The dominance between a highly favored Enumclaw High wrestling squad and the other five teams involved at Friday and Saturday’s South Puget Sound League 3A subregional tournament, staged at Auburn Mountainview, was clearly evident.
When the dust cleared EHS had accumulated 342 points. Considering its relative youth, Bonney Lake did not fare all that badly, amassing 245 points to take second place.
Bonney Lake, which will be the host school for Friday and Saturday’s Class 3A Region III tournament, will have eight wrestlers competing.
The Panthers will be led by Colton Tracy, who took home gold at subregionals in the 103-pound weight division, pinning Lakes High’s Jose Chavez in the first round of the championship bout.
“This freshman kid may be a little wet-behind the ears still, but he is tough as nails and has ice water running through his veins,” Bonney Lake coach Anthony Clarke said.
Also representing Bonney Lake at regionals will be Andrew Cunningham at 112 pounds, Matt Yuste, 135, Chili Sabin, 140, subdistrict champ Justin Rush, 145, Tyler Hernandez, 152, Jake Lueders, 160, and Evan Dorsey, 171.
The most notable of these is Rush, who, as one of only four seniors sprinkled among the underclassmen, has been providing leadership throughout the 2010-11 campaign.
The subregional venue was no exception, as Rush left destruction in his wake en route to hammering his Lakes High challenger, Will Ramirez, literally into submission in the title bout. Ramirez relinquished the top hardware to Rush, by suffering an injury default.
Cunningham, Yuste and Sabin were vanquished by Enumclaw opponents in their championship rounds.
“It is better to finish second at the subdistrict phase,” explained Clarke, “because that way, you are still moving on to regionals, but you also have the benefit of an entire week of practice to iron out any wrinkles, then bounce back one week later, to possibly win the championship bout.”
