Sequim’s varsity boys wrestlers took a hometown title from a rival and the girls finished strong in another strong week of wrestling action for the Wolves.

In a four-team dual on Jan. 12, Sequim won the Battle for the Axe in Port Angeles over the Roughriders, who took second, followed by Forks and Port Townsend.

See photos here.

Sequim and Port Angeles tied at 36-a-piece in the first round of head-to-head match-ups but because Sequim won more matches, they took the win. Like the score, the Wolves had some close matches, too.

At 145 pounds, Sequim’s Craig Baker won 9-5 over Ben Basden, while Murray Bingham won 6-4 over Rudy Valdez at 152 pounds.

Sequim’s Grant Pierson, 160 pounds, won 9-5 over Caleb Joslin and Austin Budd, 170, won 14-10 over Thomas Blevins.

The Wolves’ other wins all came by pins with Jamie Schroepfer, 132, pinning Nate Harrelson in 44 seconds, Ben Newell, 138, pinning Slater Bradley in 1:53, Adrian Klarich, 182, pinning Jace Lausche in 3:59, and McKenzie Stockdale pinning Mason Coppage in 2:31.

Sequim won 48-33 against Forks in the next round with Blake Dalton, 113 pounds, winning by pin in 1:49, Baker by pin in 2:24, Budd by pin in 2:51, and Klarich by pin in 2:37.

Newell won 12-10 in overtime over Saul Avila and Pierson won 8-7 over Gavin Palmer.

Against Port Townsend, the Wolves won 51-21 with Bingham winning 9-7 and Pierson winning by pin in 1:23. The remainder of their points came by forfeit.

Fife tourney

The Lady Wolves and boys junior varsity squads traveled to Fife’s first Lads and Lasses Invitational on Jan. 14. Sequim’s girls took third with 130 points behind Yelm in first with 244 points and Rogers’ 144 points. Sequim boys took 12th out of 13 teams with 53.5 points.

Three girls won their brackets amd three more took second.

Alexi Rampp-Taft won the 120-pound B-section bracket with two pins in 2:37 and 1:42, and Kiara Pierson won the 125-pound bracket with one pin in 1:22 and a 5-2 win over Nia Lawes of Bonney Lake. Sequim’s Alma Mendoza won the 155-pound bracket with three pins in 23 seconds, 3:19 and in 5:30 in the finals against Taylor Adriance of Rogers.

For second place, Aylee Bennett, 145 pounds, opened with two pins in 18 seconds and 1:20 before being pinned in the championships. Sarah Ulmer, 155-pound B-bracket, recorded a pin in 3:08 and a 13-8 win before she was pinned in the finals in the first round. Madison Uranga also took second in the 235-pound bracket with two pins of her own in 1:57 and 27 seconds before being pinned in the finals.

For the boys, Budd took second in the 170-pound bracket with pins in 3:19 and 46 seconds and a 15-0 tech fall before being pinned by Jamell Carroll of Sultan in the finals.

Sequim’s Chris Puksta tied for third at 152 pounds opening with a pin at 3:44 before he was pinned. In the consolation rounds he swept his way to the third place match with a forfeit, a pin in 3:53 and a 13-8 win.

At 145 pounds, Hayden Gresli tied for fifth by opening with a 5-1 win and a pin in 3:42 but he lost his next two matches. Sequim’s Jamie Schroepfer, 126 pounds, went 1-2 at the tourney with one pin in 2:02.

This week, Sequim travels to Kingston for a dual meet on Thursday, Jan. 19, and to Foss High School’s Willie C. Stewart Invite on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Alexi Rampp-Taft, 120 pounds, works her way to pinning Port Angeles’ Hannah Stone in 15 seconds during a JV match at the Battle for the Axe. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

At 145 pounds, Sequim’s Craig Baker and Port Angeles’ Ben Basden grapple in a tight match. Baker went on to win 9-5. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Rudy Valdez of Port Angeles and Sequim’s Murray Bingham look to make a take down during the Battle for the Axe on Jan. 12. Bingham won the match 6-4. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Sequim wrestlers and coaches hold the trophy from Port Angeles’ Battle for the Axe on Jan. 12. The Wolves took the title from Port Angeles after defeating them in the first round of a four-way dual that included Forks and Port Townsend. Submitted photo