Wrestling: SHS’s Beauregard takes third at regionals, earns MatClassic berth
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Sequim 106-pounder Cayden Beauregard was the lone Wolf to advance through a tough regional round last week, and on to MatClassic, the prep finals, held this week at the Tacoma Dome.
Beauregard, a junior, went 3-1 and placed third in his weight class at the Region 2 tourney at North Mason High School in Belfair on Feb. 11.
The Sequim High veteran grappler will look to improve on his finish at the 2021-2022 MatClassic, when he went 0-2.
At regionals, Beauregard opened with a pin of Washington’s Shane Spindel in 2:38. In the semifinal, Daniel Herrera Sanchez of Washington — holding a 36-6 season record and No. 5 ranking among the state’s 2A 113-pounders — topped the Sequim wrestler 14-1.
In the consolation bracket, Beauregard rebounded to earn a technical fall of Micah Eller of White River, 20-4, and pin Brendon Frazier of Fife in 39 seconds for third.
Sequim coach Steve Chinn said both Herrera Sanchez and regional 106-pound weight class champ Dominic Thomas of Orting should place in the top three or four at state, and Beauregard has a good chance to earn a medal (top eight).
“He’ll be there,” Chinn said of Beauregard.
Featuring wrestlers in all divisions from across the state, the 34th MatClassic is set for Feb. 17-18 at the Tacoma Dome.
A pair of Wolves earned fifth place finishes and state alternate berths in their respective weight classes.
Freshman Ryan Spelker went 2-2 at 113 pounds for fifth. He opened with a pin of James Ngiramos of Clover Park in 4:54. After getting pinned by eventual weight class champ Michael Fritz of Orting in the semifinals and falling to Port Angeles’ Alex Burrow in the consolation semis, Spelker pinned Ngiramos again, this time in 4:28.
SHS junior Ari Skov went 2-2 at 170 pounds for a state alternate berth. Skov dropped his opening match but rebounded to pin White River’s Ryan Miller in 4:16. North Kitsap’s Scott Paul pinned Skov in the consolation semifinal, but Skov won a 7-6 nail-biter over North Mason’s Caden Atencio for fifth.
Chinn said Skov had a 7-1 lead in that final match and nearly gave it up.
“He has a tendency to get in trouble,” Chinn said of Skov. “He tries to achieve so much —we call it “over-wrestling” — [and] that’s what we need to focus on [next season].”
Sequim’s Aiden Galvin (103 pounds) and Sam Shinkle (160 pounds), both freshmen, competed at regionals but didn’t advance.
Chinn said the experience the five Sequim wrestlers — two juniors, three freshmen — got at regionals should pay off dividends in 2023-2024. He said scheduling more matches, along with upcoming summer camp experiences that includes a Gene Mills workshop set in Sequim July 5-8, should give a boost to the SHS program.
“We’ve got the schedule to do it,” he said.
“They we worked pretty hard [late in the season],” Chinn said.
“With time commitment, it can be even better.”
