The Pirate wrestlers posted big wins during an exceptionally exhausting and productive 72 hours of wrestling last week.
Last Thursday, Vashon took on Nisqually League rival Bellevue Christian in a dual meet, winning by a decisive score of 58-18. Of the 14 scheduled matches, four were forfeits, three for the Pirates and one for the Vikings. Of the 10 varsity matches wrestled, the Pirates won seven, six of those by pin, and most in the first round.
Winning were Preston Petersen, Chase Wickman, Shane Williams, Cori Williams, Logan Nelson, Clyde Pruett and Franklin Easton. Winning in JV matches were Rodolfo Flores, Cori Williams and Ellis Petersen.
The Force is with Easton, who gets a nod for a match of the evening for wrestling with a broken nose. Discarding the Hannibal Lecter persona, he debuted a new Darth Vader mask.
On Friday, a packed gym saw the Pirates take on Klahowya Secondary School of Bremerton. Vashon secured the dual meet victory with a final score of 42-24. There were only two forfeits, and of the 12 matches wrestled, Vashon won seven. Winning for the Pirates were Ellis Petersen, Luke Larson, Wickman, Shane Williams, Cori Williams, Nelson and Easton.
Match of the night goes to Cori Williams, who embodied the “never give up” motto long before the Seahawks made it popular on Sunday. Wrestling a tough competitor from Klahowya, he was down 9-0 at the end of round one. By the end of round two, he was mounting a comeback but still trailed 14-7. Then things got a little weird. As the final two minutes wound down, Williams continued to find a way to take advantage of a tiring opponent. With 30 seconds to go, he had narrowed the gap to 1 point, 14-13. The team was on its feet, and the crowd was rocking the stands. Then, in a second, it was over. The referee called the match, disqualifying the Klahowya wrestler for posting too many technical violations and stalling calls. Match over. Williams victorious. The crowd went wild. The Klahowya coach was not amused.
Saturday found the team in Rainier at the always tough Sergeant Justin Norton Invitational Tournament. Traditionally, the top 1A teams in the state attend this event. Vashon, after back-to-back dual meets and an early morning wake-up, ended the day in fourth place with the top teams separated by very slim margins.
Eleven wrestlers represented Vashon, with six making it to the semi-final rounds, three to the finals and seven finishing in the medals. Chase Wickman continued his total domination of opponents, decisively winning all his matches to take the championship. Taking second place were Nelson and Easton. Third-place finishes went to Larson and Chester Pruett. Cori Williams and Eli Hudson took fifth. Wrestling well and finishing just out of the medals were Hunter Burger and Shane Williams.
Matches of note: Nelson, in his final match, lost a tough one against Rochester in a true six-minute gordian knot match-up. Wickman, in his semi-final match, destroyed his Castle Rock opponent, 24-9.
The Pirates will travel to Cascade Christian on Thursday and then end their regular season on Saturday at the Emerald Ridge Classic in Puyallup.
— Cheryl Pruett is the mother of two Pirate wrestlers.
