Tigers begin wrestling season
EPHRATA – The 2022-2023 wrestling season started off with wins for both the boys and girls Ephrata wrestling teams on Thursday night, who both defeated Cashmere at home.
Along with the debut of a new season, girls Head Coach Raul Tejeda and boys Head Coach Austin Parker made their head coaching debuts for the Tigers.
“I feel pride,” said Tejeda, who has been involved with Ephrata wrestling since 2009. “I graduated here, just to come back – I’ve practiced this sport for a long time, just to pass on my knowledge and be a part of it is just fun.”
The Ephrata girls won three of five matches Thursday night for an 18-12 win over the Bulldogs.
“It was just awesome,” Tejeda said. “Some of the girls, they had their first match, so that was exciting for me as it was for them.”
Tejeda said the team showed fight on the mat Thursday night and will work on their finishes and bottom work.
“They were very aggressive, they looked good on their feet,” he said. “Couple of things to fix, but I think we’re going in a good direction.”
Parker, who signed on as head coach late in the summer, brought the energy to the bench as he called out moves to wrestlers on the mat.
“I felt like I was with them on the mat,” Parker said. “Just being able to be there outside and help them win tonight, being in front of the home crowd, it was super exciting. I’m super proud of everyone, they gave 110%.”
Junior Evan Boyd (126 weight class), junior Jorge Rodriguez (132), junior Walker Fulk (138), senior Nelson Barragan (152), senior Hudson Sager (170) and junior Hunter Keem (182) all earned wins for the boys team. Ephrata won the dual 45-30 over Cashmere.
“Their enthusiasm coming out and being here, having a packed gym – everybody’s energy was awesome tonight,” Parker said.
Even with the win, Parker said that there are still things to improve on.
“Take what we learned tonight, apply it to our practices and be able to do the little things here and there,” Parker said. “Just keep getting better throughout the weeks.”
The Ephrata girls return to the mat on Saturday for a meet at Eastmont and the boys on Saturday for a meet at Davis.
Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.
