A year of hard work hitting the mats and going to camps comes to fruition this weekend for Sequim’s wrestling squad at the 2A State Mat Classic.

“Every single one of the kids said that they’re not going to be happy if they don’t come home without a medal, so their goal is to bring some hardware home,” said the Wolves’ head coach Tyler Izatt.

“I think we have a good bunch that can do it, and it’s going to be a battle and a grind.”

Nine Wolves will wrestle Feb. 19-21 at the season-ending tournament with two alternates named.

Seniors competing include Ryan Spelker (132) who won his weight class at the Olympic League regional tournament, and Johnny Vilona (138), who placed second in his weight class. Other Wolves wrestlers include juniors Brandon Bair (106), Levi Breithaupt (132), Riley Downs (144), Finn Jones (126), and Story Snow (125 girls), sophomore Max Sivilli (215), and freshman Harper Campbell (130 girls). Alternates include sophomore Andre Linson (157) and freshman Cash Hiner (215).

Five of the 11 wrestlers competed at state last year, and Izatt said they got the taste of what it takes to medal.

“This year they’ve been so focused on that state medal that I don’t think there’s any other way for some of those kids that it goes,” he said.

Spelker, who defeated a familiar North Kitsap wrestler at the league tournament but then was eliminated by him in the state tournament in 2025, said he kept the score on his phone screen as a motivator.

This year, Spelker is “hungry for (a medal),” Izatt said.

Both he and Vilona said they’ve set goals for medals.

“The higher the better,” Vilona said.

Last year, Snow, a second year wrestler, was an alternate at state in her first year, and said she’s happy to be going as a competitor this year.

“(This year) I learned that my limits are much farther than I thought they were,” she said.

Izatt said Snow came in timidly last year but went on to earn the nickname “Librarian Assassin.”

“She looks super timid and super nice, which she is a very, very nice person, but she steps on that mat, she gets mean, and she’ll rip heads off,” he said.

Snow participated in wrestling camps in the offseason, and Izatt said when she came back this season coaches could tell she had a new mindset.

She said wrestling is largely a mental game, and that once you get past those mental blocks it becomes easier once you get out of your own head.

Breithaupt is another wrestler ready to turn a corner as a second year wrestler.

“He’s battled,” Izatt said.

Breithaupt finished fourth at the league tournament in his weight class, but defeated the No. 2 seeded wrestler, Izatt said.

“He had a ton of improvement over the year, and that’s what we’re seeing with all of our kids,” he said.

Izatt, now in his second season, said he sees the team’s chemistry and coaching gelling as the Wolves have put together a strong season.

“You don’t see big state teams out of a town that don’t have a youth program usually, so it’s fun to see,” he said.

With hopes to start a youth program next year, Izatt said they’re working hard at the high school level trying to get wrestlers into various camps and programs to better their minds and skills.

“They’re great kids and they’ve been working hard all season and I really want the community behind them,” he said. “Because that’s what a lot of wrestling programs lack is coming from an area where there’s just not a lot of heat around wrestling. Nobody cares and these kids put in all this work and nobody hears about it at the end of the day.”

Spelker said it’s a tough sport but it’s been helpful to him.

“It gives you a mindset that helps you push through things in life,” he said.

Sequim’s coaches include Izatt, assistant Terry Bair, and volunteer coaches Caden Beauregard, Dustin Jones, David Linson, and Jake Stanley.

Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash/ Story Snow, seen here wrestling earlier this season in Sequim, will compete in the 2A girls state meet in the 125 pound bracket. This year, she said she’s ” learned that my limits are much farther than I thought they were.”

Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash/ Riley Downs, pictured in a Sequim head-to-head meet earlier this season, will compete at the Mat Classic state 2A meet in the 144-pound bracket.

Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash/ Sequim’s Finn Jones (126 pounds) is one of nine wrestlers set to compete at the Mat Classic 2A state meet this weekend in the Tacoma Dome.

Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash/ Senior Ryan Spelker, pictured in a Sequim meet, earned a top seed at the state 2A Mat Classic meet this weekend in the 132-pound bracket.