The Cheney High varsity wrestling team has made undeniable progress over the last few months, but for all their success in the regular season, the league champions struggled to maintain control against statewide competition at the Tacoma Dome’s Mat Classic XXXI, Feb. 15-16.
A cancelled regionals due to inclement weather meant 32-man brackets at state, making for a packed competition and tight matches across the board.
“We didn’t quite have the tournament we were hoping for,” head coach Jason Connor said. “We ended up on the wrong side of some really close matches, and just couldn’t finish on top.”
The Blackhawks placed 18th out of 63 teams in the 2A classification with a final tally of 54 points. 2A winner Toppenish earned 310 points overall.
Though the overall score may not have lived up to expectations, three Cheney wrestlers did earn state recognition.
Cheney wrestler Dylan Straley (38-5) placed fourth in the 138-pound weight class, winning by fall over Wapato’s Axel Salas and Bremerton’s Luis Clemen in the first two championship rounds. Straley won by major decision over Blaine grappler Alexander Hall in the quarterfinal but couldn’t quite hold onto the lead going into the semifinal, though a powerhouse performace in the consolation semifinal secured his place in the top eight and earned his team 19 points.
“We didn’t quite have the tournament we were hoping for. We ended up on the wrong side of some really close matches, and just couldn’t finish on top.”
Head coach Jason Connor
Weighing in at 145 pounds, Blake Seubert (35-14) took seventh place in his bracket and earned Cheney a total of 11 team points. Two early victories against Prosser’s Jorge Uribe and Lynden’s Levi Oostra set the stage for a heartbreaking quarterfinal loss to Steilacoom’s Zachary Rowe. Seubert earned his seventh-place ranking with a victory by fall over Kaden Rodriguez from River Ridge in the fourth consolation round.
Blackhawk Jackson Showalter (37-11) completed the state-placing trio with an eighth-place finish in the 152-pound weight class. Earning Cheney 11 team points, Showalter won by fall over Corbin Sager from Ephrata and by major decision over Jonnie Rosmaryn from Steilacoom but couldn’t quite clinch a victory in the quarterfinal.
Other scorers included Anthony Aguilera and William Seeberger with six team points each and Michael Bozeman with one team point.
But Connor is already looking toward next season and how to leverage the team’s combined knowledge.
“On the bright side, six (wrestlers) return next year with valuable state experience,” Connor said. “A big emphasis will be placed on weight lifting, as those that did this year showed huge improvements in competition.”
Training for the 2019-2020 season will begin next week, with several wrestlers training for the freestyle and Greco Roman season, plus cross-training in other sports, Connor said.
Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com.
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