Silverdale — Kingston wrestling coach Bobby Reece never expected an end to the Olympic Duals team wrestling tournament like this. After all, his team wasn’t even slated to compete at the tourney, hosted by Olympic at the Kitsap Fairgrounds Pavilion on Saturday.

But when both Evergreen (of Vancouver) and Hudson’s Bay had to drop out of the field of 16 teams due to complications from last week’s state-wide flooding, a spot for Kingston opened up (Peninsula filled the second slot).

So after losing a varsity dual to Wenatchee Friday, the Bucs were back at it again Saturday.

And when Kingston and North Kitsap both dropped into the seventh/eighth-place match with 0-3 postings to begin the tournament, Kingston and Reece got a leg up on their former school, topping the Vikings 45-31.

“I was pretty excited,” Reece said. “That’s my school I wrestled for. This is the first time I’ve ever coached against them.”

But even more thrilling was simply the opportunity to go up against quality opponents, as Kingston wrestled Wenatchee, NK, Sequim, Peninsula and tournament champions Graham-Kapowsin across the weekend.

“To wrestle in this thing this week, we had the opportunity to wrestle Graham, who beat the snot out of Olympic,” Reece said. “At the end, for us to have the opportunity to wrestle against North and come out on top with a taste of victory, that’s a good deal.”

Kingston started out the tournament with a 71-9 loss to GK, which also won the team pins title with a tourney record 34 falls by pin. The Bucs narrowly fell to Sequim to open the consolation side of the bracket, 47-36, before Peninsula hung on for a 51-24 win against Kingston. Friday, Wenatchee beat the Bucs 66-9.

“It’s unreal,” Reece said. “Just to see the competition, but also having kids coming into the Pavilion and getting a little atmosphere like this.”

Reece, a former Viking wrestler, said that experience should go a long way as the postseason nears.

“I was overwhelmed,” he said of his first big tournament experience. “I love it when the kids get the opportunity to wrestle in an environment like this.”

North Kitsap had the toughest tournament of any of the 16 teams, falling 40-27 to Gonzaga Prep (of Spokane) in the opener, then 66-14 to Wenatchee in the console first round. The Vikings then lost to Bremerton 42-25 prior to the Kingston loss.

“They’re learning,” North Kitsap coach John Cooke said. “The hard part about it is they’re learning, but they need mat time. And that can be hard to come by.”

While the tourney was tough on the Vikings, Cooke said there were benefits.

“It’s always a good tournament,” he said. “If you’re doing good, you get tougher competition. If you’re not, you get people more where you’re at. Either way, you get tough competition.”

With Kingston splitting from North Kitsap this year, it marked the first time the two schools met on the mats. As a result, emotions were high as many of the kids know one another.

“There’s a couple kids who are best friends,” Reece said. “It wasn’t easy for some of those guys.”

“Yeah, it was kind of hard with some of them,” Cooke added. “You wish they were there when you look down and see the freshmen getting beat. But in the end, it’ll be better for the district.”

Cooke said Paul Coulter led the way for the Vikings on Saturday, but wasn’t the only NK grappler to turn in strong performances.

“Paul Coulter did a really good job,” Cooke said. “He won all his matches. And Jeff Jones and Anthony Lindfors. They both lost their first matches but they were really tough, great matches to watch. For those two, that’s what they need.”

As for Kingston, Reece too saw some strong individual performances.

“We had some kids step it up,” he said. “Gage Leigh, our heavyweight, he didn’t lose a match today. Willis Castle pulled it together today. He’s walking out of the room with a little confidence boost. And really, my inexperienced wrestlers as a core.”

But again, what made the tournament most memorable were the community connections NK and Kingston still have.

“To coach against (NK), it makes me feel good,” Reece said. “I love those kids. I wish them nothing but the best.”