TACOMA — Clint Coulter knows his sport can mess with the best of wrestlers.
Some days, a wrestler has it. Some days, he does not.
Coulter had it Saturday night, and he dedicated his state championship to a teammate and friend who did not.
Coulter beat Anthony Whitmarsh of North Central 3-1 in the Class 3A state 189-pound championship match, becoming Union’s first state wrestling champion.
He just wishes he was Union’s second state champion of the night.
“It broke my heart to see Ricky (Simon) lose,” Coulter said, referring to the top-ranked wrestler at 140 pounds who lost in the semifinals earlier in the day. “He’s one of the best wrestlers in the state. Just not today. I dedicate this to him and my teammates.”
Union finished fifth in the team standings, the highest place for any of the boys teams from Clark County in the four classifications.
Coulter also was the lone champion from the county among the boys. Hockinson’s Jake Kreglo lost in the Class 2A 125-pound finals, and Ridgefield’s Joseph Zadrozny captured second place in the 2A 160-pound class.
Coulter had a lot of fans at the Tacoma Dome for his Mat Classic final. They were excited for his title, and much louder than he was. Coulter, who had a 3-0 lead after two rounds, held Whitmarsh down for more than 90 seconds of the third round and was not threatened the rest of the way in a 3-1 victory.
After the match, he shook hands with Whitmarsh and acted like he won a regular-season match in December.
“It hasn’t quite hit me yet, but I’m pretty excited,” he said, acknowledging that his emotions rarely are seen by others. “I don’t show it. I’m kind of a calm guy.”
A strong one, too.
Keeping Whitmarsh down for so long demanded strength.
“He’s a big dude. He’s 6-feet, 6-inches or whatever he is,” Coulter said.
Coulter got a takedown with nine seconds left in the first round and added an escape in the second round.
The state championship made up for one mistake last week, when Coulter lost in the semifinals of the regional tournament — his only loss of the season in 40 matches.
Coulter said he let his opponent wrestle with him last week, and he paid for it.
“This week, I kept wrestling through the whole match,” he said. “I didn’t stop once I got ahead.”
Union coach John Godinho said it was special for Union to have its first champion.
“There are a lot of good wrestlers out here who don’t reach the top of the podium,” the coach said.
Coulter was rooting for all the Clark County wrestlers, and he was stunned that there weren’t more champions.
“All your Clark County people are your buddies,” he said. “To not see them around the mats in the finals was weird. It just wasn’t their day. That’s wrestling. That’s sports.
“Today, it was my day.”
Zadrozny and Kreglo had strong tournaments, even if their final matches did not go as planned. In fact, many things were lining up against Zadrozny his senior year.
Early in the season, his wrestling was so-so, at best. Even his coaches thought it would be a stretch just to place at state.
Then, Zadrozny’s grades were slipping, and he thought his only option would be to quit the sport to focus on the books. He actually left the wrestling program for two days.
Coach Kim Simmons and staff took him back, though.
Zadrozny not only improved in school, he improved on the mat.
A bunch.
The result was a second-place finish at state. It was almost a championship.
Zadrozny escaped for a point with nine seconds left and just missed a takedown as the clock hit zero, falling to Amando DeLeon of Othello, 3-2.
“I gave everything I could. I know that,” Zadrozny said. “You’re so close to something, it’s kind of hard.”
Zadrozny already knows he has come a long way this season. He said he suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which can make it tough in school. He is grateful that his coaches took him back.
“These coaches have been understanding to my ADHD and they’ve treated me really good,” Zadrozny said. “I’m proud to wrestle for them.”
Kreglo sunk to his knees a couple minutes after his loss in the Class 2A 125-pound finals. He needed a moment to come to grips with the result.
“He came out fired up, and he’s a great athlete,” Kreglo said, referring to Toppenish’s Julian Romero. “I got caught. It happens.”
Romero caught — and stopped — Kreglo with a pin 1 minute, 10 seconds into the match.
“My goal was to win it. I fell short,” Kreglo said. “I’m not done with wrestling. I plan on wrestling in college. It just sucks to lose your last match in high school.”
Kreglo said he has been accepted to Boise State, and he is in talks with the wrestling coaches there.
“It would have been nice to get this win,” he said.
Instead, Kreglo needed those few minutes to understand that he did succeed this season.
“I’m proud of myself,” he said. “I put a lot of work into my senior year.”
University of Spokane won the 4A team title, while Yelm took the 3A title. Deer Park was tops in 2A, and Orting won the 1A crown.
