The holiday break might provide some high school athletes with an opportunity for rest and relaxation, but the final days of December brought high-caliber competition for a pair of local teams.
The Enumclaw High boys trekked southward for the Dec. 29-30 Pacific Coast Championships, a wrestling extravaganza held annually at the Clark County Event Center in Ridgefield. The White River girls basketball team headed north for their annual appearance at the Lynden Christmas Classic, staged Dec. 29-31 at Lynden Christian High School.
Here’s a quick look at how the Plateau pair fared.
ENUMCLAW BOYS WRESTLING
The EHS crew had several wrestlers landing in the Top 8, led by Easton Bylin who advanced to the championship round at 138 pounds and claimed second-place honors. He opened with a bye and then won five straight matches before dropping a tough 2-1 decision in the finals.
Other notable Hornet performances were turned in by Eddie Cormier-Higgins who won six matches at 144 pounds and placed sixth; Romeo Gwerder who placed eighth at 132 pounds, winning five of eight matches; Cole Schumacher who won five times and finished eighth at 165 pounds; Bo Bruhn who pinned three opponents at 150 pounds; and Solomon Morales who won five matches at 150 pounds.
With the holiday season concluded, the EHS boys jump back into North Puget Sound League 3A action. That begins tonight (Jan. 7) when the Hornets host Kent-Meridian High.
WHITE RIVER GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Hornet girls waded into an eight-team pool that included some of the top squads from the region. The Lynden Lions, for example, won the tourney for the third year in a row and have captured the past two state Class 2A championships.
The Buckley crew opened Christmas Classic play with a 62-59 victory over Seattle Academy, suffered a 67-28 defeat at the hands of Lynden High and finished the tourney effort with a 59-48 loss to Snohomish.
The White River team saw its overall record drop to 4-3 with the back-to-back tournament defeats. The squad returned to North Puget Sound League 3A action with a Monday (January 5) road trip to Federal Way High. Friday night brings the season’s first edition of the Battle of the Bridge when White River makes the short trip to Enumclaw. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Chuck Smith Gymnasium.
