TACOMA — Five North Olympic Peninsula wrestlers made it through to the state semifinals at Mat Classic XXVIII, and three of them did so with thrilling victories that went down to the final seconds of their quarterfinal matches at the Tacoma Dome.
Forks, the team with the area’s largest contingent of wrestlers (10), put three through to the semifinals: Alvaro Ortiz (113 pounds), Jack Dahlgren (182) and Tristan Tumaua (heavyweight).
Port Townsend’s Chloe Rogers made her second consecutive 140-pound semifinal. Rogers finished second last season, her first year of wrestling.
Tyler Gale (113 pounds) was the lone Port Angeles wrestler to move on to the semifinals, winning an exciting quarterfinal match against Othello’s Jeremy Mendez 17-6.
Dahlgren survives
The Spartans won five of 10 first-round contests Friday and saw three of their five quarterfinalists advance to the semifinals. Forks was seventh in the Class 1A standings with 48 points, well back of first-place Deer Park (79 points), after the first day.
Dahlgren was Forks’ cardiac kid, earning a 6-4 decision with a buzzer-beating two-point near fall to take down Sultan’s Tanner Belcher.
Dahlgren managed to get up from the bottom position with 12.3 seconds left and used his strength and leverage to put Belcher down just in time.
“Jack really has to work on not coming straight across when he shoots,” Forks coach Bob Wheeler said.
“He was kind of telegraphing his moves in that match. He needs to shoot at different angles so the opponent has to work to counter his moves.
“That said, it was great to see Jack earn that near fall at the end.”
Tumaua controlled his heavyweight quarterfinal with Nooksack Valley’s Tyson Mergel, and was leading on points when he picked up a pin at 3:53.
Ortiz came from behind to pick up a late pin at 5:45 of his quarterfinal match with Manuel Cisneros-Vargas of Highland. He clinched his third-straight state placing with the win.
Also advancing for Forks were 106-pound freshman Josue Lucas and 160-pound senior Joel Mohn.
Gavin Palmer, Joseph Mariner, Garrison Schumack, Kenny Gale and Johnny Lua-Ceja all were eliminated.
“Our top guys really did a fine job, and we can continue to get points from them,” Wheeler said.
“What hurts us and will keep us from a really high finish is how our other guys fared. We needed a little more from them to make a charge.”
Two placers for Port Angeles
Gale won his first-round match with ease, claiming a 16-0 technical fall over Aberdeen’s Angel Cisneros.
Gale was ahead 10-0 after two periods against Mendez and appeared set to cruise through to the semifinals when the unexpected occurred.
Mendez shot through and took Gale to the mat and was mere inches away from pinning his shoulder and earning the upset.
The move caused a gasp from the Port Angeles crowd that had gathered to watch the match.
“I don’t know what the hell happened. I just wasn’t being aggressive and wasn’t expecting him to throw that type of move,” Gale said.
Gale’s attempt to get up included a frantic effort to push his arm across Mendez to gain leverage and keep away from the pin.
A roar erupted from the crowd when Gale worked his way back to his feet.
“I worked to get off my back as hard as I ever have,” Gale said.
“I realized that if I want to achieve my goal to win state, this was the make-or-break moment.”
Roughriders coach Brent Wasche said Gale’s mat knowledge carried him through to clinch his fourth consecutive state placement.
“Tyler’s been wrestling since he was 4 years old, and that experience carried him through,” Wasche said.
“The big thing is when you have a guy pinned on top of you, you see a lot of guys once you pull the elbow you can work the hips. It’s a matter of bridging, getting off your shoulders and onto your head, punching through and then flipping the hip once you get it through.
“Only a wrestler as strong and as flexible as Tyler is could have pulled that off.”
Port Angeles’ Ben Basden advanced to the consolation semifinals to earn his second straight top-eight finish at state.
The Roughriders other state wrestler, Morgan Mower, was eliminated after a 1-2 showing.
Rogers rolling
For Port Townsend, Rogers came back from deficits of 4-2, 5-4 and 6-5 in the third period to defeat Othello’s Kaylee Martinez in their 140-pound girls semifinal.
With the match tied at 6-6, Rogers made her move and picked up a match-clinching pin with 8 seconds remaining to seal her second straight semifinal visit in as many years.
“I never doubted myself, I just had to win,” Rogers said.
“I didn’t have any strategy. It was more, ‘I’m not going to let you beat me.’ You may have gotten that first takedown, you may have the lead, but this is mine.”
Redhawks coach Steve Grimm was impressed.
“I was telling her that was probably the greatest match I’ve ever seen her wrestle,” Grimm said.
“You could kind of see the momentum change. Once she started going you knew she was going to win. I was nervous in the second round, but once she started rolling, it was all Chloe.”
The Port Townsend’ boys’ only state entrant, Cody McClain, advanced with two consolation-bracket victories to clinch a state place.
Ward places for Wolves
No Sequim boys or girls wrestlers advanced to the semifinals.
Kevyn Ward was the lone Wolves boys wrestler to clinch a state medal.
Ward won his first-round match 12-7, despite, according to Ward, wrestling “horribly.”
He fell 13-0 to second-ranked Aaron Pimentel in the quarterfinals, but bounced back in typical Ward fashion by delivering an electrifying performance in his win-or-go home consolation match, an 11-9 overtime victory against Sedro-Woolley’s Noah Stroosma.
It was Ward’s third win over Stroosma in less than a week. He also beat him twice at regionals last weekend.
Ward led 7-1 after two periods, but let Stroosma back in the match by wrestling without his familiar level of aggressiveness.
Stroosma cut into Ward’s lead, eventually tying the score at 9-all at the third-period buzzer.
But Ward earned a convincing two-point takedown seconds into the sudden-death overtime to clinch a state medal.
“I just heard my coaches [Charles Drabek and Bill Schroepfer] yelling that I had to go now,” Ward said.
“I knew I had to make it happen as quickly as possible. He had all the motivation and momentum, but nothing was going to keep me from the podium this year.”
Ward’s three teammates, 132-pounder Craig Baker (1-2 at state), 182-pounder Adrian Klarich (0-2) and 220-pounder Michael Latimer (0-2), all were eliminated Friday.
“Excellent experience for Craig and for Adrian,” Drabek said. “I expect this will motivate them to train and put in the work they need to get back here and place.”
Latimer, a senior, should be proud of his efforts, Drabek said.
“The last week he wrestled as well as he has all season. He really competed and gave his opponents fits today.”
Sequim girls Kiara Pierson (110 pounds) and Alma Mendoza (140) also advanced to earn their second consecutive state placements apiece.
“They gave me 100 percent,” Schroepfer said.
“That’s all I can ask as a coach, and I’m enormously proud of them for making it through and placing once again.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 57050 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
