TACOMA — What kind of day was it for South Kitsap at Mat Classic XXX at the Tacoma Dome?
One for the history books.
The Wolves became the first team from Kitsap County to win a state championship at any level and did so in grand fashion, finishing with 160 points, 53.5 points ahead of second place Mead for the title at the tournament held over two days on Feb. 16-17.
South Kitsap was led by brothers Xavier and Mason Eaglin who were crowned champions in the 106 and 170 pound weight classes respectively.
Xavier Eaglin, a freshman, said there was less pressure to perform when he took to the mat in the final round because his team already had a large lead in the 4A standings. Still, he wanted to be an individual state champion. He edged out Chase Randall of Mead High School, winning 9-8.
“I knew I had to beat him,” he said after the victory. “I was just like, ‘Alright, I’m going to go out there and have fun — do what I usually do.’”
But his older brother Mason certainly felt the pressure. After watching his younger brother win a state title, Mason knew he needed to follow suit. He did so, winning a 6-5 decision over Cole Washburn of Auburn, capping his high school career. He will wrestle at Duke in the fall.
The Wolves also received a pair of second place finishes from seniors Izaiah Davis and Nathan Marin. Davis, wrestling at 195, was unable to take down Jackson McKinney of Skyview. Marin made the finals at 160, but lost, 1-0, to Hunter Cruz of Moses Lake.
Sebastian Robles recovered from an early stumble to finish third at 152 while Davonn Keyes took third at 160. Ethan Fragoso also came back from a loss in the semifinals to Luke Purcella of Curtis, but rebounded to beat Daniel Huiziar of Sunnyside, 6-3, to finish third. Devin Gentz took fourth at 120.
Elsewhere, North Kitsap’s Holly Beaudoin made it to the final round of the 110-pound weight class in the girls tournament. However, she was shutout in a defensive match by Olyvia Smith of Zillah to finish second.
“Definitely one of the toughest brackets,” North Kitsap head coach Robert Gomez said. “For her to be in the finals two years in a row, as a tenth grader … I’m very proud of her.”
The Vikings also had three other male placers — Zach Streun finished as the fifth-best 2A wrestler in the 152-pound weight class, while Nouh Hammou finished fifth at 182 and Robert Gomez took eighth at 126.
Hammou lost to Scott Bray of West Valley (Spokane) in the quarterfinals after a back-and-forth match. Both athletes scored double-digits, but Bray got the 12-11 victory to move on.
On the girls side, Angel Collins and Elise Scrafford finished eighth at 115 and 130 pounds respectively.
Bremerton High School was well represented in the girls’ bracket, too. Haley Michaelson took on Mya Spencer of Ephrata and lost in the 125 semifinals, but went on to take third after pinning Claire Dicugno of White River.
On the boys’ side, Estan Wakonabo and Ryan Saylor each finished eighth for the Knights at 120 and 145 respectively.
A few Olympic High School athletes came close to becoming state champions. Alec Acfalle faced Alex Cruz of Orting, a three-time state champion, in the 2A 138 finals. Cruz got his fourth title, beating Acfalle 13-0.
Kyle Ignacio reached the semifinals at 160, but he couldn’t keep up with Andres Aguilera of Toppenish to move forward. Aguilera went on to be the champion of that bracket. Ignacio placed third after pinning Logan Candanoza of Prosser.
Quincy Young also made the top eight for the Trojans. He finished eighth in the 106 after a loss in the quarterfinals.
Ashlyn Morris represented the Trojans well in the girls tournament, finshing seventh at 120 after a win over Alicia Stewart of Shadle Park.
The Trojans finished eighth as a team in 2A.
4A Local placers:
First — Xavier Eaglin, South Kitsap (106); Mason Eaglin, South Kitsap (170).
Second — Nathan Marin, South Kitsap (160); Izaiah Davis, South Kitsap (195).
Third — Sebastian Robles, South Kitsap (152); Davonn Keyes, South Kitsap (160); Ethan Fragoso, South Kitsap (220).
Fourth — Devin Gentz, South Kitsap (120).
2A local placers:
Second — Alec Acfalle, Olympic (138).
Third — Kyle Ignacio, Olympic (160).
Fifth — Zach Streun, North Kitsap (152); Nouh Hammou, North Kitsap (182).
Eighth — Quincy Young, Olympic (106); Estan Wakonabo, Bremerton (120); Robert Gomez, North Kitsap (126); Ryan Saylor, Bremerton (145).
1A local placers:
Fifth — Karsten Jensen, Klahowya (145);
Girls local placers:
Second — Holly Beaudoin, North Kitsap (110).
Third — Haley Michaelson, Bremerton (125).
Seventh — Ashlyn Morris, Olympic (120).
Eighth — Angel Collins, North Kitsap (115); Elise Scrafford, North Kitsap (130); Cy’Nari Green, Bremerton (155).
— Jacob Moore is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. Contact him at jmoore@soundpublishing.com.
North Kitsap’s Holly Beaudoin made it to the state finals in the girls tournament for the second year in a row, taking second place at 110 pounds. (Mark Krulish/Kitsap News Group)
Olympic’s Kyle Ignacio took third at the 2A state wrestling tournament at 160 pounds. Here, Ignacio defeats Braxton Seich of Washington, 12-3, in the second round of the tournament. (Mark Krulish/Kitsap News Group)
