Quincy girls send four regional finalists to state

QUINCY — Seven Jackrabbit wrestlers are moving on to the Tacoma Dome for the 2024 Mat Classic, including two regional champions from the girls wrestling team.

“It’s exciting, because we’ve talked about it all year long; trying to improve each day, each week and trying to peak at the right time,” Quincy girls wrestling coach Mark Kondo said. “The Mat Classic is the right time.”

Quincy junior Alondra Cordova (115) and sophomore Hayden Morris came out on top of their respective weight classes at Saturday’s 2A/1A/B Region 4 tournament.

“Mentally, from the very beginning of the year, they’ve had this in the back of their mind,” Kondo said. “This is what they’ve been shooting for, and when they got to regionals they knew that ‘If I can get in the finals, I can punch my ticket, and if I win maybe I can get a higher seed.’ I think they were prepared to go after it and give it their best shot, and they did.”

Joining the regional champs at the state tournament are seniors Michelle Acevedo (130) and Allison Guerrero (100), who both were the runners-up in their weight classes at regionals. Acevedo and Cordova both wrestled at last year’s Mat Classic, with Acevedo taking sixth in the 2A/1A/B Girls 130-pound bracket.

“I think she’s excited, she’s worked to get to this point and now it’s a chance to see what happens,” Kondo said.

Kondo described the Mat Classic as the cherry on top to conclude the 2023-24 wrestling season.

“For all four of these girls, it’s a great way to end the season,” Kondo said. “It’s a great way for the seniors to end their careers — just that opportunity to stand on the podium, and maybe even get to the top. I just hope that they will enjoy it, and that when it’s all said and done they come out and say ‘Win or lose, I went out and gave everything I have.’”

The Quincy boys wrestling team is sending three wrestlers to Tacoma, including a back-to-back state placer in junior Saidt Alvarez. The senior took fifth in the 1A Boys 106-pound class in 2022 and fourth in the same class in 2023.

“He’s able to feel really comfortable — it’s one thing to say ‘It’s just another match, that wrestling doesn’t change whether it’s in our high school gym or at state,’ but to be able to have that experience of being on that stage and in that environment, knowing what the stakes are, helps you build a lot of confidence,” Quincy boys wrestling coach Breck Webley said of Alvarez’s experience.”

Joining Alvarez are senior Kaleb Klempel (175) and sophomore Alejandro Barajas (190). Klempel was an alternate for the state tournament a year ago.

“It’s super exciting,” Webley said. “The kids have put a lot of time in to have this goal become a realization for them … it’s sort of the culmination of a lot of hard work to get this first step of getting there.”

All three Jackrabbits took third at last week’s 1A Region 4 tournament in Quincy, needing to win their match in the third/fourth-place bout to punch their tickets to Tacoma.

“The idea was, ‘Hey, there’s nothing to hold back right now,’” Webley said. “Everything’s in this final match for you. You don’t have to worry about holding back for anything else next week or for another match, because it all sort of comes down to this one.”

In order to get to the podium, Webley said it takes relying on what helped them get to the Tacoma Dome.

“It’s going to take them feeling really comfortable with all the things they’ve been successful with, and not thinking they need to change that,” Webley said. “They need to keep doing what got them there, and if they wrestle at their best I think we can get some state placers out of them.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

    Quincy junior Saidt Alvarez, left, is heading to his third straight Mat Classic.
  

    Quincy sophomore Hayden Morris, left, won a regional championship at last weekend’s 2A/1A/B Region 4 tournament in Quincy.
  

    Quincy sophomore Alejandro Barajas, left, is one of three Quincy boys wrestlers heading to the 1A Mat Classic.