Moses Lake boys qualify eight, girls send 11 to Mat Classic

MOSES LAKE -- Nineteen total Mavericks qualified to wrestle at the upcoming Mat Classic, with the Moses Lake girls team qualifying 11 wrestlers and the boys team sending eight wrestlers to the Tacoma Dome. 

The Moses Lake boys took second at districts, scoring 214.5 points at the tournament. Sunnyside won the district tournament with 278.5 points. 

“We felt good, our guys are getting healthy,” Moses Lake boys wrestling head coach Jose Tanguma said. “Earlier in the season the flu bug hit us pretty hard, but we ended up pushing eight through to state and two alternates. I’m happy with that; last year we sent five, so it shows we’re still improving.” 

To qualify for state, wrestlers had to finish in the top three of their respective weight classes at the district tournament in Yakima. Among the eight state qualifiers were senior Cruz Hernandez (120 pounds, third place), senior Drayden Gaither (138, second), sophomore Conner Brosnahan (157, second), senior Malaki Town (190, second), sophomore Eli Anderson (215, second). 

Sophomore Duane Zamora (132 pounds) and sophomore Ryder Janke (215) will be alternates. 

“They’ve been pushing each other in the room, they support each other and they went out there and showed that they’re improving,” Tanguma said. “They really want to get to that podium at the state tournament. They all wrestled great and came with a good attitude.” 

Joining them will be freshman Jose Villafana (106 pounds), junior Ian Garza (113) and sophomore Trenton Vazquez (144), who all won district championships. Villafana won in a 1-0 decision over Eisenhower’s Juan Olivera and Vasquez won with a third-round pin over Sunnyside’s Jose Ayala. Garza won after a medical forfeit by his opponent in the finals. 

“They’re proud of themselves, and they believed in themselves that they were going to be district champs,” Tanguma said. “Having that confidence, it really helped out. Going into the state tournament, I know that confidence it going to stay with them.” 

Garza, Gaither and Vasquez are all making their return to Tacoma after qualifying last season. 

Competing in East Wenatchee, Moses Lake’s girls wrestling team finished in third place at the district tournament with 269 points, 10 points behind second-place Davis. Sunnyside won the tournament with 375 points. 

“I thought that was some of our better wrestling that we’d seen all season,” Moses Lake girls wrestling head coach David Peralez said. “We did a great job of cleaning up some of the stuff we saw at the dual against Sunnyside – taking 17 girls into districts and coming out with 11 that are moving on, I think that’s great to see and a testament to how important hard work is.” 

The top four wrestlers from each class move on to the Mat Classic – those heading to Tacoma include freshman Kayla Gonzalez (100, second), freshman Trinity Town (100, third), senior Grace Martinez (105, third), freshman Adelaide Alonso (105, fourth), sophomore Kamilah Martinez (110, second), junior Hayden Morris (120, second), freshman Anahi Garcia (140, second), sophomore Emma Thompson (155, fourth) and junior Naomi Cruz (170, second). 

Sophomore Ariah Loiseau (110 pounds), sophomore Meczi Johnson (125) and senior Hillary Dogbe (145) are alternates. 

“I think a lot of it was them being accountable to themselves in practice,” Peralez said. “Fine-tuning and understanding that we’ve got to shake off some of the mistakes we made in previous matches. Can’t hang our head too low.” 

Freshman Bella Fredley (190 pounds) and senior Katelyn Rodriguez (235) both won district championships and also qualified for the Mat Classic, finishing on top of their respective weight classes. Fredley won with a third-round pin against Eisenhower’s Alizah Gutierrez and Rodriguez won by fall in the second round against West Valley (Yakima)’s Myleah Miles. 

“I’ve been really impressed with Bella the last week or so; she seems like a totally different person, she’s a lot more competent with her ability, she’s doing a great job in the practice room,” Peralez said. “... Katelyn, last year she had an injury that kept her out all season, and she’s getting back in the rhythm of who she is, what she can accomplish and what legacy she can leave behind.” 

The girls tournament will look different this year; In the last two seasons, the 4A girls have been combined with the 3A girls in their own bracket. This year, the 4A, 3A and 2A girls all have their own brackets in Tacoma. 

“It’s a 32-man bracket now, so you can’t look too far ahead,” Peralez said. “You have to focus on the most important match, and that’s that first one coming up. You can’t look past it.” 

Mavs Roster 

Boys 

senior Cruz Hernandez (120) 

senior Drayden Gaither (138)  

senior Malaki Town (190)  

junior Ian Garza (113)  

sophomore Trenton Vasquez (144) 

sophomore Conner Brosnahan (157)  

sophomore Eli Anderson (215)  

freshman Jose Villafana (106) 

Alternates: sophomore Duane Zamora (132), sophomore Ryder Janke (215) 

Girls 

senior Grace Martinez (105)  

senior Katelyn Rodriguez (235)  

junior Hayden Morris (120)  

junior Naomi Cruz (170)  

sophomore Kamilah Martinez (110)  

sophomore Emma Thompson (155)  

freshman Kayla Gonzalez (100) 

freshman Trinity Town (100) 

freshman Adelaide Alonso (105) 

freshman Anahi Garcia (140) 

freshman Bella Fredley (190)  

Alternates: senior Hillary Dogbe (145) sophomore Ariah Loiseau (110), sophomore Meczi Johnson (125) 

    Moses Lake junior Hayden Morris, left, nearly pins her opponent at a dual against Sunnyside this season. Morris took second in the 120-pound bracket at districts, qualifying for the Mat Classic.
  

    Moses Lake sophomore Trenton Vasquez, top, won the 144-pound bracket at the Columbia Basin Big 9 district championship meet in Yakima on Feb. 8. Vasquez is now a two-time Mat Classic qualifier.
  

    Moses Lake freshman Bella Fredley, top, was a district champion at 190 pounds.