Royal consistency leads to top ten

TACOMA — Despite not having a wrestler on the mat in any of the Class 1A finals, the Royal Knights used a bevy of grapplers and some consistent results to grab a ninth place finish at Mat Classic XXII this weekend.

Six of eight Knights ended up placed in their respective weight classes to offset not having any of their squad make a final and completed their top ten run with 65 points.

Freshman Alex Myrick recorded the team’s best result - fourth - at 135-pounds after dropping his first round match to Jeff Condon of Omak, 8-5.

Myrick won three consecutive matches, including back-to-back one-point victories before he held off Cashmere’s Dillon Miller 10-6.

That win booked a shot at Warden’s Scott Henderson in the 3rd/4th place match, which the Cougar won 12-4.

Sophomore Danny Barajas (125-pounds) and senior Justin Kincade (189-pounds) each collected fifth-place medals.

Kincade made the furthest run for the Knights, booking his ticket in the semifinals before running  into Orting powerhouse, Taylor Meeks, who won via first-period pin.

Kincade beat Warden’s Adam Hansen with a second-period pin to capture fifth place.

Myrick, Barajas, and Kincade all went 3-2.

Junior Omar Gomez finished sixth, losing to Mychel Salverson of Lake Roosevelt 18-6 to wrap a 2-3 tournament.

Freshman Damien DeLaRosa (152-pounds) and senior Jake Thomas (171-pounds) each went 2-3 and ended up eighth in their weight classes.

Overall, the Knights went 16-19 in their matches to close out their showing in Tacoma.

Royal’s first girl wrestler to make state - Mariana Alvarez (112-pounds) lost her only two matches over the weekend in the one class tournament.

Knights coach Seth Weeks was unavailable for comment.