Jacks earn wins over Medical Lake, Royal in double dual

QUINCY — The Jackrabbit boys wrestling team picked up two wins in Tuesday night’s non-league double dual against Medical Lake and Royal, defeating the Cardinals 48-33 before taking down the Knights 51-27.

“It’s really great to experience winning as a team,” Head Coach Breck Webley said. “It really helps the kids to understand the value of being a team player and the team aspect to this sport that can help bring us together.” 

Quincy opened Tuesday’s double dual by first taking on Medical Lake, where the Cardinals took an early 18-12 lead with three pins in the first five bouts. Quincy freshman Kevin Morales got the Jacks on the board with a first-round pin at 113 pounds, and the Jacks were given six more points with a Cardinal forfeit at 120 pounds. 

“I felt like we weren’t doing a lot of great things – we were leaving a lot of opportunities out on the mat to score some points, whether it’s getting away or finishing on a few takedowns,” Webley said. “Those struggles early in the match started to manifest themselves into team points. Medical Lake was starting to get some wins, some pins.” 

Forfeits at both 138 and 144 pounds gave the Jackrabbits a 24-18 lead in the match, a lead they extended with a pin by junior Enrique Rebollo at 157 pounds. Quincy began to separate with a first-round pin by senior Julian Silvas at 175 pounds, followed by a pin by senior Alejandro Barajas at 190 pounds.  

After a Medical Lake pin at 215 and a forfeit at 285, Quincy won the dual 48-33. 

“That was a huge moment for us, we had to have that match to really turn it on for the rest of the guys through the lineup there, and then get a couple forfeits as well,” Webley said of Silvas’ match.  

Having just beaten Medical Lake, Quincy quickly returned to the mat for a dual meet against the Royal Knights. Quincy senior Saidt Alvarez and Royal junior Dennis Hernandez kicked things off with a matchup featuring two placers in the 1A Boys 113-pound bracket at last year’s Mat Classic, with Alvarez claiming the 7-1 win to put Quincy up 3-0. 

“They’ve wrestled each other a few times and had some tough battles,” Webley said.  

However, the lead was short-lived – Royal rattled off three consecutive wins with back-to-back pins by freshman Preston Andersen at 126 pounds and junior Thomas Antonio at 132 pounds, followed by a 13-3 decision for freshman Scout Stevenson at 138 pounds to claim a 16-3 advantage early in the meet. Quincy got back on the scoreboard with a pin by senior Jace Reyes, cutting the deficit to 16-9. 

“It was huge; Jace (Reyes), they got into a little scramble on their feet, and Jace was able to take him straight to his back after that,” Webley said. “It was a big moment. We were limping along getting to him, and I didn’t know what his opponent was like, we hadn’t had any experience wrestling with him. The atmosphere in the gym totally changed when he was able to take him to his back in the fashion that he did.” 

The pin by Reyes sparked a three-pin run for the Jacks, with senior Jaxon Ferguson (150) and Rebollo (157) both winning their ensuing matches. Royal retook the lead with a pin by junior Shea Stevenson (165) and a technical fall in favor of junior Alejandro Bustillos (175) before the Jackrabbits won the final five matches and the dual. 

Four of Quincy’s final five wins were by pins – the lone outlier was a forfeit by the Knights at 106 pounds. Quincy’s Barajas (190), senior DJ Frerks (215) junior Isaac Villaraoz (285) and Morales all won their matches down the stretch of the dual against the Knights. 

“Kevin Morales getting a pin there at the end was like the icing on the cake for us,” Webley said.  

After picking up two wins Tuesday night, the Jacks have won three straight duals after an 0-2 start to the season. Quincy defeated East Valley (Yakima) 57-18 on Dec. 11 and opened the season with losses to Selah and Toppenish. 

“Not only is it fun to be winning, but what we’ve been able to see on the mat is the kids are on the upward trend,” Webley said.  

    Quincy senior Saidt Alvarez, left, wrestles at the 2024 Mat Classic in Tacoma. Alvarez began Tuesday’s dual against Royal with a win against Royal junior Dennis Hernandez, in a matchup of placers from last year’s state tournament.
  

    Royal junior Shea Stevenson, right, wrestles at last year’s state tournament in Tacoma. Stevenson was one of five Knights who won their matches in Tuesday’s dual against Quincy, pinning his opponent in the second round of the 165-pound bout.