PORT ANGELES — Forks showed it is still a very tough wrestling team as the Spartans won the Battle of the Axe in Port Angeles, with the Roughriders coming in third place in the multiple-dual event.
Klahowya, which has been strong all season, came in second, showing that both the Eagles and the Spartans can be expected to place this year at the Mat Classic state championships.
But the Roughriders showed they are right even with the Spartans and could be a force in the postseason themselves at the 2A level. The best dual of the day was a semifinal between Forks and Port Angeles. The Spartans narrowly won 40-37, then went on to edge Klahowya 42-36.
Port Townsend placed eighth and Sequim 12th out of 13 boys’ teams. Four girls’ teams also competed.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Forks’ Luis Maldonado-Rodriguez, top, takes on Port Angeles’ Jaymisen Morrison in the 285-lb. class at Saturday’s Battle for the Axe at Port Angeles High School.
Forks started the day-long tournament by beating Oak Harbor 52-24. The Spartans easily handled Fife 47-22, then had their epic battles over Port Angeles and Klahowya.
The Roughriders won four out of five duals, with the narrow defeat to Forks the only loss of the day. The Riders beat North Mason 52-22, an All-Star team of wrestlers 74-0 and Wilson 47-27. After losing to the Spartans, the Riders went on to beat Olympic 54-24 to finish in third place.
In the battle between Forks and Port Angeles, the Spartans’ Hayden Baker pinned Seth Mann of Port Angeles, at 170 pounds, while Hayden Queen of Forks quickly pinned Garrett Kays of Port Angeles.
The Riders’ Leslie Worthey beat Forks’ Hector Dominguez with a pin at 220 pounds, while Forks’ Luis Maldonado-Rodriguez beat Port Angeles’ Jaymison Morrison at 285 pounds.
The Riders’ Carlos Rodriguez beat the Spartans’ Conner Demorest at 113 pounds in a 21-9 decision, then Forks’ Ariel Morales beat Port Angeles’ Jack Harrelson at 132 pounds.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Port Townsend’s Kyle Caldwell, top, takes on Olympic’s Kai Fernandez in their 145-lb. bout on Saturday in Port Angeles.
In the battle of the day, the Roughriders’ Adam Borde beat Forks’ Jake Weakley in a 3-2 decision at 138 pounds. Port Angeles’ Josh Boe beat Forks’ Colton Duncan with a third-round pin at 145 pounds.
Finally, Forks’ Luis Perez beat Port Angeles’ Corey Young at 152 pounds in a 17-3 decision.
In the championship bout with Klahowya, Forks had to overcome four forfeits because they didn’t have wrestlers in those weight classifications. Spartans Baker, Dalton Kilmer, Weakley, Morales, Duncan, Perez all won matches. Karen Ensastegui picked up a win with a forfeit at 106 pounds to help the Spartans win the title.
Meanwhile, in the third-place match between Port Angeles and Olympic, Mann, Jason Kibe (195 pounds), Worthey, Scott Hedin (120 pounds), Borde and Boe all won matches.
Individually, Borde, Boe and Worthey had fantastic days. All three Roughrider wrestlers went 5-0 on the day.
Other area wrestlers who had good days include:
Kyle Caldwell, Port Townsend, 182 pounds, 4-0.
Baker, Forks, 170 pounds, 4-0.
Odin Smith, Port Townsend, 160 pounds, 4-0.
Perez, Forks, 152 pounds, 4-0.
Dalton Kilmer, Forks, 126 pounds, 4-0.
Logan Massie, Port Townsend, 145 pounds, 4-0.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Caleb Nu’u of Fife, top, wrestles with Sequim’s Bodi Sanderson in the 285-lb. weight class on Saturday at Port Angeles High School.
Wrestlers who won at least three matches (without winning by forfeit) include:
K.L. Wyatt, Sequim; Maldonado-Rodriguez, Forks; Weakley, Forks, 138 pounds, all went 3-1.
Queen, Forks, 170 pounds, 3-0.
Tyler Olson, Sequim, 132 pounds, 3-1.
Hedin, Port Angeles, 120 pounds, 3-0.
Wesley Camacho, Forks (but wrestled for Port Townsend to help fill a weight class hole), 126 pounds, 3-0.
Mann, Port Angeles, 160 pounds, 3-2.
Jason Kibe won a couple of matches by forfeit and went 2-0 in matches wrestled at 195 pounds for a perfect day.
Also winning at least two matches were Bodi Sanderson of Sequim at 220 pounds, Zach Gavin of Port Angeles at 152, Ian-Linn Glasgow of Port Townsend at 152 and Duncan of Forks at 145. Robby Collier of Port Townsend/Chimacum, won two matches at 182 pounds filling in for a weight class for Oak Harbor.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Port Townsend’s Logan Massie, top, attempts to pin Gabriel Espinosa of North Mason in their 145-lb. bout on Saturday in Port Angeles.
Girls results
For the girls, Port Angeles’ Natalie Johnson went 2-0 at 106 pounds, beating Elizabeth Jackson-Cruz of Forks in one of her matches. Jackson-Cruz went 2-1 on the day.
Aspen Rondeau of Forks went 1-0 on the day at 132 pounds as did Port Angeles’ Lillian Halberg at 120 pounds.
Annhelica Wells of Forks went 1-1 on the day, beating Savannah Hoffman of Port Townsend. Hoffman also went 1-1 on the day.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Faas Christianson of Sequim, top, tries to subdue Nadine Abaglo of Fife in their 170-lb. bout at Port Angeles High School on Saturday. Abaglo went on to win the contest.
