Moses Lake places first at HOF Duals

MOSES LAKE - Chiefs wrestling continued to build off the momentum of defeating Lake Stevens, the reigning state champion, by winning all three duals and placing first at the Moses Lake Hall of Fame Duals.

The team was able to defeat a tough Central Valley team 31-26 after sophomore Cooper McCullough secured a major decision in his match.

"As a whole I feel as though they wrestled really well," head coach Jaime Garza. "Beat a tough Central Valley team, they're scrappy. They're a very physical team and our guys wrestled well against them and against the other two teams."

Moses Lake continued to roll dominating Puyallup 52-15 and handling Rogers (Puyallup) 39-21. The Chiefs rebounded after losing last year's Hall of Fame Duals with a resounding victory.

"It was nice for them to be able to receive that accomplishment in our own town at home with our own fans so that was nice," Garza said.

Entering the meet, Garza was unfamiliar with Puyallup and Rogers (Puyallup). The two schools caught Moses Lake slightly off guard with an unorthodox wrestling style, or "funk" as Garza referred to it.

However, Moses Lake was able to make adjustments and Garza believes seeing that off-brand style will be beneficial as the postseason draws closer.

"Being able to see a little but of that stuff was good for our kids and as a coaching staff allows us to go back and talk about how to defend certain things," Garza said. "Just a lot of funky type of wrestling."

Senior Fernando Leyva had a strong tournament finishing 3-0 including a win over an opponent who previously defeated him in the postseason.

"It was night for him to go out there and avenge that loss and I think been something that he's been wanting for quite some time," Garza said.

Sophomore Clayton Clark and junior Chase Clasen also finished 3-0 on the day.

The Chiefs now head to Sunnyside for a match against one of the top programs in the 3A classification. The dual is scheduled for Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.