Wrestling: Wolves fall to Bulldogs to open 2018

By Matthew Nash • January 10, 2018 1:30 am
Sequim senior Hayden Gresli, right, wrestles Bremerton’s Eddy Taylor on Dec. 5. Last week, Gresli recorded a 1-0 win over North Mason’s Daniel Pulley at 160 pounds. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
Sequim senior Hayden Gresli, right, wrestles Bremerton’s Eddy Taylor on Dec. 5. Last week, Gresli recorded a 1-0 win over North Mason’s Daniel Pulley at 160 pounds. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Sequim’s varsity core wrestlers did their part to keep pace at the team’s first dual of the year.

Five Wolves won matches and Sequim (0-3) received one forfeit but due to the team’s depth at certain weight classes gave up four forfeits on Jan. 4 in Belfair leading to a 48-33 loss to North Mason (1-2).

Sequim’s Jamie Schroepfer, 138 pounds, Ben Newell, 145, and Chris Puksta, 152, won back-to-back matches with pins. Schroepfer pinned Ethan Oien in the first period at 1:09 while Newell went close to the end of regulation pinning Tomas Francisco Juan in 5:47. Puksta pinned Gabriel Morton in 40 seconds and Amaran Sauiluma, 195, took down Reese Smelcer in 2:34.

The Wolves’ Hayden Gresli went the distance to earn Sequim three points with a 1-0 decision over the Bulldogs’ Daniel Pulley at 160 pounds.

Sequim sent three girls to wrestle varsity at the match too including Amara Sayer, 120, and Megan Puksta, 126, against boys, and Madison Uranga, 220, who received a forfeit.

Kelso-bound

Sequim’s girls traveled to one of the most competitive girls’ tournaments in the state in Kelso on Jan. 5-6. As a team, eight girls competed to place 64th out of 84 teams and one point and place ahead of Forks.

Sayer saw the most success at the tournament with two wins. She opened with a pin over Central Kitsap’s Amber Andrada in 54 seconds and followed it with a pin of Leah Nastri of Pasco’s Chiawana High School in 2:38.

Kaydence Hilliard, 115, Megan Puksta, 125, and Aleah Chen, 155, all won one match each for Sequim.

Hilliard pinned Grandview’s Angelica Ochoa in 2:19, Puksta pinned Decatur’s Rise Shinjo in 1:36, and Chen pinned Bellingham’s Rhiannon Train in 2:17.

Other wrestlers for the Wolves included Emily Dodson, 120, Alexi Rampp-Taft, 125, Chayil Briggs, 135, and Uranga, 190. The Wolves’ all-state wrestler Kiara Pierson was unavailable for the tournament as she readied for a college interview.

Up next

This week, Sequim hosts league-leaders Olympic (3-0, 4-0 overall) on Thursday, Jan. 11, and both boys and girls travel to Fife’s Lads and Lasses Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 13.