MATTAWA – The Wahluke High girls wrestling team is sending four athletes to the Mat Classic in Tacoma this weekend. The girls will be joined by Alex Tapia from the boys team and the hope is that he and his fellow Warriors represent the school well.  

“We’re ecstatic for all of our athletes having the opportunity – and our coaching staff. It’s been quite an adventure (since the season started in November) and so this is really neat for us to see what happens this weekend,” Wahluke School District Superintendent Andy Harlow said.  

Harlow said he hopes that the results “honor the hard work” the district’s wrestlers have put in this season. 

Tapia’s coach, Jose Marrin, said he’s excited for his wrestler to compete in the 144-pound weight class at the Tacoma Dome. As a senior, this is Tapia’s last opportunity to hit the mats on the West Side in state competition. The opportunity is something that has Tapia working hard to represent his family, his school and himself well, Marrin said.  

“He knew coming up to the season that, essentially, it was his last shot to make a trip to the Dome. So, I could say that, yes, he’s put in all the work and deserves a spot this Friday and Saturday,” Marrin said.  

He added that Tapia has been consistent and showed up for every practice to ensure he’s ready for competitions throughout the season. Tapia’s also taken on a leadership role on the boys team. 

“He has the most experience, so kids kind of look up to him, and I’ve seen them ask him questions about what to do in certain situations, or questions about moves,” Marrin said.  

As district competition has gone on the last couple weeks, Marrin said the focus for Tapia has been on closing the gap or improving it. Essentially, if Tapia went against a certain opponent to try and improve the score at the end of the match. In most cases, that’s happened, with improved winning scores, switching to wins against some opponents and reducing the gap between other opponents’ scores and Tapia’s. There’s been some conversations about pushing for a solid result in the end. 

“This is your last year. You know we need to go in 100% regardless of the opponent,” Marrin said he’s been telling Tapia.  

The girls’ roster is a bit deeper with four Warriors representing their school at state. 

“I think the biggest thing is consistency,” girls wrestling coach Wendy Lovejoy said. “We’ve been able to show up every day for practice and be good practice partners. That’s a challenge, but something so simple can make a big difference, but I think that’s our biggest strength is consistency.” 

Senior Heaven Antunez has taken on the role of team captain throughout the year, despite having very little wrestling experience, Lovejoy said. Her maturity has paid off though, with the rest of the team respecting Antunez and Antunez setting herself up for a trip to Tacoma. 

Kaylee Avalos, the other senior girl going to the Mat Classic for Wahluke is doing well despite it being her first year wrestling.  

“She has a mentality that, ‘You know, I’m going to do the best I can. I’m a senior. This is my first year. I have nothing to lose.’ That attitude, so it’s nice to see that,” Lovejoy said. 

The youngest member of the team, Marleny Hurtado, brings a bit more experience to the mats in Tacoma, Lovejoy said. The young athlete has been in wrestling since seventh grade and is driven to find success. Lovejoy said Hurtado may surprise people with how well she performs. 

“She’s just scrappy. She’s physical. She’s aggressive, and so, for her, I foresee her (being) kind of that dark horse. She could kind of creep in and do something, but she just has that competitive spirit,” the girls coach said.  

Wahluke Athletic Director Jose Espindola said he’s incredibly proud of the entire Wahluke wrestling team. 

“Our athletes did a phenomenal job this year,” he said. “They worked so hard throughout the season to get to this point, and you know, it goes to show that their hard work and their perseverance to just keep going after every tournament, despite wins or losses, you know, and they’ve heard me this year, and that’s why they’re hitting the Mat Classic ... to represent themselves, to represent the school or family, and I wish (them) the best of luck.” 

Wahluke Warriors Roster 

Boys 

senior Alejandro Tapia (144) 

Alternate: junior Antonio Valdovinos (150) 

Girls 

senior Heaven Antunez (120) 

senior Kaylee Avalos (235)  

junior Dyani Hernandez (190)  

sophomore Marleny Hurtado (145) 

Alternate: senior Ayshane Lopez (130) 

    Alex Tapia has had a strong season and is determined to ensure he has a successful tournament at the Mat Classic this weekend. As a senior, he’s pushing to represent his family, team, school and community well, his coach said.
  

    The Wahluke girls wrestling state qualifiers stopped for a photo Wednesday before heading out to hopefully earn some hardware at the Tacoma Dome this weekend. Two seniors, a junior and a sophomore are included in this year’s group of state bound Wahluke girls.