TACOMA — On day one of the Mat Classic, Washington’s best from the 3A and 4A competed at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday. Across the boys and girls teams of the Moses Lake Mavericks, seven wrestlers moved on to the semifinals. Competition for other teams from Grant and Adams counties started Friday with additional strong performances from those teams as well.  

“I think the kids did great,” Boys head coach Jose Tanguma said at the end of the competition Thursday. “Some matches didn't go our way. Some of our guys thought they were going to go further, but they lost some close matches, but they're holding their heads up high. We’ve got five in the semis right now, and winning in the constellations. All the guys did great today. They all gave points to the team, but we have a young team still.”   

The Moses Lake Mavericks concluded their appearance at the Mat Classic on day two, with several wrestlers making deep runs.   

Final results for the other division area teams that competed were not available as of press time. However, Almira/Coulee-Hartline’s Noah Butler and Karis Butler still had a shot at state titles as of press time. Joining the pair of Warriors were Ephrata’s Adylene Sanchez, Othello’s Addie Russell, Royal’s Stratton Yorgesen, Hali Christensen, Reese Prescott, Sharon Arroyo and Sophia Garza. Warden’s Raylen Heredia was also still competing. Final results will be published in our Tuesday edition. 

Mavs Boys  

One wrestler who went far this year was Eli Anderson, who battled his way into the 215-lb finals, where he fell just short 4-2. Despite the loss, Anderson displayed gratitude.   

“I'm honestly just really grateful to even have a chance to wrestle here, because not many people even get to be here. It's just back to the drawing board. Just see what I did wrong and see how I can improve, because there's nothing else to do,” Anderson said.   

To reach the finals, first he had to go through Emet Ordway from Battle Ground in the semifinals. After a slow build in the first period, Anderson scored an escape and a takedown to go up 4-0. His opponent scored three different escapes but struggled to build any momentum. After another takedown in the third period and the clock ran out, he leaped to his feet to celebrate the 7-3 win.   

From there, he was set to face Logan Ullah from Mead in the finals. The first period was slow-paced as each competitor settled into the match. The match remained scoreless heading into the second; however, Ullah scored an escape and takedown to go up 4-0, which carried over into the third. From there, he slowed down again to milk the clock.   

As time ticked under a minute left, Anderson tried to pick up the pace and find an opportunity for a takedown. However, he only managed to force Ullah out of bounds twice for two points but time ultimately ran out before he could score more.   

Boys head coach Jose Tanguma felt the weight of the loss alongside Anderson.   

“I love all my kids, all the wrestlers. We're a family, and seeing him lose a tough one like that, it brings me down, too,” he said. “That kid is a very tough opponent. The plan was simple, keep it on their feet and (Ullah) ended up getting the first take down. Eli gave it his all, so proud of the kid, how far he got, and we still got one more year with him.”  

For Anderson, the job is not done as he sets his sights on next year. Just like last season, where he fell just short of being able to place at state, he worked over the past year to make the strides he did this season. Now, he goes back to the grindstone to bring home a state title, he said.   

“It just means I can do it. I just didn't finish the job this time, so it looks like we're going to have to come back and finish the job next year,” he said.   

For the rest of the boys, several still made their way to the podium by the end of the night. Conner Brosnahan, Ian Anderson, Ian Garza, Jose ‘Jr’ Villafana and Ryder Janke were all successful in the consolation brackets as they each made the top seven to place in the Mat Classic.   

Throughout the season, Tanguma said in prior interviews that his team was on the younger side. Gradually, as the season unfolded, the Mavs improved with each competition they were a part of, he said. As a team, they finished sixth overall at the Mat Classic. This is something he is proud of since they brought 11 wrestlers, while some other schools brought twice as many.   

Their performance at the state gives Tanguma a lot of hope for what’s to come next season.   

“We're just going to keep getting better, all the underclassmen right now can't wait to come back next year. Next year, we're going to have nine state vets, and our goal is going to be much closer to reach for us,” he said.   

Mavs Girls   

The girls squad made their presence known in the Mat Classic, too. Five wrestlers ended up making the podium by the end of day two. Anahi Garcia, Elyssa Armendariz, Emma Thompson, Izzabella Fredley and Naomi Cruz placed in the top seven through the consolation bracket.   

Heading into day two, Thompson and Armendariz were in the semifinals of their respective classes; however, fell short in competitive matchups. For Armendariz, a senior for the Mavericks, this was her first year competing in Tacoma, she said. She finishes her time at Moses Lake top five in Washington in the 100-lb class.   

“It feels amazing,” she said. “After three years of not being able to wrestle at state, cutting a short every year feels awesome. That was my goal, and I did it, and I made it to semis.”   

To close this chapter of her athletic journey is bittersweet for Armendariz.   

“It's really sad, because it's been my life, my whole family's wrestled so now that this might be the end I ever step on a mat again, it's bittersweet,” she said.  

As the season concluded, Armendariz was reflective of what she and her team were able to accomplish this season.   

“This year we've really become a team. I'm proud of every single one of them, even girls that didn't place or didn't make it to the second day. I'm still proud of them. We all grew, and we all grew as a team. I'm really proud of all of us. We really accomplished a lot this year,” Armendariz said.   

Editor’s Note: The Columbia Basin Herald congratulates all of the student athletes who made it to the Tacoma Dome and we are very proud of our community’s athletes. We hope you all had an absolute blast and know that you made your communities proud.  

    ACH’s Porter Wood hits the mat during Mat Classic. While he did not make it to the championship round, he had a good season that earned him his place at the Tacoma Dome.
  

    Wahluke's Dyani Hernandez, top, starts a match at the Tacoma Dome during the Mat Classic. While she didn't place, Hernandez pushed hard during her time at the tourney.
  

    Othello's Mason Russell sizes up his opponent at Mat Classic.
  

    Warden's Chris Mora assesses his opponent at the Mat Classic. While he didn't make it to the final matches, he put forth a solid effort for his team.
  

    The Tigers' Alexandra Estrada Rangel, in Tiger orange, puts her opponent in a precarious pose during a bout in Tacoma.
  

    Royal's Sharon Arroyo, right, takes a low-set stance for leverage during one of her matches at the Tacoma Dome.