Moses Lake boys defeat Wenatchee in home dual

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake picked up its fourth dual win of the season against Wenatchee on Thursday night, besting the Panthers 56-16 after winning seven of the 11 matches wrestled in the dual meet. 

“They were feeling good; we’ve got a lot of guys recovering from injuries and being sick, the flu bug hit us pretty hard,” head coach Jose Tanguma said. “(The dual) went good, I expected us to come out on top just like that. The kids are improving.” 

Sophomore Eli Anderson opened the dual for Moses Lake at 215 pounds, pinning his opponent in the second round to give the Mavericks a 6-0 lead — a lead they never relinquished. 

“It set the tone pretty good for the match; we talked to the kids before the match, that if we have our opponent on our back, let’s get the pin,” Tanguma said. “’Let’s not keep this match close,’ because two years ago they beat us, and I gave the kids a reminder of how that day felt for us.” 

Tanguma noted wins in both the 120-pound class and 144-pound class as standout matches in Thursday’s dual.  

At 120 pounds, Maverick junior Ian Garza moved up a weight class to take on Wenatchee’s Peter Briley, pinning him in the first round. 

“He did great – the kid was bitter than him, and Ian took control of the match very quick and ended up pinning the kid,” Tanguma said. “I was impressed with Ian Garza’s performance.” 

In the 144-pound bout, Moses Lake sophomore Trenton Vasquez defeated Wenatchee’s Emilio Manjarez, claiming a 10-1 major decision. 

“He got a quick takedown and kept control of the match, ended up with that major decision,” Tanguma said.  

Also claiming wins on Thursday night were sophomore Duane Zamora (132 pounds) in an 18-1 technical fall, senior Drayden Gaither (138) in a 17-2 technical fall, sophomore Conner Brosnahan (157) in a second-round pin and senior Ethan Huntley (165) with a third-round pin. 

The win over Wenatchee moved Moses Lake to 4-0 in duals this winter; the Mavs had already defeated Eastmont, West Valley (Yakima) and Eisenhower before defeating the Panthers on Thursday. 

“(It’s) the work that we’ve been putting in,” Tanguma said. “These kids have been grinding it out in the room against each other, and they enjoy these duals because they get to go out there and show the fans what they’ve been working on. I’ve been preaching to the kids that this is the year we’re going to get that league title, so I like that our last dual is against Sunnyside.” 

With both the Mavs and Grizzlies posting unbeaten marks in league duals – Sunnyside is 3-0 in league with wins over Eastmont, West Valley and Eisenhower – the regular season finale between Moses Lake and Sunnyside on Feb. 4 could determine the league champion, Tanguma said.  

“We’re starting to peak at the right moment,” Tanguma said. “I just tell the kids, ‘We keep advancing, we’re not going to change anything in practice, we’re just going to keep improving. The kids know that too, so they’ve been putting in that work. I’m excited for the end of season and the postseason.” 

Moses Lake travels to Davis on Thursday at 7 p.m. 

    Moses Lake junior Ian Garza, top, wrestled in the 120-pound class at Thursday’s dual against Wenatchee, pinning his opponent in the first round.
  

    Maverick sophomore Trenton Vasquez, top, won his match in the 144-pound class in a 10-1 major decision.