Wahkiakum and Naselle wrestlers compete at state

High School wrestling is off the mats and onto the offseason for Washington schools, and this year, both Naselle and Wahkiakum had athletes representing them at the state championships in Tacoma.

The Mat Classic XXXVI Boys & Girls Wrestling Championships played out at the Tacoma Dome on Feb. 21-22, and both programs saw wrestlers win matches and score points for their schools.

Wahkiakum

Three Mules wrestled at the Tacoma Dome on different ends of the age spectrum.

For Senior Marlon Aparicio, the championships marked the end of his wrestling career. Unfortunately he wasn't able to pull out a win in either of his matches in the 175-pound division. Aparicio was pinned in both bouts, first by Rainier's Dorian Cano in the championship bracket and then by Rainier's Dominic Cano in consolation. Despite two tough losses, making it to the biggest stage was still a great achievement and send-off for his career.

On the other end of the age range was eighth grader Jayden Rance. Despite being on the younger end, Rance acquitted himself well in the Boys 1B/2B 120-pound bracket and scored three team points. After being pinned in the championship bracket, Rance found his footing in consolation, pinning Almira Coulee Hartline's Christian Berezay. Rance was pinned in his final consolation match, but a state berth before even reaching high school is a good benchmark for an athlete with plenty more matches to come.

Wahkiakum's only female wrestler at the Mat Classic was senior Zaya Ray. Competing in the 1B/2B/1A 170-pound division, Ray won her first match in the bracket against Chief Leschi's Naiyeli Cruz Garcia by fall. After losing to Reardan's Danika Bretz in the second round, Ray bounced back, pinning Elma's Gracie Bishop to score more points. The senior’s final match was a loss against Meridian's Gretchen Zandstra. As the only wrestler for Wahkiakum girls, Ray scored an impressive seven points, a solid showing to bookend her wrestling career.

Naselle

Though Naselle sent just two wrestlers to state (one boy and one girl), both wrestlers put together solid weekends. Junior Jason Gardner placed eighth in the 138-pound weight class and scored 11.5 team points for the Comets. Gardner opened his tournament with a win by technical fall over Darrington's Bryer Wesson, outscoring him 21-5. Granger's RJ Aparicio would get the better of Gardner in the second round, but Gardner was far from finished.

Gardner won his next three consolation matches, scraping to get back into position to place. Gardner pinned Brewster's Miguel Aparicio, won by decision over Goldendale's Jacob Gray, and his Round 4 opponent dropped early in their match from injury. Gardner ended his weekend with two tough losses: one by fall to Colfax's Dillon Gassenberg in Round 5 and then a technical fall against Okanogan's Joseph Kruse in the seventh-place match. It was still a strong showing for Gardner that saw him win four contests and lose three. Gardner will have a chance to get back out there next season.

The other wrestler representing the Comets was freshman Pania Baines. Baines put together an impressive season, finishing the regular season with an 11-5 record. In her showing at the Tacoma Dome, Baines went 2-2, scoring 10 team points by herself. Baines won her first match, pinning Warden's Sara Lino to advance to the second round of the championship bracket. There, she took on Lake Roosevelt's Addison Cannon and lost by fall.

In the consolation bracket, Baines would again come out on top via pin, taking down Tenino's Angelina Molinar. The freshman's journey through the Girls 1B/2B/1A 190-pound consolation bracket would end with a loss against Omak's Isabella Chapa. Though she alternated pinning and getting pinned, going to state and coming home with some wins is a big accomplishment for a first-year high school wrestler.

With both Gardner and Baines having more time in the program, they will look to build off a solid state tournament in the coming season.