Chiawana, Hermiston boys finish 2nd in WA state wrestling team battles in Tacoma
Chiawana’s four-year run as Class 4A state champion came to end last weekend as Tahoma, with 19 wrestlers competing, outpointed the Riverhawks 193.5 to 169 in the Tacoma Dome at the state high school championships.
Manny Plata’s squad was 12 strong, but the Bears had just too many wrestlers who scored points.
Chiawana had three wrestlers make it to the finals, with all of them placing second.
Junior Daeton Johnson (126 pounds), senior Anthony Pina (106) and senior Jordan Tobias (144) still earned big points for the Riverhawks.
Johnson finished the season with a 37-6 record, while Tobias was 36-7.
Lane Hedrick, also a senior, placed third at 285 for the Riverhawks to score big points. He finished with a 43-6 record.
“I’m proud of our boys,” said Plata. “Sometimes it’s not about results, it’s about competing. “(Tahoma’s numbers) were a lot to overcome. But our guys went down swinging. I’m proud of them.”
Kamiakin senior Juan Hoffman lost 5-2 to unbeaten Owen Pritchard of Skyview in the 126-pound final. Hoffman finished the season with a 36-6 record.
Hanford senior Caden Wilson placed third at 175 and finished with a 47-4 record.
Two Sunnyside wrestlers — sophomore Zairean Gonzalez (113) and junior Christopher Villanueva (144) — earned third-place finishes. Gonzalez finishes with a 35-6 record, while Villanueva is 36-3.
Skyview placed third in the team standings with 114 points. Sunnyside was fifth with 83, while Kamiakin was 11th with 59 points.
Plata saw he’ll work with some little guy wrestlers, and most of his Chiawana wrestlers will take some time off before getting back into the wrestling room.
“Some of these guys have already been asking me to get back into the wrestling room,” said Plata. “Some of them are pretty eager.”
3A boys
Hermiston freshman Aidan Larson edged Southridge senior Jacob Chapa 4-3 to win the 120-pound championship in the 3A tournament.
Larson completed his season with a 33-2 record, while Chapa — who missed most of the season with grade problems until becoming eligible just before the district tournament — was 10-3.
Chapa won 3A state titles at 106 pounds in 2022, and at 113 pounds in 2023.
Meanwhile, Kennewick junior Abraham Noriega and Hermiston senior Benjamin Larson each garnered third-place finishes in the weight divisions.
Noriega got his at 106 pounds and finished the season with a 31-9 record. Larson earned his at 165 pounds. He finished at 41-8.
Mead ran away with the team title with 272.5 points. Hermiston was second at 132, while Lincoln of Tacoma was third at 119. Kennewick placed 15th at 52 points.
3A/4A girls
Hermiston was the highest-placing area team, finishing seventh out of the 98 teams competing.
The Bulldogs had 71 points.
Peninsula took the team title with 122 points, while Curtis was second with 119, and Glacier Peak finished third with 95 points.
Walla Walla sophomore Kylie Whitaker finished third at 130 pounds. She had the best finish among all Mid-Columbia competitors in this tournament, and had a 37-2 record this season.
Other area teams who placed high in the standings were Kennewick in 16th with 55 points; Richland in 19th with 52; Walla Walla in 26th with 41 points; and Hanford in 32nd with 31 points.
2A boys
Orting dominated the tournament with 299.5 points, while Othello was second in the team race with 120. White River placed third at 103, and Grandview was 12th with 51 points.
The region had no state champions, but five wrestlers had second-place finishes.
Grandview seniors Evan Benitez and Julian Sanchez made it to their respective finals, both finishing second.
Benitez, 46-4, lost 11-2 to Orting’s Alan Seguero Jr., at 126 pounds; Sanchez, 40-11, lost to Pullman’s Israel Acosta in the 144 finals. Acosta finished his season at 31-0.
Othello senior Isaac Campos (113 pounds) and Husky junior Mason Perez (285), as well as Prosser junior Julian Joel Torres (120), also had second-place finishes.
1B/2B/1A/2A girls
Warden and Royal each had an individual state champion.
Warden senior Jada Hernandez earned the 120-pound title, beating Orting’s Brooklyn Jones 4-2 in the championship match. Hernandez finished the season with a 47-3 record.
Hernandez’s teammate, Brianalee Martinez, lost in the 115-pound title match to Orting’s Marjorie McDaniel in a technical fall.
McDaniel finished with a 39-0 record. Martinez, a senior, finished with a 23-8 record.
Meanwhile, Royal senior Emma Villa beat Montesano senior Kya Roundtree 6-1 to take the 170-pound championship.
Villa completed a perfect 40-0 season.
Villa had two teammates who place well. Knights sophomore Sharon Arroyo lost 12-9 in the 100-pound final to Washington’s Kyler Menza. Royal, placing second, finished with a 42-10 record.
Another Royal sophomore Analy Castillo finished third in the 235-pound division.
Othello senior Elia Velazquez placed second in the 190-pound division, falling 7-1 to Squalicum senior Isabella Phillips (who finished her season with a 36-0 record.
Grandview senior Ihanna Perez placed third at 170 pounds, and had a 38-6 record.
Toppenish dominated the team competition with 166 points, while Orting (103) was second and Royal (89.5) third.
Othello, with 87 points, finished fourth, while Warden was fifth with 83 points. Grandview was 11th with 37 points.
1A boys
Toppenish once again dominated, winning eight individual championships and taking the team title with 330 points.
Castle Rock was a distant second at 167 points, while Omak was third at 91.5 points.
Royal finished 14th with 32 points.
Knights sophomore Shea Stevenson placed second at 150 pounds. His final season record is 35-8.
Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.
