Moses Lake's Rodriguez holds his own with 2A state champion Isaiah Perez at jamboree

MOSES LAKE — The line stretched about 30 deep from the Moses Lake High School box office.

Inside, the gym was already bustling.

Wrestling in the Columbia Basin was back.

It was just the Moses Lake Jamboree, but there never is “just” any wrestling in this part of Washington state. The host Chiefs, Wenatchee, Othello and Warden were all in attendance. And though the end goal of the Mat Classic is still months away, there were some intriguing match-ups in this early showcase.

Jonathan Tanguma, ranked No. 2 in the 120-pound weight class, was every bit as impressive as that ranking would suggest. Tanguma dominated his Husky opponent in an 8-1 victory. Everett Ashley won by fall and state veteran Riley Burgess picked up a win by decision in the early dual with Othello.

The dual was capped with a match between Moses Lake heavyweight Sebastian Rodriguez and top heavyweight in all classifications Isaiah Perez of Othello. Perez stunned Tumwater’s Cy Hicks at Mat Classic XXX to capture his first state championship as a sophomore.

Now, as a junior, the target is placed firmly on Perez’s back and he will undoubtedly be in contention for another state championship come February.

Rodriguez was a near miss to reach the Class 4A state bracket a season ago, falling one win shy at the regional tournament in Yakima. Rodriguez held his own with the reigning state champion at the jamboree and the match was tied 0-0 after two one-minute rounds.

Perez started the third round from the bottom position and escaped quickly to build a 1-0 advantage. From there, Perez was able to maneuver around Rodriguez and perform a vicious throw that briefly stopped the match.

The final decision was 4-1 in favor of Perez, however, Rodriguez — who is ranked No. 6 for his weight class in 4A — had to feel a swell of confidence after going toe-to-toe with a state champion all three rounds.

Moses Lake and Othello will open the regular season tournament schedule at the Bob Mars Invitational Saturday in Kennewick. Warden beings its season with a dual at Quincy on Thursday at 7 p.m. and the Moses Lake girls wrestling team travels to Spokane this weekend for the Central Valley Girls Tournament.