12 local wrestlers out of SCAC headed to Tacoma
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal’s Benji Bustos clings to the arm of Connell’s Jekoby Tuttle as he looks to maintain his lead before taking the finals match at 170 with the 6-0 decision.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal’s Yahir Morales faced off against Connell’s Abel Morales for the second-straight weekend at regionals on his way to cementing his place at the Mat Classic.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Junior Benji Bustos took the first-place finish at regionals over the weekend at 170 as he makes he way back to Tacoma this season.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal senior Lorenzo Myrick will make his final run at a title as he makes his fourth trip to the Tacoma Dome this weekend.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Warden’s Cael Cox works to force his brother, Cason, to the mat in the SCAC district finals at Warden High School.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Warden’s Holden Haworth works toward the pin in the SCAC district finals against Royal’s Dominic Martinez at Warden High School this season.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Pedro Castaneda of Wahluke secured his place at the Mat Classic over the weekend in the 285-pound weight class.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald With a pair of second-place state finishes under his belt already, Royal’s Dominic Martinez will have his eyes set on the title as he heads to Tacoma.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal freshman Kaleb Hernandez grabbed the final berth at 145 pounds over the weekend at regionals to secure his first trip to the Mat Classic this weekend.
TACOMA — Twelve wrestlers out of the South Central Athletic Conference will make the trip to the Tacoma Dome this Friday and Saturday for the annual Mat Classic.
Royal qualified seven: Benji Bustos, Kevin Dominguez, Kaleb Hernandez, Dominic Martinez, Mark Martinez, Yahir Morales and Lorenzo Myrick will make the trip.
Myrick, a senior, makes his fourth-straight trip to Tacoma after placing second in the 160-pound division at regionals. Myrick was pinned in the first round by, according to Washington Wrestling Report, top-ranked Diego Isiordia of Granger in the regional title bout.
Seventh place as a sophomore, fourth as a junior, Myrick will look to continue his climb in his final trip to the Tacoma Dome. Ranked fifth in the class coming in, Myrick will face off against junior Dylan Chandler in his opening bout on Friday.
Bustos grabbed first place over the weekend at 170, defeating Connell’s Jekoby Tuttle in their second-straight matchup in the title round after facing off at districts; Bustos took the 5-2 decision. In his third trip to the Mat Classic, Bustos will look to make it into the second day for the first time, and further. Cashmere’s Tucker Weatherman awaits Bustos in his opening matchup on Friday.
Martinez, a two-time state runner-up, will have one goal in mind when he hits the mat in Tacoma. Martinez placed second at regionals behind Zillah’s Dawson Husted. Martinez comes into the Mat Classic ranked third in the 132-pound division. Lakeside’s Travis Simpson awaits Martinez in his opening matchup.
Dominguez took second over the weekend at 220 to cement his place at the Tacoma Dome for the second time. Dominguez matched up against top-ranked Gage Cook out of Granger on Saturday in the title round.
The sophomore heads to state as the sixth-ranked wrestler in his weight class. Dominguez will take on a freshman in Cameron Burnham in his opening bout on Friday.
Royal’s Mark Martinez defeated Granger’s Manuel Torres of Granger as he makes his second-straight trip to Tacoma as a junior. Ninth-ranked in the 152-pound division, Martinez took a narrow 1-0 decision over Torres on Saturday to finish third at regionals. Mark Martinez will face off against sophomore Landon Pearson in his opening matchup on Friday. The Royal junior will have to get past the second and third-ranked wrestlers in the division for a shot at a title on Saturday.
Hernandez continues his surge in his first season, making his debut at the Mat Classic after placing fourth in the 145-pound division over the weekend. Ranked seventh in his division, Hernandez fell to eighth-ranked Keaton Covington out of Kiona-Benton in the third-place match.
The freshman will have his hands full in his opening bout, facing off against second-ranked Killian Cronk out of Mt. Baker.
At 126 pounds, Morales will make his third-straight trip to the Mat Classic after grabbing the final berth on Saturday. He fell to Connell’s Abel Morales in a rematch of the district finals.
The Royal junior comes in ranked sixth in the weight class. Morales will have a quick test in his opening bout against Nathan Werner of Freeman, ranked seventh.
Warden will have four representatives in Tacoma over the weekend for the Mat Classic: Brenton Cole, Cael Cox, Holden Haworth and Eduardo Suarez all qualified over the weekend.
Haworth will make his third trip to the Tacoma Dome after taking the top place at the Region III tournament on Saturday. Haworth comes in as the fifth-ranked wrestler at 152
The senior defeated Zillah’s Jared Garcia in the title match over the weekend. After a sixth-place finish in 2019, Haworth will have his eyes set on the semifinals and beyond this year. Sophomore Austin Mattson awaits the Warden senior in his first bout on Friday.
Cox nabbed the first-place finish over the weekend at 113 to secure his second trip to the Mat Classic as a sophomore. Cox will have his eyes on reaching the podium in his second season.
The sophomore Cougar took down Zillah’s Jorge Espinoza in the regional title match on Saturday, picking up the pin midway through the third round. A fellow sophomore awaits Cox in his first matchup in Tacoma, Dominic Anderson. A potential matchup against third-ranked Ty Friedman of Lakeside awaits Cox in the second round.
Twelfth-ranked Eduardo Suarez grabbed the final spot at 195 on Saturday, falling to Jorge Villafan of Highland in the third-place match. The Warden junior will return to Tacoma for the second time. Cascade Christian’s top-ranked Toretto Metzger awaits Suarez in his first matchup on Friday.
Cole finished fourth in the 132 weight class on Saturday to secure his spot at the Tacoma Dome. Cole fell to Granger’s Ramiro Jimenez in the bout for third over the weekend. Cole will face off against Deer Park’s Levi Miller in the opening bout on Friday. Miller comes in as the second-ranked wrestler in the class, with a fifth place finish in 2019.
Wahluke heavyweight Pedro Castaneda was the lone Warrior to qualify for Mat Classic. Castaneda is ranked ninth and will face David Durham of Columbia-White Salmon in the first round.
“I think they’re (expectations) pretty high this year,” Wahluke head coach Jerry Yorgesen said. “He’s a junior, he’s a lot stronger, he’s about 270 (pounds).”
The Class 1A 285-pound field is a little murky as the majority of wrestlers ranked ahead of Castaneda were only state participants. Hunter Reinhart of Cascade was a state finalist a year ago and is the favorite. Kenny Koonrad of Montesano finished seventh last season and is ranked second behind Reinhart, but those are the only two returning state placers.
“I see him (Castaneda) doing better,” Yorgesen said. “He definitely has the confidence, more so this year than last year.”
Royal first round matches
126: Yahir Morales vs. Nathan Werner (Freeman)
132: Dominic Martinez vs. Travis Simpson (Lakeside)
145: Kaleb Hernandez vs. Killian Cronk (Mt. Baker)
152: Mark Martinez vs. Landon Pearson (Stevenson)
160: Lorenzo Myrick vs. Dylan Chandler (Klahowya)
170: Benji Bustos vs. Tucker Weatherman (Cashmere)
220: Kevin Dominguez vs. Cameron Burnham (Riverside)
Wahluke first round matches
285: Pedro Castaneda vs. David Durham (Columbia-White Salmon)
Warden first round matches
113: Cael Cox vs. Dominic Anderson (Castle Rock)
132: Brenton Cole vs. Levi Miller (Deer Park)
152: Holden Haworth vs. Austin Mattson (La Center)
195: Eduardo Suarez vs. Toretto Metzger (Cascade Christian)
