Sequim has a huge contingent going to regionals this weekend.

Between tournaments in Sequim and Belfair on Feb. 3-4, 13 wrestlers, four girls and nine boys, with three alternates, head to the regionals for a chance at the Mat Classic 2A state tournament.

“I can’t ask for much more than they gave me,” said head coach Bill Schroepfer.

“They all did phenomenally.”

Girls take third at home

Sequim hosted the 2A West Central District III’s C district sub-regional tournament for 24 teams with the Lady Wolves taking third with 89 points behind Yelm’s 242 points and Lakes 110.5. Port Townsend came in fifth (73.5) and Port Angeles 16th (25).

Three wrestlers, Kiara Pierson, 120 pounds, Aylee Bennett, 140, and Alma Mendoza, 155, placed second while Madison Uranga, 190, took fourth, and Megan Puksta, 115, earned an alternate spot taking sixth.

“A couple girls feel they should have done better,” Schroepfer said. “But all and all it worked out for the best. (For Kiara) I think second place helps her going forward at regionals.”

Pierson took second to Klahowya’s Ashley Hubble in a 10-3 loss. She won her first two matches by pins in 30 seconds and 1:02.

Bennett opened with a pin in 49 seconds followed by a 6-4 win over Aniika Taylor of North Kitsap. A takedown call for Taylor to force overtime was taken back after it was ruled time expired. Bennett went on to lose by pin in 4:23 to Sienna Ramirez.

Sequim’s Mendoza won her first two matches by pin in 3:09 but sustained an injury in the 5:24 pin over Cynari Green of Bremerton, which kept her out of the finals with Kathleen Flanagan of Wilson.

Schroepfer said Mendoza will be healed up for regionals.

Uranga lost her final match for third place to Mecca Chase of Lincoln by pin in 27 seconds, but she earned fourth place with a pin in the consolation over Amanda Smith of Spanaway Lake in 3:28.

Puksta earned her alternate spot by winning her first match by pin in 39 seconds and a pin in the consolation in 22 seconds. She lost a certain regional spot for fifth to Marissa Covarrubias of North Mason 8-1.

Other Sequim competitors included Alexi Rampp-Taft, 120, going 1-2, and Sarah Ulmer, 155, 0-2.

Three win in Belfair

The boys took third at the Olympic League sub-regionals meet behind Olympic with 281.5 points and Port Angeles with 243.

With nine moving to regionals and two alternates, Schroepfer said the numbers are “impressive for us.”

“That’s not including Craig Baker who hurt his hip and Travis (Baker) who was ill the night before,” he said. “Those were two I was counting on making it, too.”

Sequim’s top performers included Austin Budd, 170, Adrian Klarich, 182, and McKenzie Stockdale, 220, all taking first, with Grant Pierson, 160, and Dylan Perreira, 195, placing second.

Budd won his weight class with back-to-back pins in 1:20 and 3:12 before winning 7-5 over Thomas Blevins of Port Angeles in overtime.

Klarich needed just two pins to take the 182-pound weight class. He opened with a pin in 1:50 and won the finals by pin in 5:16 over Jace Lausche of Port Angeles.

At 220 pounds, Stockdale won with two wins as well including a pin in 29 seconds and a 6-2 decision over Bailey White of Port Angeles in the finals.

For second place, Sequim’s Grant Pierson won his first two matches 7-2 and 9-1 before losing 8-1 to Logan Madison of Olympic while an injury kept Perreira from finishing in the finals against Bryce Lauderbach of Port Angeles at 195 pounds. Perreira swept his earlier competition with two first round pins in 1:28 and 1:56 before the injury.

At 138 pounds, Chris Puksta lost his first match 8-4 but in the consolation he won with back-to-back pins in 53 seconds and 2:38. He also won by injury default over teammate Craig Baker who was hurt, as mentioned, in an earlier matchup against Ben Basden of Port Angeles. Puksta took third with an injury default win over Ryan Saylor of Bremerton. Baker did win his first and only full match 13-6 over Edmond Taylor of Bremerton.

Sequim sends three fourth-place finishers to regionals including Dalton Brown, 113 pounds, Ben Newell, 132, and Mason Larsen, 285.

Brown lost his first match but won his next two 11-7 and 10-4 before losing to Caden Clark of North Kitsap by pin in 1:45. Newell won his first match 13-0 but lost his second 12-0. In the consolation he pinned teammate Ben Castle in 3:31 but lost 11-2 to Britton Andrews of Olympic for third place. Castle went 2-2 with two pins of his own.

Larsen opened with a pin in 2:59 but lost his next two, including the third-place matchup.

Both Jamie Schroepfer, 126 pounds, and Hayden Gresli, 145, earned fifth and regional spots with Schroepfer winning the fifth-place matchup over Tim Porter of Olympic in 24 seconds while Gresli won 14-6 and by pin in 2:50 in the consolation, by pin in 56 seconds over Nahkohe Lanham of Bremerton for fifth.

Sequim’s Kyle Klopfenstein, 106, earned an alternate spot after his first opponent was disqualified but he was injured and couldn’t compete in later matches.

Other participants included Sequim’s Jacob Myers 0-2 and Murray Bingham 1-2 at 152 pounds.

Schroepfer said this week leading up to regionals wrestlers will fine tune their skills.

“This time in the season I don’t like teaching anything new,” he said. “We’ll drill their moves and the coaches will point out what we see is wrong. We want to keep positive attitudes and hopefully keep them healthy.”

Sequim’s boys wrestling travels to Blaine High School and the girls to Decatur High School in Federal Way on Feb. 10-11 for regionals.

Sequim’s Alma Mendoza pins Cynari Green of Bremerton in 5:24 on Feb. 4, at the sub-regionals tournament. She was injured in the match but plans to compete at regionals this weekend. Sequim Gazette photos by Matthew Nash

Madison Uranga earned fourth place at 195 pounds with a pin in the consolation over Amanda Smith of Spanaway Lake in 3:28. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Sequim’s Megan Puksta pins Lakes’ Sky Campbell-Montez in 22 seconds in a consolation bracket match-up on Feb. 4. Puksta earned an alternate spot at sub-regionals for the regional tournament this weekend. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Aylee Bennett’s match with Aniika Taylor of North Kitsap at 140 pounds went down to the last second. Taylor had a takedown called back because time expired giving Bennett the 6-4 win. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Aylee Bennett’s match with Aniika Taylor of North Kitsap at 140 pounds went down to the last second. Taylor had a takedown called back because time expired giving Bennett the 6-4 win. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Aylee Bennett’s match with Aniika Taylor of North Kitsap at 140 pounds went down to the last second. Taylor had a takedown called back because time expired giving Bennett the 6-4 win. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash