Wrestling: Four SHS grapplers top brackets at tourney

Wolves set for weekend’s Battle of the Border on Fri-Sat

Three tournaments, three times more success for the Wolves.

Sequim sent its wrestlers to three tournaments on Dec. 5, with the varsity boys at the White River Classic and the junior varsity boys and varsity girls at the Emerald Ridge High School Kick-Off.

Between the tournaments, four Wolves claimed their brackets highlighted by the girls continuing their grittiness.

Sequim’s girls placed 10th with 83 points, a 10-5 record and eight pins among them.

Kiara Pierson won the 118-pound bracket with an opening pin in 3:21, followed by a 5-1 win and another pin in the finals over Joceline Marrufo of Federal Way in 2:06.

Teammates Alma Mendoza and Aylee Bennett squared off for the finals in the 139-pound bracket with Mendoza prevailing 4-1. Mendoza pinned her first opponent in 2:30 followed by an 11-7 win over Lizzy Jimenez of Rogers. Bennett pinned her first opponent too in 3:19 and her second in 35 seconds.

For the JV boys, the Wolves placed seventh with 69 points and three finalists going 11-7 with six pins.

Chris Puksta won the 136-pound bracket with an opening 9-3 win followed by an 8-0 win and another 8-0 win over Mathew Dion of Enumclaw.

Hunter Davidson also took the 203-pound bracket pinning all three of his opponents with his finals opponent Kordell Fields of Emerald Ridge going down in 3:44.

Dalton Brown (105) took second with a pin in 37 seconds and a 4-2 win before losing by pin to Jacob Fowler of Kelso in 50 seconds.

At the White River Classic, competition was stiff, but Sequim took ninth overall with 74 points and 20 wins and 18 losses.

At 160 pounds, Kevyn Ward opened to pin Jacob Smith of Steilacoom in 1:33 followed by Jose Ciseneros-Valdez of Grandview in 3:46 before bracket champion Tanner Turnbow of Enumclaw won 7-2 in the third round. In the consolation, Ward pinned Maurice Prieto of Grandview in 3 minutes before hitting his match limit on the day to tie for third place with Zach Koeller of Bonney Lake.

After facing an opening loss, Adrian Klarich (182) tied for fifth with a string of wins 6-1, 8-4, 9-2 before losing 10-2 to Keegan Dorsey of Bonney Lake 10-2.

Michael Latimer (220) pinned his first opponent in under a minute before being pinned in the second round but in the consolation he pinned two opponents at 2:35 and 2:15 before losing 10-7 to Levi Ward of Enumclaw. Latimer tied with Jeremy Smith of Yelm for fifth.

McKenzie Stockdale (285) placed the highest at White River for the Wolves. He lost his first match but swept his consolation matches with a 10-3 win and a 3:45 pin of Connor White-Shrum of Graham Kapowsin. He tied for third with Keano Riggs of Puyallup.

Both Ben Newell (132) and Sven Wiker (152) won two matches with Newell pinning his first opponent in 1:50 before being pinned in the second round. In the consolation he pinned Luis Ramos of Grandview in 56 seconds but lost in overtime 5-3 to Cameron Rose of Cedarcrest. 2-2.

Wiker lost his opener but won two in the consolation with a 1:36 pin and 1:26 pin before being pinned in the end of the first round of his fourth match.

The Wolves head to Blaine on Dec. 11-12 for the Battle of the Border and host Olympic on Tuesday, Dec. 15, for their first home meet of the season.