Memorable Mat Classic

East Pierce County sees 36 wrestlers test their skills on the mat

Shaun Scott

This past summer, Bonney Lake Panthers senior 140-pounder Nick Bendon tacked a note on his bedroom door.

“I will win state,” the note said.

The motivation paid off as Bendon registered a convincing 5-1 victory against White River’s Alec Williams in the Class 3A 140-pound championship match.

Panthers head wrestling coach Tony Clarke said Bendon has come a long way.

“I remember his first wrestling match as a freshman (2007). He lost in triple overtime and felt like quitting the team. That didn’t last long. That same year he came with us to the Mat Classic and when he was here he said, ‘Coach, I’m going to wrestle here next year’ and he did and placed fourth. He has come so far in the past four years and he’s a class act. He’s such a great kid and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Bendon could hardly contain his excitement while addressing a dozen media personnel following his victory.

“This feels so good. I just took the state title,” Bendon said before offering high-fives to the media. “This is awesome.”

Bendon wasn’t the only Panthers’ wrestler to bring home a state title. Andrew Cunningham earned first place in the 103-pound division, defeating Dillon Harris of Yelm, 4-2. Panthers 285-pounder Jared Dorsey collected a fourth-place medal as well.

Rogers Rams

Rogers wrestler Bryce Evans stared straight ahead as he walked toward the stands following his 13-5 loss against Lake Stevens wrestler Josh Heinzer in the Class 4A 112-pound championship match. Evans was spent and the sting of a loss in his final match of the season was a bitter pill to swallow.

“I had nothing to lose. I fought as hard as I could,” Evans said. “I gave it everything I had.”

Rams sophomore grappler Joey Palmer suffered the exact same fate in the 119-pound championship match, losing to Todd Beamer’s Ares Carpio 9-3. Palmer had beaten Carpio in regionals.

“He’s a tough kid. He just wrestled more aggressively than I did,” Palmer said. “I will just have to work harder and get him next year.”

Rogers head coach David Johnston was proud of what Palmer and Evans accomplished during the 2009-10 season. The duo combined to lose a total of just four matches this season.

“ They are workout partners and push each other so hard,” Johnston said. “Getting to the state finals is definitely an accomplishment for them both.”

It was the second year in a row Evans was defeated in the finals.

“Bryce is a great kid. He has accomplished more in two years than almost any wrestler in the state. When he leaves Rogers High School in two years he will be remembered as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in school history. I have no doubt he will be a four-year state placer,” Johnston said. “He will bounce back next year and be right back here again.”

Rogers 215-pounder Ricky Manz reached his goal of placing at the Mat Classic, earning eighth place overall in his weight division.

“My goal was to place so I’m pretty happy about that. It is what I’ve been working toward ever since I started wrestling,” Manz said. “When I was in eighth grade at Aylen Junior High School I told coach (Jeff) Tripple that I was going to place at the Mat Classic in high school. I made the promise to him and I delivered.”

Rams’ heavyweight Drake Watson also earned an eighth-place finish in the 285-pound division.

In the girls tournament, Kylah Williams brought home a third-place medal in the 171-pound division and Jessy Christensen nabbed fifth place in the 160-pound weight class as well.

Emerald Ridge Jaguars

Emerald Ridge Jaguars wrestling team captain Mitch Steed’s steady improvement during his wrestling career was visible at the Mat Classic.

Steed’s toughness was on display and when it was all over, he left the Tacoma Dome with a second-place medal for his efforts. Despite Steed’s 10-5 loss to Tahoma’s Nick Bayer in the 189-pound championship match, Steed embodies what a championship wrestler is all about. Steed said he broke the Emerald Ridge Jaguars’ school record for career pins in his semifinal victory against Wenatchee’s Jacob Sealby. Steed concluded his high school career as one of the most decorated wrestlers in Emerald Ridge history, but he still wishes he would have come out on top against Bayer in the finale.

“No one at our school has ever won a state championship,” Steed said while slowly gathering his gear along the edge of the mat following the title match. “I really wanted to do it for our school. It’s disappointing. I wish I was able to finish it out with a win.”

Junior wrestler Colton Williams compiled an impressive overall record of 3-1 in the 171-pound division, earning a respectable third-place finish. Senior James Souza unveiled a 2-2 record en route to fourth place in the always difficult 160-pound weight division.

In the girls tournament, 140-pounder Kaylee Carr tallied a fourth-place finish and in the 125-pound weight class Kathrynn Snyder nabbed seventh place.

Chief Leschi Warriors

For the second consecutive year, Chief Leschi Warriors 112-pound grappler Cheyenne Kudrin-Mello was the lone wrestler to represent his school at the state wrestling tournament.

Even though Kudrin-Mello lost his only two matches of the tournament to Carson Arnold and Christian Almeida of Kittitas, Kudrin-Mello was proud to advance to the Mat Classic yet again.

“It feels pretty good to be here again,” Kudrin-Mello said. “This is what I was working for all year long. That’s what I was thinking about after I made it here last season. That’s all I had in my head. I wanted to get back here and I did.”

Longtime Warriors head coach Bart Brewer wasn’t surprised Kudrin-Mello made a return trip to the dome. Kudrin-Mello finished the 2009-10 season with an overall record of 13-12.

“I expected him to be here. He’s improved so much and I expect him to make it to state the next two years, too,” Brewer said. “He really has the opportunity to go to state four years in a row. If that happens, it’s pretty special. To get to this point you have to possess the work ethic. He has it. He’s getting better every year.”

Puyallup Vikings

The final wrestling matches of Puyallup Vikings’ 145-pounder Donovan Arndt’s high school career didn’t go according to plan in his first trip to the Mat Classic.

Arndt was eliminated from the state tournament after losing via decisions against Kamiakin’s Pedro Mendoza and Kelso’s Justin Sitch. Despite the losses, Vikings head coach Randy Holberg was impressed with the grit Arndt showed on the big stage.

“He fought until the very end. Even when he was behind he was still trying to turn his guys and get a pin to pull out a win,” Holberg said. “He roared back and finished strong.”

Holberg admitted it’s difficult for wrestlers in their first appearance at the Mat Classic.

“Just being down on the floor can be pretty intimidating,” Holberg said. “Donovan (Arndt) was focused today and I’m proud of the way he wrestled.”

Arndt left the Tacoma Dome after his two losses without any regrets. He gave it absolutely everything he had.

“I wanted to just go out and give it my all in my last wrestling matches ever,” Arndt said after his loss against Mendoza. “I want to push as hard as I can today.”

Arndt’s toughness will be something Holberg will never forget.

Cascade Christian Cougars

The final statistics don’t always tell the whole story.

This old adage is especially true with regards to the Cascade Christian Cougars’ performance at the state tournament.

The Cougars wrestling team brought the quartet of Daniel Suggs (119), Joel Russo (135), Kevin Zettel (160) and Brendan Ossman (171) to the Mat Classic. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the foursome combined for an overall record of 1-8 at the tourney. Ossman collected the Cougs’ only win after defeating Ilwaco’s Joe Fjeldheim 11-3 in the consolation round. The Cougars wrestled much better than their record showed as a bevy of their matches could have gone either way on the scoreboard. This was especially true in Suggs’ opening-round match against Castle Rock’s Marcus Deyo.

Deyo earned a 13-12 victory even though it appeared Suggs won the match with a takedown right before the buzzer sounded.

“It was tough. All I could think about was exploding toward him to get the takedown,” Suggs said of the loss. “I’m glad to be here though. Last year I was an alternate and missed getting to the tournament by one point. Being here is awesome. There’s so many great wrestlers and the tournament itself is intimidating.”