Knights will be well represented at Mat Classic

TACOMA — Seven Knights have secured their spot in the Tacoma Dome for the Mat Classic. Benji Bustos, Kevin Dominguez, Kaleb Hernandez, Dominic Martinez, Mark Martinez, Yahir Morales and Lorenzo Myrick will make the trip to represent Royal High School.

Senior Lorenzo Myrick makes his fourth-straight trip to Tacoma after placing second at 160 over the weekend. Myrick was pinned in the first round by, according to Washington Wrestling Report, top-ranked Diego Isiordia of Granger in the title bout on Saturday.

Seventh place as a sophomore, fourth as a junior, Myrick will look to continue his climb in his final trip to the Tacoma Dome.

Fifth-ranked in the class coming in, Myrick will face off against junior Dylan Chandler in his opening bout on Friday. A potential district finals rematch against Connell’s Jaxsen Tuttle awaits Myrick in the semifinals, with another shot at Isiordia not coming until the title round.

Junior Benji Bustos grabbed the top-place finish over the weekend at 170, defeating Connell’s in their second straight matchup in the title round after facing off at districts. Bustos took the 5-2 decision over Tuttle.

In his third trip to the Mat Classic, Bustos will look to make it into the second day for the first time, and farther. Cashmere’s Tucker Weatherman awaits Bustos in his opening matchup on Friday.

Two top-five wrestlers in the division stand between Bustos and a shot at a title berth. Top-ranked Ethan Davis of Medical Lake awaits on the opposite side of the bracket.

With two second-place state finishes under his belt already, junior Dominic Martinez will have one goal in mind when he hits the mat in Tacoma. Martinez took 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. A matchup with last year’s 138-pound champion, Reuben Seemann of Colville, awaits Martinez in the semifinals.

Sophomore Kevin 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 the weight class. Dominguez will take on a freshman in Cameron Burnham in his opening bout on Friday. Second-ranked Richard Rivas-Gutierrez stands between Dominguez and a shot at a rematch with Cook for the state title.

Royal’s Mark Martinez defeated Granger’s Manuel Torres 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.

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. Freshman Kaleb Hernandez continues his surge in his first season, making his debut at the Mat Classic after placing fourth in the 145 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. Covington and top-ranked Ty Ekerson await on the opposite side of the bracket.

At 126 pounds, junior Yahir Morales will make his third-straight trip to the Mat Classic after grabbing the final berth on Saturday. Morales 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. Granger’s top-ranked Abel Nava Jr. stands between Morales and a shot at a title in his third trip to Tacoma.