Eatonville Wrestlers Shine at Mat Classic XXXVI State Tournament
The Eatonville Cruiser wrestling team put forth a strong showing at the WIAA Mat Classic XXXVI state tournament at the Tacoma Dome this past weekend, highlighted by two top-six finishes in the boys' 2A division and strong performances across multiple weight classes.
The boys’ team finished in 24th place out of 61 teams, while the girls’ team placed 34th out of 56 teams, an impressive feat given that only three wrestlers competed in the tournament.
Senior Trey StaRosa capped off his high school career with a sixth-place finish in the 157-pound division. StaRosa faced a tough opening match against Orting’s William Lowery but bounced back with a string of victories in the consolation bracket. He secured wins by technical fall over Hunter Ansell (Sultan) and Talan Hughes (East Valley-Spokane), followed by a dominant major decision over Tavone Mantese (Ephrata). StaRosa continued his run with a 7-0 decision over Dustin Wallace (Franklin Pierce) and another technical fall against Ben Johansen (Washougal). His impressive streak ended in the consolation semifinals with a decision loss to Joseph Davis (Marysville Pilchuck), and he ultimately finished sixth after being pinned by Graysen Serl (W.F. West) in the fifth-place match.
Sophomore Jameson Beckord mirrored StaRosa’s performance in the 215-pound division, also finishing sixth. Beckord opened with back-to-back pins over Jayden Vidrio (Foss) and Saif Dahham (Nathan Hale), followed by an 8-5 decision over Aiden Eagle (Marysville Pilchuck) in the quarterfinals. He was stopped in the semifinals by Lakewood’s Jimmy Conklin, who won by technical fall. Beckord then suffered an 8-0 major decision loss to Samuel Sears (Pullman) before falling to Eli Policarpio (Chief Sealth) in the fifth-place match.
Ethan Rogers competed in the 190-pound bracket and started off pinning Aiden Ashbach (Burlington-Edison) before falling to Urijah-Henry Satiacum-Codrington (Orting) in the second round. Rogers rebounded with a pin against Gabriel Arriola (Franklin Pierce) but was ultimately eliminated after a technical fall loss to Elijah Veal (Sultan).
Heavyweight Aaron Tozier picked up a first-round pin over Yusuf Donzo (Chief Sealth). He was then pinned by Olympic’s Kevin Hudson and eliminated by Alexander Barreras (Prosser) in the second round of consolations.
At 113 pounds, Teagan Croppi earned his first win of the tournament with a pin over Noah Lansford (North Kitsap) in the first round of consolations after falling to Aiden Labouff (Black Hills) in the opening round. Croppi’s tournament run ended in the next round with a technical fall loss to Zayne Martin (Ridgefield).
Mark Devera competed in the 132-pound division and after an opening-round loss by pin to Justice Lopez (Orting), Devera secured a 13-6 decision over Thayne Crossley (Deer Park) before being eliminated by Kaiden Sorensen (Bremerton) via major decision.
Jarin Ragazzo wrestled at 165 pounds and was pinned in his opening match by Hunter Nicholson (East Valley-Spokane) but responded with an 8-1 decision win over Everett Whetzel (Washougal). His tournament ended in the next consolation round with a fall against Andrew Snyder (W.F. West).
Bryan Boers at 120 pounds competed but was unable to secure a victory. Boers lost by pin to Jonas Bond (Deer Park) and Mason Manglona (Olympic) in consecutive matches.
For the girls, Khloee Young impressed in the 100-pound weight class. She opened with an 11-9 decision over Brooklyn Baker (Olympic) before falling to undefeated Sloane Kruger (Black Hills). Young fought through the consolation rounds with back-to-back pins against Lizzie Hantelman (Marysville Pilchuck) and Isabelle Brinkman (Pullman) before being eliminated via technical fall by Purnima Gurung (Lindbergh).
Najalia "Nala" Baublits had a strong run in the 105-pound division. She received a first-round bye before pinning Magdalena Sebastian-Lorenzo (Rogers-Spokane)in the second round. After a quarterfinal loss to Sophia Torrez (Toppenish), Baublits secured a technical fall over Micah Turpin (Aberdeen) but was eliminated by Shaniya Tarula (Toppenish) via pin.
Makenzie Ball was another bright spot for the Cruisers in the 170-pound bracket. She opened with a first-round pin over Megan Magill (Tumwater) and followed with an exciting sudden victory (6-3) over Kaitlen Bracken (Marysville Pilchuck). After falling to Addy Steppe (Rogers-Spokane) in the quarterfinals, Ball responded with a pin over Maiyah Marner (Olympic) before being eliminated by Camrynn Pike (North Mason).
Overall, the Eatonville wrestling program showcased resilience and determination at Mat Classic XXXVI, with multiple wrestlers making deep runs and earning valuable team points. StaRosa and Beckord’s podium finishes highlighted the tournament, while several other wrestlers contributed wins in their respective brackets. The strong performances capped off a successful season for the Cruiser wrestling program, setting the stage for future success.
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