HammerHead wrestling tourney returns following hiatus
It's Hammer time once again at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.
The largest high school wrestling tournament in the area, the HammerHead Invitational, is back at the pavilion following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The eight-mat event runs Friday-Saturday with 9 a.m. start times both days. The championship round is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Tournament director Steve Polillo said over 1,000 athletes are lined up to wrestle, with 48 boys teams and 40 girls teams from across the state gathering for the tournament, which debuted in 2010 and is the only local tournament to feature both boys and girls brackets. Local teams in the field include Bainbridge, Bremerton, Central Kitsap, Klahowya, North Kitsap, North Mason, Olympic and South Kitsap.
An increase in rental costs for the pavilion initially put the tournament's future at the Fairgrounds in doubt, but Polillo said generous sponsorship from local businesses/organizations, donations by community members and support from Kitsap Parks and Recreation made this year's event possible.
"We are excited to give all of our local wrestlers the chance to compete in their hometown venue against some of the best competition in the state," Polillo said.
North Kitsap head coach Robert Gomez, whose Vikings swept a double dual Wednesday against Olympic and Bremerton, said his favorite part about the HammerHead is seeing most of Kitsap's wrestling community in one place at the same time.
"Everybody is together," Gomez said.
Vikings assistant coach Elise Scrafford said December tournaments, as opposed to duals, are crucial for wrestlers to gain more experience and prepare them for the months ago. It doesn't get any better than the HammerHead for locals.
"They get so many more matches," Scrafford said.
Returning Mat Classic champions
Kitsap crowned six local champions the last time the HammerHead was held back in 2019. Two of those wrestlers are seniors this fall and returning state champions: South Kitsap's Mitchell Neiner and Bremerton's Thor Michaelson. Also winning state titles during Mat Classic in February were South Kitsap junior Stone Hartford, Bremerton junior Lars Michaelson and North Kitsap senior Sofian Hammou.
The only time West Sound produced more state champions was in 2011. That year, eight locals reached the top of the podium at the Tacoma Dome: Bremerton's Lauren Richardson, North Mason's Zac Joaquin, North Kitsap's Jake Velarde, Olympic's Cody Yeik, Kingston's Bobby Reece III, Klahowya's Nehemiah Salo, and South Kitsap's Terrill Wilson and Conner Hartmann.
Cougars second at Olympic Duals
Central Kitsap placed second at the revamped Olympic Duals tournament on Dec. 10.
The Duals, which began in 1979, operated as a 16-team tournament at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds from 2005-2019. Rising rental costs forced the tournament to return to its original site (Olympic High School) with six teams participating.
The Cougars bested Klahowya (58-21), Olympic (51-28), Mount Si (42-28) and Shelton (45-36) before falling to Silas (53-24) in the championship match.
Knights staying busy
Bremerton has been busy, opening the season with a pair of out-of-town tournaments in Centralia and White River. Lars and Thor Michaelson placed first at both events.
The defending Olympic League 2A champions have some split-squad events lined up over the next several weeks. In addition to the HammerHead, Knights coach Ty Michaelson is trying to send some wrestlers to the Graham Morin Memorial tournament on Saturday.
Other events on Bremerton's schedule include the Winter Solstice at Curtis High School on Dec. 22, the North Mason Classic on Dec. 23, the Gut Check tournament in Kent on Jan. 6-7 and the Doc B tournament in California on Jan. 6-7.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: HammerHead wrestling tourney returns following hiatus
