Moses Lake Wrestling Club hits the mat in Tacoma
IAN BIVONA | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 8 months AGO
Members of the Moses Lake Wrestling Club traveled to a state tournament at the Tacoma Dome on Feb. 19, hosted just a day after the 2023 Mat Classic concluded.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/JOHANA HUNT
Ian Bivona serves as the Columbia Basin Herald’s sports reporter and is a graduate of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He enjoys the behind-the-scenes stories that lead up to the wins and losses of the various sports teams in the Basin. Football is his favorite sport, though he likes them all, and his favorite team is the Jets. He lives in Soap Lake with his cat, Honey. | March 1, 2023 5:56 AM
TACOMA – Just after the Mat Classic ended for high school wrestlers, youth wrestlers from the Moses Lake Wrestling Club traveled to the Tacoma Dome to compete in a state tournament.
Moses Lake placed 12th out of the 106 teams that participated in the tournament.
“We had 43 that went and 25 placed this year,” said Johana Hunt, vice president of the Moses Lake Wrestling Club. “We had a little more people go. Some are brand-new kids, some are experienced kids.”
Hunt said the experience of wrestling in the Tacoma Dome helps wrestlers get a feel for what it’s like once they reach high school, as well as take home a neat experience.
“Some of them get to experience it all in front of them as they have older siblings that wrestle at the Mat Classic, so they can picture and familiarize themself there,” Hunt said. “They’re all pretty positive, all pretty excited of attending state.”
Moses Lake Wrestling Club offers youth wrestling to those ages 5-14 and its season lasts from September through the beginning of May.
“Any time they go out on the mat, they are the one that decides whether or not they win that match,” Hunt said. “It teaches them a sense of accomplishment, camaraderie as a team, hard work, and self-improvement when they don’t win a match.”
Even though the season started in September, Hunt said that the Moses Lake Wrestling Club is always open to new signups. Those interested can find more information at www.moseslakewrestlingclub.com.
“We just want to bring wrestling back into the community,” Hunt said. “We were strong at one point, and we want to continue to be building strong wrestlers for the future.”
Moses Lake Wrestling Club Placers
Eli Anderson (U14, 187), first place
Brantley Beliz (U8, 85-plus), first place
Lena Wiggum (Girls Grade 1-5, 56-60), first place
Addilynn Barajas (Girls Grade 1-5, 46-50), second place
Willy Goss (U12, 86), second place
Maximiliano Hunt (U6, 44-47), second place
Vincent Hunt (U12, 78), second place
Zion Martinez (U6, 55-60), second place
Lorenzo Castro (U8, 85), third place
Drayden Gaither (U16, 132), third place
Adan Hunt (U10, 84), third place
Sawyer Parker (U6, 58-50), third place
Braxton Suarez (U8, 45), third place
Aryn Anderson (U12, 160), fifth place
Aria Barajas (Girls Grade 1-5, 59-64), fifth place
Royce Barajas (U6, 38-40), fifth place
Trenton Vasquez (U16, 126), fifth place
Elia Torres (Girls Grade 1-5, 66-72), sixth place
Oliver Santana (U8, 62), sixth place
Andrew Barajas (U8, 56), seventh place
Evan Tanguma (U6, 47-48), seventh place
Ian Anderson (U16, 145), eighth place
Remy Hernandez (U8, 49), eighth place
Ariah Torres (U12, 86), eighth place
Jose Villafana (U14, 92), eighth place
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to fix inaccuracies in the results section.