PORT ANGELES — The axe will stay in Port Angeles.
For the sixth straight year, the Roughriders placed first at their own wrestling tournament, the Battle for the Axe, by going 5-0 at the six-team event Saturday.
The Riders defeated Sequim in the first round 57-11, and then beat Hoquiam 41-30, Jackson 55-24, North Mason 46-20 and Oak Harbor 51-26.
Oak Harbor’s Dymond Piper and Port Angeles’ Ben Basden were picked as the outstanding wrestlers of the tournament.
Sequim placed fifth by going 0-5 Saturday. Along with the loss to the Riders, the Wolves fell 34-30 to North Mason, 64-30 to Oak Harbor, 57-15 to Jackson and 58-30 to Hoquiam.
Sequim senior Kevyn Ward won all five of his matches.
The Wolves next compete at Klahowya on Thursday.
Port Angeles returns to action Saturday at the challenging Gut Check Challenge at the Kitsap Pavilion in Bremerton.
Spartans win Bremerton Brawl
BREMERTON — Four individual champions helped lead Forks to the team title at the Bremerton Brawl.
Junior Jack Dahlgren continued his undefeated start to the season by tearing through the 182-pound weight division Saturday.
Alvaro Ortiz took first for the second time in five days, and did so in similar fashion to his victory Tuesday at Vashon: defeating Casey Brady of Eatonville 6-4 in overtime.
Saul Avila earned his first-ever championship by taking the 132-pound class, and freshman Josue Lucas was the 109-pound champion.
“This tournament was a real improvement in bottom wrestling over Tuesday’s wrestling in Vashon,” Spartans coach Bob Wheeler said.
“I was quite happy with the way that most everyone wrestled.”
Nathan Flores moved up from 195 pounds to 220 to help Forks earn team points, and ended up taking second in the division.
Keith Kullander (126 pounds), Hugo Lucas (138), Joseph Mariner (160), Kenny Gale (170) and Luke Dahlgren (195) each finished third.
“Really starting to step up his wrestling,” Wheeler said of Luke Dahlgren, “becoming a contender in every match.”
The Spartans also had a pair of fourth-place showings, one by 126-pounder Keith Thompson and the other from 145-pounder Garrison Schumack.
Sultan was second to Forks in team scoring, and Bremerton was third.
“We had a couple of our usual varsity wrestlers out, but had good performances from those who were filling in or who moved up a weight to help out the team,” Wheeler said.
“Now we need to get everyone together where they belong for a tough week.”
The Spartans begin Evergreen League duals Wednesday against Aberdeen and Montesano in Aberdeen. Then they return to Bremerton to compete at the Gut Check Challenge on Friday and Saturday.
Gymnastics
Port Angeles wins second straight
LACEY — The Roughriders beat out two other full teams at Black Hills Gymnastics for their second straight victory.
Port Angeles earned a final score of 142.95, while Olympia was second with 136.4 and North Thurston was third with 118.6. Sequim also competed at the meet but does not have a complete team.
The Riders claimed first-place showings in three of the four events and had five gymnasts among the top 10 all-around scores.
Cassii Middlestead took first on the bars (7.5) and on the beam (8.4), and Sydney Miner had the top score in the floor routine (8.6).
Middlestead came in second in the all-around with a score of 30.6, while Miner was third with a 29.3.
Along with her two first-place finishes, Middlestead was third on the floor and finished in a three-way tie for 10th on the vault with teammates Julienne Jacobs and Cassidy Tamburro.
Miner was second on the beam, third on the vault and ninth on bars.
Nikaila Price was sixth in the all-around (27.3) for Port Angeles. She placed a team-best third on the vault and was fifth on the bars and sixth on the floor.
Laura Rooney was ninth all-around with a score of 24.6. Her best showing was sixth place in the vault.
Jacobs, a freshman, finished 10th all-around (24.4) after taking sixth on the floor to go along with the tie for 10th on the vault.
Senior Lexi Hefton placed fourth on the bars and seventh in the floor routine for the Riders. She also tied for sixth on the beam with Tamburro.
Lum Fu finished seventh in the vault, and Karlie Gochnour rounded out Port Angeles’ placers by taking eighth on the bars.
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Compiled using team reports.
