January 17, 2010
Heck, even when our press does not break — like it did Saturday afternoon — there is not enough space in the paper to have notes on every single winner of the Clark County Wrestling Championships.
This year, there are even more winners because there is a separate girls tournament.
So here are some notes from all 26 winners from Saturday night at Skyview High School. I know it's supposed to be ladies first, but because the boys tournament is in its 39th year, we'll go age before ... well, you know.
103 pounds
Chism King of Washougal pinned Joel Wiley of Prairie
"The goal is to win state. I'm ranked first in 2A."
He added that he did not do anything special in the finals.
"I just wrestled like normal."
It is on the practice mat where champions are made.
"I've been working my butt off every day."
King also is proud to represent Washougal.
"I love our team. It's the only sport we're good at."
112 pounds
Patrick Mayolo of La Center pinned Matt Nguyen of Evergreen in overtime
This was the first time I had ever seen an overtime pin. A takedown is all that is needed to win, but the takedown is not awarded until after the move is complete. Mayolo took down his opponent, then pinned him seconds later. Not that it really mattered. The focus on this match, in my story for the paper, was on the comeback. Mayolo trailed 8-0 early in the third period.
He said he was a little worried, but he also knew he had it in him to rally. He even gave himself a pep talk.
“I starting telling myself I’m a pinner, and I’m a champion, and I came here to win. I managed my match one move at a time. I knew I had good technique and I put it to work. It's a great step in my career. Hopefully my next step will be at state. I'd like to do something like this at the Tacoma Dome."
119 pounds
Preston Hu of Union pinned Hunter Goguen of Heritage
Hu underwent ankle surgery five months ago, and he was not sure how he would perform this season.
"It all turned out real well. I'm glad to have had the chance to be here, happy my team is here to support me."
125 pounds
Jake Kreglo of Hockinson beat Cody Wood of Heritage 7-5
In a rematch of a final from last year, Kreglo turned the table on his friendly rival. Wood was looking for his third county title in four years. Instead, Kreglo picked up his first.
"I've been working all year for this," Kreglo said. "It shows how much I've improved. He's a great partner, a great guy to wrestle against."
And it was a fantastic match. Kreglo led 6-1 after two rounds, but a takedown and near-fall make it 6-5. Kreglo held off Wood in the final 30 seconds for the two-point win.
"It was really scary those last few seconds. I knew he was going to step it up. I had to step it up, too."
130 pounds
Emilio Alcantar of Hudson's Bay defeated Joey Castrey of Hudson's Bay 9-5
"Me and Joey have been teammates for two years. We have been good to each other. We're always practicing, so we know what we're going to do. It's tough that one of us has to lose. It's not fun for the the other one."
"I had fun," Castrey acknowledged.
After all, it was two Eagles in the finals. That's a good day for Hudson's Bay.
This tournament means a lot to the wrestlers, too.
"I've been coming to this tournament for at least six, seven years," said Alcantar, a sophomore who finished second at state last year but did not win a county title. "It's been my dream to get a Clark County championship. My dream was to get four championships. I'll have to settle for three."
135 pounds
Jake Johnson of La Center beat Durant Fish of Heritage 5-4 in overtime (the third period of OT)
"I've dreamed of this my whole life," the sophomore said. "As a freshman, I did not even place."
He credited training with club wrestling for his improvement.
Johnson had to keep Fish in the down position for the entire third round to keep it a 3-3 match.
"It's tough. It's a battle. It's all about will."
No one scored in the first minute of overtime. That meant two, 30-second periods. Johnson got a reversal for a 5-3 lead in the first session. He then held Fish for 28 seconds before letting him up for an escape point. The horn sounded, though, and Johnson was a winner.
“That was one of the greatest moments in my life in wrestling. I finally got first in a big tournament."
140 pounds
Kyle Walker of Heritage pinned Miguel Salamanca of Camas
It's been a long journey for Walker, who finished third in this tournament as a freshman, second as a sophomore, and then was injured last year. Plus, there is some family history. His uncle, Tony Walker, finished second years ago. His father, Todd, had a fifth-place finish.
"In our house, no one had won a Clark County championship."
Now there is one.
"Since I was really young, my dad and uncle both would talk to me about their past experiences. Clark County used to be a blood bath between schools. I don’t think I’ve missed a Clark County tournament since I was 6. Just coming here to see my idols on the podium has always been big motivation for me."
145 pounds
Ricky Simon of Union beat Chris Mayolo of La Center 12-6
The only match featuring defending county champions was held to the final match of the night. Then Simon ruled from start to finish, opening up a 6-1 lead after the first round. His victory was the exclamation point for Union's team victory. The Titans went 4-0 in the finals.
“That means the most to me. Senior year, three years open, our school, and we’re first in Clark County. That’s a great feeling.”
152 pounds
Scott Schnitzer of Columbia River beat Harrison Newhouse of Prairie 7-0
"I finally got to show off what I've got. This is a great tournament to show it off."
Yeah, just who is Scott Schnitzer? He's a senior, but this is his first time competing in this event. Injuries took their toll as a freshman and sophomore, and he did not wrestle last year.
"This year I decided to come back and give back to the sport that has given me so much. I've always looked up to the guys who made the finals. It's an honor, definitely an honor."
160 pounds
Paul Connell of Columbia River beat Joseph Zadrozny of Ridgefield 5-3
This victory actually started last February, when Connell, then a junior, finished eighth at state.
"That set this up. I had a really great experience. That really drove me to do a lot of extra work. I'm 26-1 now. My goal is to win state. I'm ranked second. It's something I can grab and go get."
171 pounds
Dillon Thomas of Union beat Caleb Malychewski of Camas 8-0
His coach called Thomas the wild card. The Titans figured they had a pretty good shot at getting three individual titles. Thomas' wild run to victory gave them four champions.
"I just knew I had to go after it," Thomas said. "If I did that, I had a chance."
189 pounds
Clint Coulter of Union pinned Dean Hancock of Battle Ground
Neither wrestler gave much ground for the first 5 minutes and 55 seconds of this match. The score was tied at 1 late in the third when Coulter threw Hancock on his back. A second or two later, with just two seconds left before the end of the match, there was the pin.
"I just tried to get in good position no matter how much time was left. I knew the takedown won it."
215 pounds
Tim Peraza of Evergreen beat Miguel Simon of Battle Ground 6-3
Peraza improved from finishing third last year. He also is looking ahead to the rest of this season.
"This is getting me ready for state. It's a really good preview of how I'm going to do at district, too.
"Coming in third last year, then coming in first this year means a lot to me. I’ve put a lot of work into this.”
285 pounds
Dean Rogers of Heritage pinned Zane Shaut of Battle Ground
This was the second match of the night and the first involving a Heritage wrestler. At the time, the Timberwolves were hoping to make a comeback and win the team title.
"The team needed the pin. I'm more worried about state (than Clark County). This was more for the team than it was for me."
It was Rogers' second county title. He did it on a bum knee, too.
“I was finishing no matter what. I’ll limp out there. I don’t care. I’m not a fan of quitting.”
{By the way, I do not believe I mentioned it was his second county title in the print edition. Sorry about that, Dean. It was a crazy night at The Columbian. You might even notice that there is no color photography on the front page. The press broke and the deadline got moved up an hour. Not an average day. Regardless, I still should have noted he was a two-time winner of this event.)
...
Now to the girls.
I hope to write a column about the first Clark County girls wrestling tournament for Wednesday's paper. In the meantime, I did get a chance to talk to the winners from Saturday night. For the most part, I wanted to know what it was like for them to be part of history, this first girls tournament.
103 pounds
Elise Yoshioka of Skyview pinned Julie Yoshioka of Skyview
This was an interesting final, sister vs. siser. Elise, the senior, topped Julie, a junior.
"It was the fourth time we've wrestled against each other this year," said Elise, who is now 3-1 against her younger sister. "We do our best. Whoever wins, they deserve it. We're really supportive. It's hard, but it's still fun."
112 pounds
Madelynn McIlwain of Washougal beat Tiffany Hu of Union 7-3
"This means a lot to me. We've been training really hard for this meet. It's exciting."
119 pounds
Chelsea Reynosa of Battle Ground pinned Kira Kelsey of Union
"It's pretty damn amazing. This is my second year of wrestling. I've put a lot of time in it. What you put into it is what you get out."
She also is thrilled with the growth of her sport.
"It's crazy. Last year, I was the only one on the team. Now we have five."
125 pounds
Colleen Wright of Washougal pinned Rebecca Sokolowski of La Center
"It's pretty awesome. I'm really excited about it. It's the first title (of mine) of any kind."
Washougal also won the team title.
"That's awesome."
130 pounds
Megan Dunham of Washougal pinned Danielle Higgins of Mountain View
"Oh my gosh, I got to be involved in the first Clark County girls tournament. This is my last year. I would have been sad if I couldn't have been part of it."
135 pounds
Jessica Sokolowski of La Center beat Anna Stauffer of Skyview 11-4
"It's an honor. It really is. I work hard at practice every day just to do my best. What comes from it, it comes from the heart."
140 pounds
Arin Vandiver of Washougal pinned Diana Betancourt of Fort Vancouver
"I think it's awesome to be part of something like this."
145 pounds
Chelsea Eakins of Washougal beat Adrianah Antonetti of Washougal
"It's history, and our team has been right up there with all the history of the girls the last four years."
Indeed, Washougal girls wrestling has been among the leaders through the years. And now, Clark County has its own tournament. This match featured two Washougal wrestlers in the finals. A nice tribute.
152 pounds
Stephanie Simon of Evergreen pinned Hailey Watts of Washougal
Simon and teammate Dao Nguyen are the first girl wrestlers from Evergreen.
"This is pretty amazing for us. Win or lose, we're making history at our school."
160 pounds
Kaylee Byrd of La Center pinned Victoria Carlson of Battle Ground
"This is the first time I've ever placed, so getting first place is amazing. I was really bad when I first started. But I'm getting better and it's paying off."
171 pounds
Meggan Pitner of Battle Ground won by injury default over Kayla Clements of Washougal
"I'm so happy. I worked really hard for this. This is history, and I'm part of it. I'll be able to tell my kids, 20 years from now, that I was the first 171-pound champion."
172+ pounds
Mixtley Simon of Battle Ground won.
"I didn't even have to wrestle. I'd rather wrestle," she said, referring to the fact that she was the lone competitor in her class.
She said she does not feel particularly good about this title "because I didn't do anything."
Perhaps one day she will feel better about the victory. After all, it is a growing sport. Eventually, there will be competitors in all the classes. Mixtley Simon has proof that she was one of the pioneers of the sport.
