Back to state
After placing fifth in the 106-pound bracket at the 2022 Mat Classic, Quincy sophomore Saidt Alvarez, top, returns to Tacoma as a regional champion from the 1A Region 4 tournament.
FILE PHOTO
Quincy senior Christian Avila, right, is one of two Jackrabbit alternates to travel to Tacoma for the 2023 Mat Classic.
QUINCY – Jackrabbit sophomore Saidt Alvarez and senior David Medina are heading back to Tacoma for the Mat Classic this weekend, a year after both placed at state in their respective brackets.
Alvarez finished fifth in the 106-pound bracket last season, and Medina placed fourth in the 220-pound bracket.
“Those guys have been really consistent all year with winning matches, winning close matches and finishing matches,” Quincy Head Coach Breck Webley said. “They just had an all-around really good tournament for themselves.”
Joining the duo of state returners are junior Kaleb Klempel (170) and senior Christian Avila (195), who both qualified as alternates.
“They’re (Alvarez and Medina) taking on that role of, ‘Hey, anything can happen at state,’” Webley said. “Taking on that experience of wrestling, whether it’s at our high school or at the Tacoma Dome, it still always going to be just a wrestling match. Helping their teammates know that it’s not bigger than that.”
With both Alvarez and Medina having been regional champions and returning as state placers, the duo are both slotted as the No. 2 seed in their respective brackets.
“Both Saidt (Alvarez) and Medina, I would be confident to say that they’ve both got gold in their eyes right now,” Webley said. “That’s what they’re focused on. I think a very realistic goal for them is to be finals, and I think that’s the first goal for them.”
Webley said the energy in practices throughout the week was high, and that the wrestlers were looking forward to hitting the mat on Friday.
“The energy is high,” Webley said. “... This week has been a great week of practice, and the kids are ready to start making the trip over and get to experience what it’s like at the dome. It reaffirms what they already know about themselves, that they’re great wrestlers, great competitors.”
Quincy state wrestlers
Boys
Sophomore Saidt Alvarez (106)
Junior Kaleb Klempel (170)*
Senior Christian Avila (195)*
Senior David Medina (220)
Girls
Junior Allison Guerrero (100)*
Sophomore Alondra Cordova (115)
Freshman Hayden Morris (120)*
Junior Michelle Acevedo (130)
Freshman Jourdan Ferguson (130)*
