TACOMA — Nearly 300 schools were at the first day of the Mat Classic wrestling tournament at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday, with thousands of wrestlers, parents, coaches and fans. But one voice cut through the air at the opening ceremonies, and that voice belonged to a Moses Lake Maverick. 

“It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said MLHS junior Masen Meek, who sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” to open the tournament. “It's really hard, because singing a song like the national anthem, everyone knows it, so they're going to know if you've messed up.” 

“I've heard lots of compliments, especially from his teammates and other people we know in the wrestling community,” said Masen’s dad, Josh Meek. “So, I think it was well received.” 

Masen is on the MLHS wrestling team, but he wasn’t one of the athletes to snag a berth at the state tournament. He’s also been singing in the MLHS choir for three years and was in the middle school choir two years before that, so when the opportunity came for him to show his skills in that area, he was happy to. 

Masen is planning to major in music education, he said, after he graduates. His goal, Josh Meek said, is to be a choir teacher. 

Our national anthem is not an easy song to sing, with a daunting 19-semitone range. Masen, a tenor, was well aware that it would be the largest crowd he’d ever performed for. And because the anthem is traditionally sung a cappella, there was no accompanist to cover up mistakes. 

“When I was figuring out what key to do it in it was really hard because it's extreme high notes or extreme low notes,” he said. “You’ve just got to be confident in yourself and know you can do it.”