In the first state dual tournament for the WIAA, the Bearcats competed with 11 other Class 2A programs and left Orting High School on Saturday with a fourth place finish. They beat EvCo foe Aberdeen 60-21 in the quarterfinals before losing to Othello 38-28 in the semis and Marysville Pilchuck 47-30 in the third place contest.
“At state duals, you’re gonna run into some good competition,” W.F. West head coach Jamie Rakevich said. “It was a great event.”
Against Aberdeen, the Bearcats only lost four weight classes and dominated the rest. Two different times, they reeled off at least three consecutive pins. That same momentum couldn’t be carried into the semis against Othello.
Othello won five of the first six weights and before Liam Land (150), Race Scalici (157) and Max Mishler (175) picked up bonus point wins, it was too little, too late. Graysen Serl (190) also won a contested match.
Scalici and Serl won their matches in the third place dual to go 3-0 on the day. Maryville Pilchuck dominated the upper weights and middle weights, picking up four bonus point wins and a forfeit.
Black Hills went 0-2, losing to Lynden 46-31 in the first round and dropping a 53-24 verdict to Steilacoom in a consolation contest. The Wolves had Rashid Farah, Cash Boos, Rorek Foss and J.J. Oraya claim both their matches.
Bearcat girls take third place in first state dual tournament
The W.F. West High School girls wrestling team made an appearance in the Class 2A/1A/2B/1B state dual tournament held on Saturday at Othello High School and walked away with a third place finish after going 2-1 on the day.
After a first round bye, the Bearcats beat Zillah 59-23 in the quarterfinals to set up a date with Toppenish, one of the top programs in the state. The Wildcats won six consecutive weights to control a 61-17 win.
Versus Zillah, W.F. West was aided by a handful of forfeits and pins from Eden Hornby, Berkley Varick and Kya Homan. In the third place dual against Orting, a pin from Emma Servey at 170-pounds clinched the victory for the Bearcats.
Servey was down 3-0 early and from the top position, settled in for the fall. Lucy Hornby joined Eden with wins over the Cardinals, as did Varick, Homan, Kira Hohman and Sierra Wood.
“It was so much fun to see these girls compete at their best,” said Coach Matt Patana. "They’ve worked hard all season, and today they showed what teamwork and perseverance can accomplish. This group has a lot to be proud of. I love to watch these girls compete at their best. The energy, the determination, and the way they supported each other made this tournament so special. Seeing them rise to the occasion and finish strong is so awesome.”
Black Hills was the other area team in the tournament, but they went 0-2 on the day. The Wolves lost to Newport 48-36 in the first round and dropped a 42-39 heartbreaker to EvCo rival Aberdeen in a consolation dual.
Madeline Payne, Isabella Chenard, Madi Steinebach and Nancy Nguyen each had their arm raised twice for Black Hills.
