In their first 2016-2017 season match within the friendly confines of Rick Kaps Gymnasium, Sequim’s wrestlers got a big win and a tough test against a pair of Olympic League foes on Dec. 14.

Sequim won seven of nine contested weight divisions — four by pin — in a 52-18 victory against North Kitsap before falling to the highly ranked Olympic Trojans, 48-22, in the nightcap.

After dropping matches in the 106- and 126-pound weight classes, Sequim reeled off seven consecutive weight division wins and earned two forfeit wins against the Vikings in the opener.

Ben Newell earned a first round pin against Will Renfro at 138 pounds, followed by the Baker brothers’ two wins: Craig topped NK’s Zach Streun 13-6 at 145 pounds while Travis pinned Kye Ryan in the second round at 152 pounds.

Sequim’s Grant Pierson dominated Nouh Hammou to the tune of 15-2, nearly earning a technical fall by the end of the 160-pound match.

Auston Budd followed with a hard-fought, 6-1 win over NK’s Adam Hammou at 170 pounds.

Adrian Klarich (182 pounds) and Dylan Perreira (195) both picked up first-round pins, topping NK’s Kyle Jaynes and Josh Snider.

In the back end of the double dual meet Sequim went toe-to-toe with Olympic, ranked No. 6 in the 2A classification this season by washington wrestlingreport.com. The Trojans didn’t disappoint, winning five of their seven contested matches by pin and earning a pair of forfeit victories.

Klarich, a state 2A meet competitor in 2015-2016 and ranked No. 6 in the 182-pound weight class by washingtonwrestlingreport.com, earned Sequim’s quickest win, pinning Courtney Santos in just 28 seconds.

Pierson (160 pounds) edged Kyle Ignacio, ranked No. 7 in that weight class, by a 6-3 score.

Newell (138 pounds) pinned Britton Andrews in 1:48 of the first round for the Wolves’ other win by pin.

Budd (170) earned a 9-8 victory over Mouffee Borras, while Perreria (195) shut out Alex Schell, 8-0.

Craig Baker had a tough match, falling 10-4 to No. 2-ranked Jayden Fernandez at 145 pounds.

Olympic saw several other top 10-ranked wrestlers pick up wins, including Angelo Pangelinan (106 pounds), Quincy Young (113), Kaylomb Parrish (120 by forfeit),

Heated competition at the Hammerhead

Sequim’s grapplers got plenty of top competition at the Hammerhead Invitational in Silverdale on Dec. 16 and 17.

Sequim placed 26th with 63 team points in a tourney that featured 40 teams from I-5 corridor, Kitsap Peninsula and other squads as far away as including Syracuse, Utah, and Post Falls, Idaho.

Auston Budd went 5-3 and placed sixth overall at 170 pounds. Budd pinned Kendall Smith of Syracuse, Utah, in 3:48 in his first match before falling late in a match to eventual division champ Jamell Carroll of Sulton. Budd rebounded with four consecutive wins in the consolation round, pinning Josh Salazar of Forks in 60 seconds, topping Franklin Pierce’s Gavyn Potteiger 8-4, edging West Valley-Spokane’s Quintin Stansbury of 6-4 and outlasting Borras Mouffee of Olympic, 5-3.

At 182 pounds, Adrian Klarich earned two championship round pins (Hunter Collins of Kingston in 3:18, Kevin Nolasco of Blaine, 3:23) before falling in the semifinals. He finished 3-2 for the tourney, adding a pin of Ridgefield’s Dawson Lieurance in 2:47 in the consolation bracket.

Craig Baker (145) picked up two pins — Garrett Wilson of Syracuse, Utah (1:18) and Jacob Nowels of WF West (4:21) — before falling in the quarterfinals. He earned a pin over Diyamant Hall of Bremerton before falling to Chad Simonson of Graham-Kapowsin, who placed fourth.

In the same weight class, Hayden Gresli went 4-2, picked up two wins — 10-2 over Musa Jagana of Thomas Jefferson, and a third-round pin of North Mason’s Colton Peterson — in the championship bracket, and two more wins in the consolation bracket, a pin of Spencer Young of West Valley-Spokane and 9-7 win over Zach Phillips of Skyview.

Newell (138) picked up a pin, Garrett Kincaid of Syracuse, Utah, in 5:16. After a loss in the round of 16, Newell lost a heartbreaker in the consolation bracket to Britton Andrews of Olympic, 4-3.

At 152 pounds, Travis Baker earned a 43-second pin of Nate Michaels of Bainbridge in the championship round before falling in the second round by pin and bowing out of the tourney because of an injury.

At 195 pounds, Dylan Perriera went 1-2, opening with a pin of Brian Lloyd (Skyview) in 4:48.

South Kitsap (263 points) won the team title, with Syracuse, Utah (team one) second at 232 points and WF West placing third at 202.5 points. Port Angeles was 19th (97 points)

Sequim’s Dylan Perreira and North Kitsap’s Josh Snider wrestle in the 195-pound weight class of a double-dual meet in Sequim on Dec. 14. Perreira won by pin. Sequim Gazette photos by Michael Dashiell

Sequim’s Craig Baker takes North Kitsap’s Zach Streun up and over in a 13-6 win, in the 145-pound weight class, as Baker’s Wolves top NK 52-18 on Dec. 14. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Sequim’s Travis Baker takes North Kitsap’s 152-pounder Kye Ryan to the mat before earning a second round pin in Sequim’s 52-18 win on Dec. 14. Sequim Gazette photos by Michael Dashiell