Kingston’s Redbird, Reece are wrestling champs
Published 9:58 am Friday, February 22, 2013
TACOMA — Until Feb. 15, Kingston High School senior Sonya Redbird had never wrestled at the Mat Classic. Redbird, who began wrestling five years ago, didn’t seem to be bothered by that.
Redbird, a senior, pinned Todd Beamer’s Vanessa Dixon with less than 20 seconds left in the match, becoming the champion in the 145-pound division on Feb. 16.
Bobby Reece, her coach for the majority of her high school wrestling career, said Redbird came from behind in almost all her matches.
“For anybody to show up the first time and win it … It’s really unbelievable,” he said. “She was shocked.”
Redbird took second at the district tournament earlier in the season. She was the regional champion in the 145-pound division.
Reece said “something clicked” during Regionals, which put her on track to go to and be successful at State. And though some athletes settle for going to State, Redbird kept pushing, he said.
“She was so determined,” Reece said. “It didn’t matter what was in front of her.”
Redbird was down 3-2 against Dixon when her hips dropped at a critical moment. Reece said he’s told Redbird for years to keep her hips off the mat. That’s when Redbird reversed the hold and took Dixon for a takedown.
Redbird defeated Castle Rock’s Taylor Miller (10-0), Enumclaw’s Danielle Cormier (8-6) and Warden’s Bianca Hernandez (4-2) to wrestle for the championship.
Reece III earns third state title
Cole Riccardo wasn’t unknown to 160-pound Kingston wrestler Bobby Reece III.
Reece, a junior, had wrestled Riccardo five times in the last two years. Though Cole has made adjustments to how he faces Reece, it wasn’t enough to keep Reece from winning his third championship.
“He wrestled a Bobby Reece match,” his father Bobby Reece said.
The 3-1 win Feb. 16 put Reece’s name on a list that is now more than 70 names long for high school wrestlers earning three or four state championships.
Reece pinned Cheney’s Josh Wessels (3:11), Black Hills’ Spencer Gurrad (1:26), and River Ridge’s Elijah Camacho (3:02) to make it to the championship.
