Montesano captures Aberdeen Kickoff Classic wrestling

Montesano flexed its first-place muscle late in the title round to emerge with the team championship in the Aberdeen Kickoff Classic.

Earning all three of their titles relatively late in the proceedings, the Bulldogs edged host Aberdeen for team honors in the season-opening wrestling tournament Saturday at Sam Benn Gym.

The pre-tournament favorite Bulldogs amassed 183 points, 12 more than the runner-up Bobcats. North Mason was third with 158 and Hoquiam fourth with 152.

Montesano’s Jacob Ellefson, Tyler Izatt and Austin Cain, Aberdeen’s Edgar Salazar, Angel Cisneros and Jacob Jamieson, Hoquiam’s Artimus Johnson and Alex Houbregs and Elma’s Justin Sample were among the individual champions.

Through the luck of the draw, most of Montesano’s big guns wrestled late in the title round — contested concurrently on two mats.

That enabled Aberdeen, 10 points behind entering the finals, to briefly take the team lead.

Cain, the reigning state Class 1A champion at 152 pounds, put the Bulldogs back in front by pinning teammate Kai Olson midway through the second round of the 170-pound final.

Izatt, who recorded three first-round pins, followed by needing only 1:12 to finish off Aberdeen’s Bodie Wharton at 138 pounds.

The most exciting Bulldog victory, however, was registered by Ellefson over Aberdeen junior Tyler Souphommanichanh at 132 pounds in what may have been the best match of the title round.

Souphommanichanh grabbed a 5-3 lead in the action-packed encounter with a takedown midway through the second round.

Ellefson responded by immediately flipping his opponent for a reversal and a three-point near-fall. Souphommanichanh miraculously escaped a pin near the end of the round, but the Montesano senior remained in control throughout the third round for a 10-5 victory.

Although Montesano coaches agreed that their team is still making the transition from football to wrestling in terms of conditioning, head coach Jeff Klinger generally liked what he saw Saturday.

“I’m glad we won and I’m glad we got some really great matches,” Klinger said. “Even our frontrunners got some (tough) matches. That’s how we’ll get better.”

Aberdeen’s Salazar dominated the 120-pound title match against North Mason’s Miguel Gaspar-Hernandez more than the 13-8 score indicated. The top-seeded Bobcat took command with two quick takedowns and led 13-5 early in the final stanza.

Angel Cisneros made a first-round takedown against Elma’s Andrew Persell stand up until midway through the final round. He added a last-minute reversal for a 4-0 win in the 126-pound title contest.

Jamieson, a state 2A placewinner last season, pinned teammate Andres Cisneros in the second round of their 195-pound title bout.

“They did super well, I’m super proud of them,” Bobcat coach Jimmy Martin reflected. “We’re way better than we were a year ago.”

Hoquiam’s Johnson, third at state last season at 170 pounds, spent barely two minutes on the mat in three matches Saturday. Wrestling at 182 pounds in this one, he flattened Hudson’s Bay’s Hakon Metzger in 48 seconds of the championship match.

Surprisingly trailing JV teammate Malaki Eaton, 5-4, after two rounds, the 113-pound Houbregs opened the third round with a takedown en route to a 10-5 victory.

“We had a lot of young kids step up,” first-year Hoquiam head coach T.J. Helland noted. “Of our finalists, we had two sophomores and a freshman, along with Artie (a senior).”

Down in roster numbers this season, Elma saved its meet highlight for literally the last match of the night.

Trailing North Mason’s Jahrett Schiemer 9-4 after one round of the 145-pound final, Sample evened the score with a reversal and three-point near-fall in the second stanza. Beginning the third round in the up position, he rode Schiemer throughout a scoreless third round to force overtime. Sample then scored a takedown and pin only 37 seconds into the extra period.

While expressing pride in the performance of some of his performers (particularly Ryan Mesojednik in rebounding fom an opening-round loss to take third at 138), first-year Eagle head coach Adam Catterlin said “we’ve definitely got a lot of work to do. We’ve got to hit the (practice) room hard.”

Montesano’s Taylor Rupe had the most unusual story of the Harbor runners-up.

Last season’s state 1A champion at 285 pounds, Rupe arranged to take his college SAT academic tests at the Aberdeen High campus before making it to the gym barely in time for his semifinal match.

“I was just telling Chuck (tournament director Chuck Veloni) about pulling him out of the tournament when he walked in the door,” Klinger reported.

Rupe won his semifinal and led North Mason’s Nico Ramirez, a state 2A placewinner last year, 4-2 early in the second round of the final. Ramirez, however, controlled the remainder of the match before turning and pinning Rupe early in the third round.

Other Harbor runners-up included Montesano’s Andy Fry (106 pounds), Hoquiam’s Brady Cummings (152) and first-year Elma wrestler Liam Baxter at 220.

106: Championship — Colton Harmon (North Mason) pinned Andy Fry (Monte), 0:51. 3. Caleb Lock (Aberdeen). 4. Osman Lopez-Siewart (Hudson’s Bay). 113: Championship — Alex Houbregs (Hoquiam) dec. Malaki Eaton (Hoquiam JV), 10-5. 3. Aaron Lano (Monte). 4. Kadin Maslen (Hudson’s Bay). 120: Championship — Edgar Salazar (Aberdeen) dec. Miguel Gaspar-Hernandez (NM), 13-8. 3. Nate Carlyle (HB). 4. Jordan Tibbitt (Monte). 126: Championship — Angel Cisneros (Aberdeen) dec. Andrew Persell (Elma), 4-0. 3. Nicolai Vikkelson (Monte). 132: Championship — Jacob Ellefson (Monte) dec. Tyler Souphommanichanh (Aberdeen), 10-5. 3. Antonio Garcia (Hoq). 4. Cole Varick (NM). 138: Championship — Tyler Izatt (Monte) pinned Bodie Wharton (A), 1:12. 3. Ryan Mesojednik (E). 4. Andres Vasquez (Hoq). 145: Championship — Justin Sample (E) pinned Jahrett Schiemer (NM) in OT, 6:37. 3. Colton Peterson (NM JV). 4. Brent Hollatz (Monte).

152: Championship — Anton Baur (NM) pinned Brady Cummings (Hoq), 4:46. 3. Brody Trader (A). 4. Rafael Mercado (HB). 160: Championship — Angel Castillo (HB) pinned Daniel Pulley (NM), 3. Matthew Hitchner (E). 4. Nick Davis (A). 170: Championship — Austin Cain (Monte) pinned Kai Olson (Monte JV). 3. Keegan Montgomery (Hoq). 4. Josh Raymond (NM). 182: Championship — Artimus Johnson (Hoq) pinned Hakon Metzger (HB)., 0:48. 3. Kyle Olson (E). 4. Jesse Wojcik (Monte). 195: Championship — Jacob Jamieson (A) pinned Andres Cisneros (Ab. JV), 2:40. 3. Nathan Newo (HB). 4. Adair Ramirez (All-Stars). 220: Championship — Casey Wishon (HB) pinned Liam Baxter (E), 1:37. 3. Hunter Hinchen (Hoq). 4. Ben Lopez (Monte). 285: Championship — Nico Ramirez (NM) pinned Taylor Rupe (Monte), 4:20. 3. Skylar Murray (A). 4. Zack Underwood (Hoq).

(Brendan Carl | The Daily World) Aberdeen’s Jacob Jamieson works to turn teammate Andres Cisneros during the 195-pound final on Saturday.

(Brendan Carl | The Daily World) Aberdeen’s Edgar Salazar takes a peek at the clock during the 120-pound final against North Mason’s Miguel Gaspar-Hernandez on Saturday.

(Brendan Carl | The Daily World) Montesano’s Jacob Ellefson tries to pin Aberdeen junior Tyler Souphommanichanh during the 132-pound final on Saturday.