A large and vocal Vashon fan base saw their team take second place at the highly competitive regional wrestling competition last Saturday at Klahowya Secondary School in Silverdale. A record 12 Pirates finished in the top four, earning each a spot at the state competition this week in the Tacoma Dome.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Region 1 consists of 10 high schools from across the north and central Puget Sound area. Competing for position were perennial powerhouse and league champions Sultan as well as Mount Baker, Meridian, South Whidbey, Nooksack Valley, Port Townsend, Klahowya, Bellevue Christian, Cascade Christian and Vashon

It was a day full of ups and downs, but never dull. Vashon qualified 15 for the tournament, and following the season’s unfortunate path, lost one to injury before day’s end. Sophomore Connor Hoisington, deep in the 152-pound “brutes’ bracket,” came up just short after being handicapped with double nose plugs and headwrap and ended the day on crutches. Freshman Evan Stanford gained valuable experience in his first trip to regionals going two and out. Senior Rodolfo Flores turned in one of the matches of the day in his first bout before losing three to end the day in sixth place.

Vashon had seven grapplers in the finals, with four emerging as champions. Sophomore Luke Larson, junior Bryce Hoisington and seniors Chase Wickman and Logan Nelson all came home in first place. Taking second were freshman Adrian St. Germain and seniors Preston Petersen and Shane Williams.

The Pirates had five in the battle for third and fourth. Ending their day on the third step were seniors Clyde Pruett and Franklin Easton. Taking the all important fourth slot and Tacoma-bound are freshman Payton Bonaventura and seniors Chester Pruett and Jackson Bard. A nod goes to Bard for making it to the Tacoma Dome as a first-time wrestler in the 182-pound weight class.

Round one of the competition was dominated by the Pirates with 10 wins, two byes, two losses and one disqualification. Of the 10 wins, nine were by pin, racking up enough bonus points to earn the team a narrow firstplace position after the first round. Clyde Pruett was the recipient of a first round disqualification that gave him a loss, but kept him in the tournament. Much to the Vashon crowd’s disbelief, the referees decided he recklessly threw his opponent and could have caused harm. He rebounded from the disappointment and handily won the next three matches to take third.

Round two saw the field even out a little with nine wins and six losses. In the all important third round of win-you-go-to-state, lose-you-go-home consolation matches, Vashon pushed through five of the seven.

Breaking the least amount of sweat on the day were Petersen and Larson who each only had to wrestle one match to make it to state. Locked in the same weight class with only five wrestlers, they each had a bye in the first round and wrestled one match which they each one by pin in the first round. They were to be pitted against each other in the finals, but to prevent needless injury the coaches made the call on the final placement instead.

Freshman Payton Bonaventura continues to impress at the 106-pound weight class and took a strong fourth, winning two matches by pin and losing two. Wickman and Williams, also in the same weight class, both dominantly wrestled their way to the finals with the coaches again making the call. St. Germain was stunning in his regional debut with his finals match coming in as one of the matches of the day. Taking on Sultan’s highly favored contestant, it was an athletic tour de force. Both the Vashon crowd and coaches were calling for stall points that never came, but St. Germain’s escape with mere seconds to go in regulation to tie the match had the entire gym roaring. The score was still knotted at four halfway through a second overtime. St. Germain “cut” his opponent to begin the final 30 seconds giving him the go ahead score of 5-4 which is where the match ended.

Bryce Hoisington cruised through the bruiser bracket, again taking on Klahowya’s Gabe Wallis in the finals. While last week’s matchup with these two was very close, this week Hoisington put him away with a decisive 12-3 win. Wrapped in a turban to cover a sore, with his right eye nearly swollen shut after receiving a head-butt in his first match, Chester Pruett managed to persevere, winning two and losing two to take fourth.

Nelson was once again dominant on the day. Winning his first match by pin in the first round, he was the recipient of a victory by default when his Sultan counterpart refused to face him in the circle. The Sultan wrestler was allowed to forfeit as an “injury default,” take the loss, then wrestle Chester Pruett in the battle for third and fourth where his mysterious shoulder injury was unapparent. Nelson manhandled the other Sultan wrestler in the finals, pinning him early in the second round.

Easton turned in the other match of the day in a heartbreaking 7-5 loss to Sultan. He was down 2-1 at the end of round one, then down 4-1 at the end of round two. The third round was a fantastic effort with the score 5-3, then 7-3, then 7-5 with 12 seconds to go. Easton had won his first match, and then his third and fourth to ultimately take third place.

Coach Anders Blomgren is looking forward to the state competition and announced: “We’re back!”

“We’ll be practicing our version of R & R during mid-winter break: being relentless and resilient,” Blomgren added.

Continuing to provide the best bang for your wrestling entertainment dollar, a record 12 Vashon Pirate wrestlers are off to the state tournament in the Tacoma Dome Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19-20.

— Cheryl Pruett is the mother of two Pirate wrestlers