this weekend’s festivities.

Royal Knights

District roster: 103-pounds: vacant, 112-pounds: Zach Helberg (fifth seed),  119-pounds: Danny Barajas (second seed),  125-pounds: Hank Ellis (third seed) and Pedro Lopez (fifth seed), 130-pounds: Larry Martin (fourth seed),  135-pounds: Alex Myrick (second seed) and Laddie Goroski (third seed), 140-pounds: Kris Rice (second seed) and Joseph Dahlke (eighth seed), 145-pounds: Omar Gomez (second seed), 152-pounds: Damien DelaRosa (second seed), 160-pounds: Christian Guerrero (fourth seed) and Stephen Laweson (eighth seed), 171-pounds: Jake Thomas (second seed), 189-pounds: Justin Kincade (top seed), 215-pounds: vacant, 285-pounds: vacant.

Outlook: With coach Seth Weeks taking charge only weeks before the season opened up, the Knights bounced back strong and find themselves with multiple top two seeds at Benton City.

“We seemed to fair pretty well at the seeding meeting,” Weeks said. “Only two bad seeding spots but I think it wil turn out okay all in all.” 

Kinkade is the only top seed, but with six top two seeds anchored into the brackets there is a good shot at seeing a nice core of Knights keep their season alive after Saturday.

“Our team should do pretty well if everyone wrestles to their potential,” Weeks said. “Warden is tough to beat at districts because they have two kids at every weight but I think optimistically we can win the district title.”

With Barajas back from last year’s fifth-place state finish at 112-pounds, and five Class 1A top 10 rated wrestlers aboard it could be a Knight to remember for Royal.