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Four Wolverine wrestlers advance to Mat Classic
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Foley, Gossom and GrosJacques earned berths to the Mat Classic Friday-Saturday, Feb. 17-18 in the Tacoma Dome. Miller will attend the state tourney as an alternate. GrosJacques, a senior, attended last year’s state tourney as an alternate. "This year I get a chance to participate and I’m stoked about that," he said. Gossom, a senior, also was a state alternate last year and Foley, a junior, was an alternate two seasons ago. Miller competed in the 2005 Mat Classic. "I’m feeling pretty confident (going into state)," Gossom said. ”"I’m pretty confident I can place but state’s a whole new league," Foley said. Friday Harbor placed sixth in team standings at the regional tourney. Concrete won the tourney with 292 points and Darrington finished second with 186.5. The other team scores are: 3. Bellevue Christian 174.5; 4. Cascade Christian 167; 5. Tacoma Baptist 164; 7. La Conner 47.5; 8. Chief Leschi 45. Foley dominated the 135-pound bracket. He pinned Cascade Christian’s Leon Hardman in 64 seconds in the opening round. Foley beat the clock in a semifinal, sticking Concrete’s Derek Rice with four seconds to go in the third period. He clinched his first regional title by pinning Cascade Christian’s Chad Warren in 1:56. "It felt great to pin every opponent I faced (in the tournament)," Foley said. GrosJacques earned a first-round bye and pinned Tacoma Baptist’s Grant Lowe in 3:25 to advance to the championship. He faced a familiar foe Brian Dillinger of Concrete in the championship . Except for an injury forfeit, GrosJacques beat all his opponents this year but Dillinger. "I’ve had him worried every match I’ve wrestled with him," GrosJacques said. Dillinger and GrosJacques are good friends, joking around at the meets, until they square off on the mat. "We’re best friends who hate each other," GrosJacques said of their friendship that exemplifies high school wrestling. GrosJacques fought one of his toughest matches against Dillinger in the regional championship but lost by fall with seven seconds to go in the second period. GrosJacques defended his second-place finish 45 minutes later in the final match of the tourney: He pinned Concrete’s Robert Gillock one minute, 23 seconds into the wrestleback. Gossom overcame other grapplers and illness en route to his second trip to the state tourney. He beat Tacoma Baptist’s Joe Maki 10-3 in the first round and defeated Cascade Christian’s Bryan Ide 13-7 in the semifinal. Gossom was spent by the finals: Concrete’s Jesse Dillinger won by fall in 19 seconds. "I’ve been wrestling pretty strong but I’m recovering from a cold," Gossom said. "I’m kind of bummed with the finals." Miller started the tourney by pinning Cascade Christian’s Aaron Pauls in 2:47. Concrete’s Nick Fallis pinned Miller in 1:03 in the semifinal. Miller recovered by pinning Cascade Christian’s Chris Davidson and earned at least a third-place finish by beating Tacoma Baptist’s Caleb Hammes 14-6. In a wrestleback, 160-pound runner-up Jason Caveness of Darrington thwarted Miller’s upset bid with an 11-6 decision. Espinoza earned his fifth-place finish by avenging a first-round loss. Josh Vitzthum of Tacoma Baptist pinned Espinoza in 3:15. Espinoza advanced in the consolation bracket after Bellevue Christian’s Andrew Perkins suffered and injury and forfeited. Cascade Christian’s Ide pinned Espinoza in 2:45 in the consolation semifinal. Espinoza went full circle, pinning Vitzthum three minutes, 22 seconds into the fifth-sixth match. Schimdt recorded the Wolverines’ first victory in the regional meet by edging Bellevue Christian’s Josh Jillian 6-5. Concrete’s Chris Paxton pinned Schmidt in 1:57 in the semifinal. Cascade Christian’s Brad Hilty won the consolation semifinal 9-5. Jillian trimmed Schmidt 8-6 for fifth place. Mike GrosJacques (145) lost his opening match by fall in 3:38 to Cascade Christian’s David Kleefeld. GrosJacques injured a knee in his second match. He forfeited to Tacoma Baptist’s Jeremy Ackerman and was eliminated. Mike Fyrqvist scored 11 points in his first-round match but his opponent, Bellevue Christian’s Kevin Yoo, compiled 21. Grant Woods of Chief Leschi eliminated Fyrqvist by pinning him in :36. |
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