Young Lind-Ritzville team looks to place wrestlers on the podium
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months AGO
Marcial Davis attempts to pin his opponent to the mat during the Banks Lake Brawl earlier this season. Davis and seven other Broncos wrestlers are headed to the Mat Classic in Tacoma.
FILE PHOTO
Gabriel Mungia, left, sparring with an opponent he faced in the Banks Lake Brawl earlier this season. Mungia will compete in the 175-lb class in the Mat Classic.
Autumn Cresse, left, spars with her opponent in the Banks Lake Brawl earlier this season. Cresse is the only girl competing for the Broncos this year in the Mat Classic.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 18, 2026 11:00 AM
RITZVILLE — Lind-Ritzville head coach Jason Hilzer said he’s optimistic that the Broncos can get some wrestlers on the Mat Classic 2026 podium in what has been a year of growth.
“We’re young. The increase in the skill level from the beginning of the year to the end of the year is huge for the freshmen and sophomores,” Hilzer said. “That’s what I’m really pleased about.”
The Broncos are sending seven boys and one girl to the state tournament.
Lind-Ritzville started the season with three seniors and three juniors, but injuries and other things cut it to one senior and two juniors by the district tournament last weekend. Hilzer said his team has responded to the challenge of learning what they need to do, citing Gabriel Mungia, wrestling at 175 pounds.
“Gabriel Mungia finished second – he's only a sophomore. His dad is one of my assistant coaches. He wrestles pretty tough,” Hilzer said.
Marcial Davis, 285 pounds, also finished second in the district tournament.
“He beat a couple of guys that have beaten him before,” Hilzer said. “I think both of those two are going to have a good shot at making it to the podium.”
Senior Waylon Rosman, 113 pounds, also qualified for state after a tough season.
“He’s been injured a lot this year, so we’ll see. That’s why his record is not very good right now, because he’s been injured,” Hilzer said. “He’s kind of a sleeper kid.”
Rosman also has a chance to place in the top eight, he said. Autumn Cresse qualified for the Lind-Ritzville girls.
Mat Classic will be a good experience for his team, whether the wrestlers place or not, Hilzer said.
“It’s like an eye opener to see how big it is, and the feel of it,” Hilzer said. “We've had kids that went there as juniors and went two-and-out, because of the pressure and everything else, come back the next year and (place). I think they’ve just got to get that feeling and understand and know what it's like to be in that big of an arena and figure out how to wrestle with all those people there.”
Hilzer said he’s optimistic for the next season, with the current freshmen and sophomores gaining a year of experience.
“We’ve got some eighth graders that will be freshmen next year that are going to be pretty good,” he said.
Mat Classic starts Friday afternoon for Class 1B/2B wrestlers, with matches continuing Saturday.
Gabriel Mungia, left, sparring with an opponent he faced in the Banks Lake Brawl earlier this season. Mungia will compete in the 175-lb class in the Mat Classic.
Autumn Cresse, left, spars with her opponent in the Banks Lake Brawl earlier this season. Cresse is the only girl competing for the Broncos this year in the Mat Classic.ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
No deficiencies in Wahluke School District audit
MATTAWA — An audit of the Wahluke School District didn’t find any deficiencies in the district’s federal program management or its financial reporting. It was the second straight deficiency-free audit for the district. Wahluke Superintendent Andy Harlow said that was due to WSD’s financial staff. “I continue to be impressed with (Gabriela) Chacon, our finance director, and her team’s hard work, growth and commitment to implementing and sustaining fiscal systems,” Harlow wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald
Tentative opening date set for new Quincy Aquatic Center
QUINCY — Not only a new swimming pool but a new splash pad will be coming to Quincy this summer. Russ Harrington, Quincy parks and recreation director, said there are tentative opening dates for the new Quincy Aquatic Center and the park that includes the splash pad, although it may not be ready at the same time as the park. “We’re getting close,” Harrington said. The splash pad is one of the amenities in the new park at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and E Street Northeast. The park’s playground toys have been installed; Harrington said ground cover is the last piece for those toys, and it’s scheduled for installation within the next few days. The playground toys should be ready for use by June 1.
Mobile home destroyed in early-morning fire
MOSES LAKE — A mobile home north of Moses Lake was destroyed by fire early Wednesday morning. Grant County Fire District 5 Battalion Chief Sean Killion said the fire was reported at about 4:20 a.m. on Broad Street Northeast, off Airway Drive Northeast. “It was vacant,” Killion said, and no one was injured. The trailer was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, but no nearby structures were damaged, he said. The trailer was a total loss. Firefighters were on the scene about 90 minutes, he said. “The cause of the fire is undetermined, per the fire marshal,” Killion said.