PORT TOWNSEND — East Jefferson finished second in its home Rivals Invitational Wrestling tournament this weekend.
It was an eight-team bracketed team tournament similar to Port Angeles’ Battle of the Ax. The teams included East Jefferson, Forks, Sequim, Elma, Vashon, Kingston, Kennedy Catholic and a JV All-Stars team, which made up for a South Whidbey team that couldn’t attend because of high winds shutting down the Coupeville-Port Townsend ferry run.
Elma ended up winning the tournament, but East Jefferson had an impressive showing, winning four duals out of five. The Rivals beat Forks 48-36, Kingston 72-12, the JV All-Stars 54-18 and squeaked past Kennedy Catholic 41-40 to make it to the championship dual.
“We defeated Forks in a close matchup to start the day,” said East Jefferson coach Stephen Grimm. “Silas Klontz at 190 pounds sealed the win for us with a pin of Forks opponent Jon Parker Jr. We knew Parker Jr. was a good wrestler, so having Silas get a pin (six points) was huge for us.”
In the Forks dual, the Spartans did better in the smaller weights, while the Rivals were stronger in the larger weights. Dominick Sanchez (113), Samuel Lopez Rivera (126), Brodie Fletcher (132), Braden Camacho-Roldan (138) and Luis Ornelas (165) all won for the Spartans. East Jefferson won matches with Manaseh Lanphear Ramirez (150), Grady White (157), Rylen Kruse (175), Klontz (190) and Mason Iverson (285). Niko Prado at 132 also won in an added match.
“But the best matchup of the day was East Jefferson versus Kennedy Catholic in the semifinals,” Grimm said. “This match was neck and neck all the way through. Kennedy Catholic is a 4A school coached by my former college wrestling teammate.”
Grimm said the Rivals got a big come-from-behind pin from heavyweight Iverson, a Quilcene athlete who wrestles for the Rivals in a cooperative agreement with the Quilcene School District. Robben Evans at 126 got a pin as did Grady White at 157.
“The big difference I saw is our wrestlers didn’t quit, ever. Even when we were behind, we fought back. I am very proud of them for that. To win a team dual, everyone plays a part,” Grimm said. “[At] 132, Chase Gardner fought off his back to not get pinned and saved the team one point. That one point won us the match 41-40.”
Lanphear Ramirez went 5-0 on the day and continued his undefeated streak this season. Kruse and Ethan Petrovich at 175 both went 4-1 on the day.
Among the girls, East Jefferson’s Gracee Liske went 4-0 on the day at 125 pounds, beating a ranked opponent from Vashon. Savannah Grimm at 105 and Lenore Geelan at 130 both went 1-1 on the day.
The Rivals and Spartans will be heading to the huge Hammerhead Tournament in Bremerton this weekend. This tournament features wrestlers from 102 boys’ and girls’ teams, including teams from Utah and British Columbia.
