The Vashon Pirate wrestlers racked up another successful week, performing well at their own Rock Tournament and the massive Everett Classic Tournament.
Proving that you can do more with less, a small group of quality wrestlers are making a big splash at every event.
The 26th annual Rock Tournament on Dec. 30 saw 15 teams from around the state converge on the high school gym for the full-day event. Vashon entered 14 wrestlers, both JV and varsity, and emerged in ninth place, within 2 points of both the top 1A schools in the state.
Coach Anders Blomgren noted that this is exactly where he wanted to see the team. Being able to closely match up with the top schools in the 1A classification bodes well for a good run at the state title.
Taking medals for the Pirates were Chase Wickman, champion; Luke Larson, second; Chester Pruett, Logan Nelson and Joe Coller, all third. Franklin Easton rounded out the field in fifth place.
Matches of the day went to Nelson, who dropped a heartbreaker to Kylar Prante of Montesano, 1-0. It was a six-minute brawl of two evenly matched wrestlers. Nelson had won the first match-up of the season in mid-December, and when these two go at it, it is always electric. Larson, a freshman, made it to the finals, and though lost the contest, wrestled a brilliant match against a more experienced wrestler.
At the Everett Classic on Jan. 3, the Vashon team put together another stellar day. There were 26 teams, most from much larger schools, and over 500 wrestlers. The Pirates entered only seven varsity wrestlers, and they ended the day with an amazing ninth-place finish. Of the seven, five finished in the medals, and the other two — Coller and Easton — wrestled well, earned valuable team points and finished just one match away from the medal round.
Vashon had two champions on the day, with Wickman and Larson continuing to roll their way through brackets like bowling balls. Both of them were absolutely dominant in all four of their matches. Taking third were juniors Shane Williams and Nelson. Chester Pruett rounded out the group, taking fifth.
Vashon continued its dominance on the junior varsity side of the tournament, where the Pirates had 11 wrestlers. Of those, five emerged as champions, each winning three matches.
Preston Petersen, Hunter Burger, Connor Hoisington, Alyx Arteaga and Clyde Pruett all left with first-place medals.
Matches of note go to several wrestlers, including Clyde Pruett, who took to the mat for the first time since sidelined with injuries last February. He was dominant throughout the day, and coach Per Lars Blomgren noted that his first match was the most moving JV match he had ever watched. Burger, a freshman, strung together three great matches, the first two nail-bitingly close. Then he closed it out strong with an early pin for the win in the third match. Sophomore Cori Williams had a good day, dropping his first then rebounding with two resounding wins. Rodolfo Flores also notched two wins, and getting his first win as a Pirate was freshman Ben Angelacos.
Vashon’s resiliency is noteworthy, with the theme of the year seeming to be reduce, reuse and re-wrestle. They are doing more with fewer grapplers than at any time in recent memory. The team is still missing Bryce Hoisington, who is scheduled to return in time for the playoff run.
The team’s next action will be Jan. 15 and 16, back-to-back home dual matches. On Thursday the team will take on Nisqually League rival Bellevue Christian, and on Friday, the new regional competition, Klahowya. Friday will be senior night and special recognition for the Rockbusters junior wrestling group. On Jan. 17, the team will travel to the Rainier Tournament, which is always a preview of the upcoming state competition.
— Cheryl Pruett is the mother of two Pirate wrestlers.
