EAST WENATCHEE - The Chiefs exhibited a true will to win on the road Dec. 6 after coming from behind to beat the Wildcats in the first league match of the season.

Down 20-6 early in the competition, Moses Lake fought back to claim a 38-31 victory, much to the chagrin of the Eastmont faithful.

"It was a real barn burner of a dual," coach Jamie Garza said. "Our wrestlers showed a lot of heart and were able to pull away for the win."

Fernando Leyva (113), Jose Garcia who step in to record a pin at 120, and Chase Clasen who was bumped up to 126 got crucial wins to get things rolling for the Chiefs and put Moses Lake within striking distance.

"After pins from senior Brad Fox at 138 and freshmen Jason Nunez at 145, we seemed to be in control of the match," Garza said. "However, Eastmont continued to battle and recorded two wins at 152 and 160. But sophomore Nicolaus Hernandez sealed the win with a pin at 170 pounds. Junior Jordan Lacelle received at pin at 220 too."

Inland Empire

SPOKANE - It was a busy, but productive weekend for Moses Lake wrestlers as the Chiefs traveled to Central Valley High School to take part in the annual Inland Empire Wrestling Tournament Dec. 7 and 8. Moses Lake turned in an outstanding performance as the team placed fifth with 138.5 points out of 17 schools that participated in the event. University High School was first with 223.

"The Inland Empire is a great indicator of what our regional tournament may look like," Garza said. "With eight wrestlers placing, it shows we are in the thick of things, but it also shows that there is room to grow and more work that needs to take place. I was proud of our team as they showed a lot of grit and resiliency."

Results:

Trey Long (106) wrestled to a 3-1 record,  which earned him second place. He upset the No. 2 seeded wrestler and eventually found his way into the finals.

"Trey had a great tournament and knocked off a couple quality kids," Garza said. "After this tournament, he proved he is in the thick of things at the 106 weight class." 

Clayton Clark (106) ended with a 4-2 record and a fourth place finish.

"Clayton is a freshmen with a lot of promise. He has been involved in the sport for quite sometime and wrestled well," Garza said. "His first loss was to the eventual champion, but he picked four wins before losing a close 3rd/4th place match. Clayton shown he has the skills to wrestle at this level, but needs to be a more assertive while on the mat."

Junior Fernando Leyva (113) wrestled to a 3-1 record and a second place finish.

"Fernando had a great tournament. He wrestled a tough Mead kid in the semifinals match," Garza said. "In that match he wrestled in great position and was aware the entire time. He didn't force anything and was worked hard the entire match. He ran into a tough kid in the finals, but now knows what he needs to work on and is ready for the challenge."

Sophomore Chase Clasen at 120 recorded a 3-1 record, which earned him a second place finish.

"Chase had a great quarterfinals match in which he beat an athletic kid out of Central Valley in overtime. His technique has improved since last year," Garza said. "He wrestled a lot last summer and that work is starting to pay off for him."

Clausen's only loss was to a wrestler out of Post Falls who is nationally ranked.

Senior Anthony Barajas (126) ended the tournament with a 1-2 record.

Senior Brad Fox (138) ended with a 3-3 record and a 6th place finish.

"Brad was in every single one of his loses. He lost the three matches by a combined five points," Garza said. "Brad is better suited for the 132 pound weight category. Once he is able to wrestler at the weight, he's going to be really tough." 

Freshmen Jason Nunez (145) finished with one win and two losses

Freshman Hudson Mauseth (152) recorded a 3-3 record and that earned him a 6th place medal.

"Hudson is a beast and is wowing people every time he wrestles. His is tough, physical and never gives up," Garza said. "As a freshmen, Hudson is receiving a lot of comparison to former great Brian Chamberlin who eventually went on the win two state titles and received a Division 1 wrestling scholarship at Utah State University.  The future is extremely bright for Hudson. As coaches we are excited so see what the future holds for him."

Freshmen Joel Torres (160) finished the tournament with 1-2 record.

"Joel is another freshmen who has been wrestling for quite some time," Garza said. "He has it tough, wrestling foes who may be stronger and more physical, but with time, Joel will develop into a great wrestler."

Sophomore Nico Hernandez (170) wrestled to a 1-2 record at the two-day event.

Sophomore Easton Castro (182) finished the tournament at 2-2 rand was one win short of placing.

"Easton an athletic kid," Garza said. "And with time, we will see lots of success out of him."

Senior Hector Zavala (182) wrestled to a 1-2 record.

"Hector is flat out tough," Garza said. "He has taken a couple years off from wrestling, but has shown he is ready to be back on the mat."

Zavala will eventually wrestle at 170 for the Chiefs.

Junior Jordan Lacelle (195) wrestled to a 3-1 record and was Moses Lake's fourth finalist at the tournament.

"Jordan is getting better every day and wants to succeed in the sport," Garza said. "He's working hard and it is showing on the mat."

Junior Jacob Stout (220) finished 2-2 and was also one win short of placing.

"He has a lot of good guys to work out with and it's helping him tremendously," Garza said. "If Jacob turns up the intensity a few notches he will be a force at the 220 weight class."

Rounding out the competition for the Chiefs was sophomore Heavy Weight Justin Sainsbury who finished at 3-2, which was good enough 6th place finish.

He could've placed higher as he was wrestling for third place, but broke his leg and is probably done for the year.

"Justin will most likely be out for the season," Garza said. "He will be greatly missed. He was starting to move well and his confidence was raising. Prior the injury, he was working extremely hard. It's just heart breaking because he could have gone far this year."

The Chiefs are back in action tonight as Moses Lake hosts Sunnyside at 7 p.m.

"It should be a great match," Garza said. "Some sites have Sunnyside ranked as high as third at the 3A level. It will be a definite test for us.'

 Reaching a milestone

The Moses Lake wrestling team will be honoring Mel and Vicki Olson for 50 years of broadcasting Chiefs wrestling.

The ceremony will take place prior to the start of the match against Sunnyside at 7 p.m. tonight.