Basin wrestlers shine at Mat Classic XXXII

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Quincy's Ruben Vargas tries to keep up with Selah's Amadeo Flores-Pimentel in the championship round at 220 in 2A at the Mat Classic Saturday evening. Flores-Pime

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Ephrata's Kevin Pelayo fights to take his opponent, Isaac Reavis, to the ground in the third-place match at 195 at the Mat Classic last weekend.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Maximus Zamora defeated Sumner's Elijah Gandert to grab the third place finish at 145 on Saturday in the Tacoma Dome.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Isaiah Perez was dominant in his final bout on the mat for the Huskies, walking away the first three-time state champion in the program's history.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Ephrata assistant coach David Laird holds his son, senior Mac Laird, up after he claimed his first state title in his final bout for the Tigers, capping off the u

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Mac Laird of Ephrata holds both arms high in celebration after claiming the state championship he's been inching closer to each season.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Quincy's Shannon Workinger works to take her opponent from Kennewick to the mat in a rematch from the finals at regionals a week before in Tacoma on Saturday.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Ephrata's Mac Laird works to overpower his opponent in the finals matchup at 195 in 2A on Saturday.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Ephrata senior Mac Laird jumped into the arms of his dad and assistant coach, David Laird, after claiming the elusive title roughly a year since finishing second

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Cruz Vasquez hangs midair before taking his opponent to the mat in the third-place bout on Saturday at the Mat Classic XXXII.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Ephrata head coach Patrick Mitchell smiles as he hugs his senior and state champion, Mac Laird, after his match on Saturday in Tacoma.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Hunter White accepts his fifth-place medal on Saturday at the Mat Classic in Tacoma.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Lerenz Thomas grabbed the eighth place finish in the 4A 138-pound division at the Mat Classic in Tacoma over the weekend.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake freshman Bianca Johnson finished fourth at 115 in her first trip to the Tacoma Dome for the Mat Classic.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Emily Mendez zones in before going for the title, a year after falling just short in the Tacoma Dome.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Isaiah Perez embraces head coach Rudy Ochoa II after claiming his third title in his final bout on the mat on Saturday in Tacoma.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Iyazely Barraza (second from left) and Moses Lake's Bianca Johnson (right) both found the podium on Saturday in Tacoma in the 115 pound division.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal's Benji Bustos grabbed the fourth-place finish at 170 in 1A, falling to Forks' Hayden Baker in the third-place match.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal's Dominic Martinez holds on to his opponent's leg as he works to take him to the ground in their finals bout on Saturday in Tacoma.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Warden's Aaliyah Escamilla and Isabella Morales embrace after their final matchup on Saturday for the title at 105 at the Mat Classic.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal's Dominic Martinez works to overpower his opponent from Deer Park, Levi Miller, in the finals at 132 in 1A on Saturday.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal head coach Ben Orth watches his senior, Lorenzo Myrick, in the finals on Saturday in the Mat Classic.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Warden senior Aaliyah Escamilla fought a familiar opponent in Toppenish's Isabella Morales in the first-place bout at 105 on Saturday in Tacoma.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal senior Lorenzo Myrick is comforted by his head coach, Ben Orth, after falling in the championship round to Granger's Diego Isordia on Saturday at the Mat Cl

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal senior Lorenzo Myrick moves to take his opponent to the mat in the championship bout at 160 in 1A.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Isaiah Perez and his Othello coaching staff hold up the "threes" to celebrate the senior becoming the first three-time state champion in school history with his w

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Emily Mendez maintains control of her opponent, Salyna Shotwell as she went on to claim her first state title in her senior season on Saturday.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Arturo Solorio faced off against Orting's Seth Dawkins in the finals at 145 in the Tacoma Dome on Saturday.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Isaiah Perez looks to take down his friend and opponent Eduardo Mendez of Wapato as he moved toward claiming his third title at the Mat Classic on Satur

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Royal's Dominic Martinez takes a moment before getting up from the mat after falling in the championship round at 132 pounds at Mat Classic XXXII on Saturday.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Ephrata's Mac Laird grounds himself against North Kitsap's Nouh Hammou as the senior Tiger went on to claim his first title after finishing second in 2019.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Emily Mendez fights on the mat against her opponent, Salyna Shotwell, in her final shot at a title as a Huskie on Saturday in the Tacoma Dome.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Cruz Vasquez and Heritage's Alex Newberry get tangled up as Vasquez takes his opponent to the ground in the third-place match at 160 pounds in 4A on

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Emily Mendez overpowers her opponent as she moves on to claim the title at 110 pounds on Saturday in Tacoma.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Arturo Solorio tries to prevent the slam by his opponent in his championship bout at the Mat Classic in Tacoma on Saturday.

Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Emily Mendez (top of podium) took first at 110, while fellow Huskie Alexis Monday (second from right) placed fourth in the same division.