DEER PARK — Medical Lake scored a fifth-place team finish and will send five wrestlers to Mat Classic XXXII, the WIAA High School State Wrestling Championships Feb. 21 – 22 in the Tacoma Dome.
The Cardinals are led by 170-pound regional champion Ethan Davis, who returns to state after an injury shelved his 2019 road to Tacoma and shot at repeating the title he won as a freshman. Davis was sidelined with a fractured pelvis and torn labrum in his shoulder.
“This year he’s come back with a vengeance,” head coach Matt Leenhouts said. In districts Davis wrestled all but 46 seconds in his two rounds with opposing coaches opting to forfeit rather than fight the junior who is 37-2 this season.
That fear of Davis’ mat prowess awarded him a pair of forfeit victories last weekend in Deer Park for the regional tournament. He landed at the top spot on the podium when Leenhouts decided not to risk injury when Davis was to face teammate Brent Keith.
Keith, 22-8, also didn’t work up much of a sweat and breezed into that final with a 47-second pin in his first match, followed by an injury forfeit.
Having Keith is a bonus heading to Tacoma, Leenhouts said. “He had about a month off with a shoulder injury and came back before districts,” his coach said.
Victor Long lost a tough battle for third and fourth at 152 pounds, falling in that deciding bout 8-7. “He was down 7-1 and almost won,” Leenhouts said. “With Victor it’s all about his conditioning,” his coach added, noting that comes from his dedication to cross country in the fall.
Aiden Carl goes to state at 120-pounds out of a battle for third and fourth which he lost by a technical fall in 1-minute, 34 seconds. Carl started with a bang, pinning his opponent in just 41 seconds.
Leenhouts calls Carl, “Just a grinder in the room.”
In what proved to be a common pattern at regionals, 113-pound Ben Henry lost in the first round but wrestled back through the consolation bracket to finish fifth and avenged an opening round loss to Kayden Cate of Omak.
“He turned it up the last few weeks of the year,” Leenhouts said. “Earlier he was a dark-horse to go to state and beat the odds.
While he’s happy with taking five team members to the tournament, Leenhouts had visions of double that number but injuries shaved that.
Wrestling takes place Friday and Saturday in Tacoma.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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