This is a big weekend for prep sports with state wrestling, boys swimming and diving and gymnastics events set as well as district and tri-district boys and girls basketball games that could see some area teams eliminated.
Area wrestlers, both boys and girls, have their final shots state medals with the Mat Classic state championships, for all classes, slated for Tacoma Dome today and Saturday.
Also at the Tacoma Dome for the same two days is the gymnastics championships.
Swimmers and divers will be looking for state medals today and Saturday at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
State Wrestling
TACOMA — Twenty area wrestlers from four high schools get a chance to finish in the top eight of their divisions.
Forks leads the way by sending 12 to state, including two girls, and has two regional winners.
The Spartans, who will compete at the 1A level along with Port Townsend, has regional champions Cutter, Grahn, a senior, and Joel Ward, a sophomore.
Grahn, who captured fifth place at state a year ago, is a four-time regional winner and takes a 31-1 record to state at 132 pounds.
Ward, a sophomore, will give his shot at high school glory at 195 pounds.
The Redskins send two to state, including junior Addison Harper, a regional champion at 132 pounds.
Port Angeles and Sequim, meanwhile, will compete for honors at the 2A level.
The Roughriders will send seven to state, including three who claimed runner-up honors.
The Wolves send three, including regional champion Dakota Hinton, a senior competing at 170 pounds.
State Gymnastics
TACOMA — Port Angeles and Sequim are sending three to state.
Set to compete at the state level are Emily Giamalva in vault and uneven bars, Mady Coventon in vault, bars and balance beam and Cecily Schwagler on beam.
State Swimming
FEDERAL WAY — Port Angeles defending diving champion Austin Fahrenholtz leads a strong group of nine swimmers and divers at the state meet.
Fahrenholtz heads into state with a West Central District scoring record of 443.25 to go with his district title.
Sequim is sending three divers to state.
District Hoops
Basketball teams still alive going into Thursday night action include Sequim and Port Angeles boys, Port Angeles girls, Chimacum boys, Crescent boys and girls and Neah Bay boys and girls.
Playing Thursday night, results unavailable by press time, were the Sequim, Chimacum and Crescent boys and the Crescent girls.
The Wolves, who had a bye in the 2A West Central District championships, played in the quarterfinals against White River on Thursday.
The winner will advance to the semifinals against the Foster-Clover Park winner Saturday at 8:15 p.m. at Foss High School in Tacoma while the loser will play Eatonville in a loser-out consolation game Saturday at 11 a.m. at Foss.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, were in a loser-out game Thursday at Seattle Academy with the winner advancing to state in a seeding game for fifth or sixth seed Saturday at noon at Mountlake Terrace High School.
The Logger boys played Tulalip Heritage in a loser-out game Thursday for the right to play Saturday in a winner-to-state, loser-out game at 3 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace High School.
The Logger girls took on Gace Academy in a loser-out contest for the right to play in a winner-to-state, loser-out game Saturday at noon at Lynnwood High School.
Playing today are the Port Angeles and Neah Bay girls, and the Neah Bay boys.
The Riders will battle fellow Olympic League team North Kitsap in the WCD championships in the quarterfinals at Foss High School in Tacoma at 6 p.m.
Port Angeles had a bye in the first round.
The winner of today’s game advances to the semifinals against the Renton-Olympic winner Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Lakes High School in Lakewood while the loser plays in the loser-out consolation quarterfinals against Foster on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. at Lakes.
The Red Devil boys and girls have already qualified for state and are now playing for seeding.
The boys play Mount Rainier Lutheran today in the Tri-District semifinals at 5 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace High School with the winner playing Saturday for the Tri-District title at 6 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace.
The loser plays for third-fourth place Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace.
The Neah Bay girls compete today against Northwest Yeshiva at 5 p.m. at Lynnwood High School in the semifinals with the winner advancing to the title contest Saturday at 3 p.m. at Lynnwood.
The loser plays Satuday at 1:30 p.m. at Lynnwood for third and fourth.
