EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated to correct Ben Newell’s finish.
BREMERTON — Port Angeles’ Tyler Gale and Forks’ Jack Dahlgren wrestled to second- and fourth-place finishes, respectively, to lead strong showings for each school at the Gut Check Challenge, a premier high school wrestling event.
The third annual Gut Check featured three days of competition Thursday through Saturday at the Kitsap Sun Pavilion.
This included matches between Japanese, Canadian and American high school teams, and dual matches between college programs from Washington and Oregon.
“It was a unique experience for our Port Angeles kids to get to wrestle in a multinational event alongside some of the best kids in the world,” Roughriders coach Brent Wasche said.
“It was a pretty insane collection of talent to tell you the truth.
“The Japanese and Canadian teams competed and some of the toughest wrestlers in the state.”
Port Angeles finished 22nd overall and Forks placed 24th at the 44-team event, which was won by the Japanese national team.
Gale finished 3-1 in the tournament, winning two matches by decision and one by pin in the 113-pound bracket.
“He really wrestled a great tournament,” Wasche said.
A senior who placed seventh in Class 2A in the 106-pound division at state last year, Gale was pinned in the finals by Kentridge’s Derek Freitag.
“The kid that Tyler actually lost to is the defending [Class 4A] state champion,” Wasche said.
“Obviously, we would have liked to see him win the title, but it says a lot about Tyler’s ability level and what he is aiming for this year.”
After wins by pin and technical fall, the Riders’ Ben Basden lost a tough decision in the 126-pound quarterfinals.
“He was literally a hair away from advancing,” Wasche said.
“He lost by a point on a judgement call on whether or not he got the escape at the buzzer.
“It was one of the most electric matches of the tournament.”
Evan Gallacci also finished eighth for Port Angeles after battling to a 3-3 record in the 195-pound bracket.
Gallacci opened with a win by decision over Forks’ Luke Dahlgren.
“He lost to the eventual runner-up in the quarterfinals,” Wasche said.
“He had a good tournament, a lot of close, gritty matches. That 195-pound division is full of outstanding athletes.”
Dahlgren leads Forks
Dahlgren went 5-2 to claim fourth in the 182-pound division for Forks.
All of Dahlgren’s matches were against 3A or 4A competitors. He won three matches by decision, one by major decision and one by pin.
He lost twice to Curtis’ Jon Bridgman, who placed third at 182-pounds in the 4A state tournament last year.
No other Spartans placed at the event.
Freshman Josue Lucas continued his strong start to the season by posting a 3-2 record in the 106-pound division.
Kenny Gale went 2-2 for Forks, falling in the second round to eventual 170-pound champion Yajuro Yamasaki of Japan.
Gale was eliminated by the eventual third-place wrestler, Keegan Dorsey of Bonney Lake.
The event was sponsored by the Washington State Wrestling Foundation,
Proceeds from the tournament will support the wrestling programs at Highline and Grays Harbor community colleges, the only collegiate wrestling programs in the state.
Sequim second at Bainbridge
BAINBRIDGE — The Sequim boys wrestling team had three individual champions lead the Wolves to a second-place team finish at the 11-team Bainbridge Island Invite.
Olympic League foe Klahowya topped the Wolves 167.5 to 140 for the team title.
Craig Baker (138 pounds), Adrian Klarich (182) and Michael Latimer (220) all won championships for Sequim at Saturday’s tournament.
Kevyn Ward finished second in the 160-pound class, Ben Newell (126) was third and Grant Pierson (145) ended up fourth for the Wolves.
Sequim also claimed a 45-34 Olympic League win against Klahowya on Thursday.
Caden Robert (126), Newell, Baker, Pierson and Latimer all won by pin for the Wolves.
Heavyweight McKenzie Stockdale earned a 7-4 decision for Sequim in the Wolves other contested match.
Girls Wrestling
Port Townsend, Sequim at Kelso Invite
KELSO — Sequim’s Alma Mendoza finished second and Port Townsend’s Chloe Rogers placed third to lead North Olympic Peninsula wrestlers at the Kelso Invitational.
Mendoza’s runner-up finish in the 140-pound division led the Wolves wrestling team to a 12th-place finish at the 65-team tournament.
The Wolves also had two sixth-place finishers: Kiara Person at 115 pounds and Andrea Kienholtz at 170 pounds.
Rogers was third for Port Townsend in the 145-pound class.
The Redhawks’ Brenna Franklin bested Kienholtz for fifth place at 170 pounds.
Port Townsend finished 20th as a team.
Boys Basketball
Neah Bay 85, Chief Kitsap Academy 63
NEAH BAY — The Red Devils knocked around the new kid on the block in a nonleague boys basketball game.
The Bears, a Suquamish tribal school located near Poulsbo, are playing their first full season after the first team in school history played an abbreviated schedule last year.
Ryan Moss scored 26 points to lead Neah Bay. The senior has 992 career points and will look to break the 1,000-point barrier at Crescent on Wednesday.
Moss added six rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block for the Red Devils (6-2).
Rwehabura Munyagi Jr. recorded a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds for Neah Bay. Munyagi also added six steals, four assists and three blocks.
Kenrick Doherty Jr. scored 18 points and had a team-high eight assists along with seven rebounds for the Red Devils.
Reggie Buttram also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards for Neah Bay.
Neah Bay 85, Chief Kitsap 63
Chief Kitsap 17 12 23 11— 63
Neah Bay 24 18 18 25— 85
Individual scoring
Chief Kitsap Academy (63)
Moss 25, Delafuente 12, K. Sipai 11, Joney 10, McLean 3, A. Sipai.
Neah Bay (85)
Moss 26, Munyagi 20, Doherty 18, Buttram 13, Dulik 6, Bitegeko 2, Gagnon, Buzzell.
Girls Basketball
Quilcene 46, Crosspoint 21
BREMERTON — Megan Weller scored 23 points and Allison Jones added 11 to lead the Rangers to a SeaTac League victory over the Warriors.
Weller added four steals and two rebounds and Jones totaled five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
But the win required more than the efforts of those two players.
“This was a true team victory, as all the girls contributed,” Quilcene coach Briana Weller said.
“We moved the ball the best we have on offense this season, and had five girls contributing to the point total.
“The girls did a phenomenal job of rebounding in this game and had a rebounding team total of 45.”
Alexis Gray added nine rebounds and five assists for the Rangers.
“McKenzie Kieffer worked hard on defense and pulled down nine rebounds and had two nice putbacks for four points,” Weller said.
“Abby Weller owned the boards and ripped down 12 rebounds, had four assists, four steals and added four points.”
Quilcene (1-2, 4-6) host Northwest Yeshiva on Tuesday.
Quilcene 46, Crosspoint 21
Quilcene 15 14 11 6— 46
Crosspoint 6 4 5 6— 21
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Compiled using team reports.
