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Washington State

High School Pre-Season

All-Division Rankings for 2003-04

By Dave Gilbertson

with assistance from "MacTruck"

9/14/2003 edition

Since "The Predictor" appears to have retired, along with Todd from "The Puget Sound Wrestler", I decided to make rankings myself.  MacTruck has contacted me by email at various times and I asked him to review my list early on and give me some additional input. Thank you for your help.  In the end, the rankings are my choice so blame me (Gilbertson), and leave MacTruck alone! LOL  These are my pre-season rankings, not predictions on how the end of the year will turn out.

The rankings are simply a preview and the weights are my best guess.  I'm sure I have wrong weight classes for several wrestlers and have not ranked wrestles who will place at the end of the year.  I ranked them based on how they performed last year in high school, this summer's (and prior years) National freestyle and Greco-Roman results and by my gut feeling of how I think they might perform this year.   I’m sure this will change significantly as we get into the season and see where growth has put various wrestlers this year, and how various wrestlers have matured.  More freshmen will appear in the rankings as they start to prove themselves on the high school scene.  Good luck to all the wrestlers, in all divisions, throughout the state this season.  It's going to be a great year.

I have ranked 1-6 and then some names after that to keep an eye on as the season progresses.  A ranking may not change just because a lower ranked wrestler beat a higher ranked wrestler.  I will look at the circumstances of the matches and things such as getting caught in a head and arm for a pin will not necessarily drop someone down the lists, but a dominating win by points probably will move someone up.  Feel free to email me (Dave Gilbertson) with info on a wrestler that you think should be ranked as the season progresses.  If you come across wrestling results that you can email to me, that will help with accuracy.  All verifiable results emailed to me will be posted on the 2004 HS page.  If Tournament directors will email me an HTML printout of bracket results from the computer program that ran their tournament, I will post those as well  I did that last year.  Remember, this is THE PAGE for high school results in Washington state, but I need lots of help with getting results to analyze and post.

Narrative previews of each group will be added time permitting.  I know a lot more about the smaller guys than I do the big guys so don't be surprised if they become less detailed as I move up the weight charts.  I'm also a firm believer in wrestlers gaining experience on the Cadet and Junior teams that compete at USAW National Duals.  Ten of my #1 picks here have improved their level of wrestling by representing their state at the Duals and wrestling some of the toughest kids in the country.

Updates are already in the works.  Next posting that shows a change in position will be in mid-November.

Rankings

103 Preview:  Cory Fish leads the rankings at this weight as he returns for his Junior year.  He has been USAW AA for the past three years and this year I feel he will finally have the size to compete for a state title.  Trevor Hall is my highest ranked freshman after a great career in kids wrestling with multiple high finishes at national level tournaments including one USAW national title in 2000.  He is a definite title threat but growth may take him to 112 and a step up in the competition.  He also has to make the jump from kids wrestling to high school wrestling, and the toughness that is necessary.  I'm sure he will. 

Tyler Bowles gets the 3rd spot based on a stellar run to the finals at the Mat Classic last year and earning AA honors in Fargo.  He was not ranked in the top 8th going into state but he made it to the finals before losing to Vela of Moses Lake.  Hayes of Heritage took 4th last year in 4A and should be a title contender but he may also be at 112 instead.  He placed at FILA Cadet Nationals last year in GR and at a tournament in Europe that was part of the FILA Cadet team tour.  Levi Jones was a small 103 last year and if he makes the weight this year, plan on him in the 2A finals.  He had a good summer wrestling on the Cadet Dual team and was National runner-up at 98 in GR. 

The last wrestler listed, Maurice Lopez, didn't go to state in 2003 but did in 2002.  He placed at Tri-State and was in a region that put three of their wrestlers in the state semi-finals.  Lopez lost two close matches to Jonny Gilbertson (5th in state) and Tyler Bowles (2nd), thus preventing him from returning to the state meet.  Karlson Miller had a similar fate when he lost close matches to Bowles and Koontz.  Kelly Kubec of Lake Stevens will make waves this year but like all freshmen, he will have to make the jump from kids to High School wrestling.  Taylor Yonago placed at Tri-State beating Lopez for 5th place and he beat the #2 ranked 103 last year (Alex Jaime) at state.

 
103
1CoryFish UniversityJunior8th in 4A 03, Jr AA in 03, Cadet AA 01,02 (National Champ)
2TrevorHall Battle GroundFroshMulti-time place winner at USAW, Tulsa and Reno
3TylerBowles AuburnJunior2nd in 4A 03, Cadet GR AA 03
4AnthonyHayes HeritageSoph4th in 4A 03, 3rd at FILA Cadet Nationals inGR
5LeviJones LakesideSoph7th in 2A 03, USAW GR Cadet AA in 03
6 MauriceLopez AuburnJuniorLost to Gilbertson and Bowles at regionals (close matches)
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
KellyKubec Lake StevensFrosh2X USAW Kids National Champion, Cadet AA in 03
KarlsonMiller Oak HarborJuniorLost to Koontz and Bowles at regionals (close matches)
TaylorYonago FerrisSophBeat #2 ranked 103 last year then lost to Bowles
  
  
112 Preview:  Three state champs lead the rankings at this group and then come a group of contenders from last year. Last year Scott Thompson was dominant at state on the way to the 2A title and looked like one of the toughest 103's in all divisions.  However, two weeks before that he placed 4th in his league.  I also saw him handle Vela at a USAW tournament but he had the weight advantage then.  I give him the nod based on what he is capable of doing.  He may also have to go up to 119 if he has grown much from last year.   Last year Vela was runner-up to Martin Salinas in league and regionals and lost to Fish at Tri-state.  None the less, Anthony had a great state tournament on the way to the 4A title.  I don't know much about Fairley except what I saw as he came from behind to beat Decker in the finals and therefore he gets the third ranking.  

Decker was the odds on favorite to win state last year after winning Tri-State, Pacific Coast and the Steel Claw Classic but Fairley intervened. Who will win this time?  Too tough to call.  Jonny Gilbertson is ranked 5th after placing as a freshman in 2003.  He beat the #1 ranked Salinas last year in double overtime in the state quarterfinals but then turned around and lost to Bowles in double overtime in the semi-finals.  He wrestled with a broken toe at regionals and state and had to miss the entire freestyle season after aggravating it while training for nationals.  He has been recovering and will be ready to go full steam in November.  Last year he beat both Vela and Hayes at USA Folkstyle events during the regular season.  Koontz from Enumclaw is another tough kid from the SPSL who was league and regional champ last year.  Koontz beat Gilbertson for the Region I title but lost by one point to him at state.

Martin Salinas had only 1 loss going into state last year and that was to Vela in the dual meet.  He beat Vela at districts and regionals.  He lost to Gilbertson in 2 OT at state and then lost to Hayes before re-grouping and beating Fish for 7th place.  He may be too big for 112 but if there, he is a strong title threat.  I think Knemeyer was undefeated going into state but lost to Sanchez twice at the dome.  JD Goodrich placed at USAW nationals this year after going 0-2 Tacoma.  He is a talented, but "streaky" wrestler.  If he gets on a roll, look out because he can light you up.  Ashley has the same reputation as he was district champ in Thompson's league, but didn't place at state.  He has many years experience in kids wrestling.  I don't know much about Raybell but he did place 7th last year at 112.  He may be a 119'er this year.

 
112
1ScottThompson East ValleyJunior1st in 2A 03
2AnthonyVela Moses LakeJunior1st in 4A 03
3JasonFairley ClarkstonSoph1st in 3A 03
4NathanDecker Sedro WoolleyJunior2nd in 3A 03, SB AA in 01
5JonnyGilbertson CascadeSoph5th in 4A 03, Cadet AA in 02
6ChrisKoontz EnumclawSenior6th in 4A 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
MartinSalinas PascoSenior7th in 4A 03
DayvinKnemeyer AberdeenSoph5th in 3A 03
JDGoodrich WashougalSophCadet GR AA 03
BrandonAshley Kiona-Benton   
NolandRaybell RogersSenior7th in 4A 03
      
119 Preview:  What can you say about the #1 guy that hasn't already been said?  Rodriquez is, by general consensus, the top recruit coming out of Washington state in 2004.  Intermat has him ranked in the top 100 seniors in the entire country.  Rodriquez has been winning tournaments for as long as I can remember including Schoolboy and Cadet National Titles!  He was 2nd as a freshmen at state and has been the champion the past two years.  Rodriquez is such a force that if he goes 119, you will see other guys move up or down a weight like they did when Burke Barnes dropped to 125 for his senior year.  119 might be a good place for a young, upcoming wrestler to be at state if he is looking for a medal in the 2-8 range as Mike may push out the title contenders. 

Ricky Yeager won a title last year at the brutal 4A 112 weight class after placing 3rd as a sophomore.  He could give Rodriquez a good run for the money if he chooses to compete at the same weight, as can the next several guys.  Jake Gonzales has a great attitude and work ethic which has served him well.  He lost to Yeager in the 2003 HS finals and was #2 nationally in Greco-Roman in 2002 as a Cadet.  He will lead a strong Enumclaw team.  Cory Vonbaur has placed both years in HS, 2nd as a freshman and 3rd as a Sophomore.  I have him ranked 4th at 119 but I think he may actually be at 125 by the time the season comes around.  Tough kid who clings to you like glue and focuses on winning close matches, which he does with regularity.  Paul Klein took state last year after placing 6th and 3rd his first two years.  He will be the favorite in the 3A division.  Adam France (USA Everett alumni) began coaching at Newport a few years ago and John Bennett is one of his best protégé's.  He won state as a freshman but found the move up in weight to 112 to be tough and took 5th last year.  He cranked it up a notch with summer wrestling and earned AA honors in Fargo.  Watch out for a 2A title run.

Juan Ortiz of Burlington looks to be Klein's main competition in 3A and that could be the title match this year although there are any number of wrestlers who will work hard to prevent that predication from occurring.  Bradley Muri is another of the kids that has been wrestling forever with great success.  He was state champ in 2A last year and looks to repeat this year.   David Howard is yet another long time wrestler who hit the HS season running as a freshman with a 6th place finish.  Jason Costello wrestled at 103 last year and took third place.  He is a tall kid and I put him at 119 because I think growth will take him there.  That is a  big jump from 103 to the 119 level of competition but he may handle it, or he might be at 112..

 
119
1MikeRodriguez KamiakinSenior1st in 4A 03, 02 and 2nd in 01, USAW Nation GR champ 03
2RickyYeager HeritageSenior1st in 4A 03
3JakeGonzales EnumclawSenior2nd in 4A 03, Cadet AA in GR 02
4CoryVombaur EvergreenJunior3rd in 4A 03, 2nd in 4A 03
5PaulKlein White RiverSenior1st in 3A 03
6JohnBennett NewportSenior5th in 2A 03, 1st in 2A 02 USAW AA 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
JuanOrtiz Burlington EdisonSenior 3rd in 3A 03
BradleyMuri SteilacoomJunior1st in 2A 03
DavidHoward CedarcrestSoph6th in 3A 03
JasonCostello SqualicumJunior3rd in 3A 03
 
125 Preview:  My top two picks at this weight both had good seasons in '02 and '03 but is this the year one of them breaks through to win a title at the Mat Classic?  Hard to pick between Justin Davidson, runner-up to Mike Rodriquez in 2002 by 1 point and Lester Brown of Lake Stevens, Tri-State champ in 2003.  Justin Davidson has wrestled for years and has a wealth of experience while Brown is a relative newcomer, but he "oozes" athletic ability.  I have to lean towards the experience of Davidson in this match-up but anything could happen.  Barnes is only a sophomore but was one of only 4 freshman to medal in 4A at the Mat Classic last year and has an additional year of physical maturity to go with the years of training he has had with Southwest Wrestling Club and Pitt wrestling.  I don't know much about Shetlin except  that anyone who only loses by one point to Brandon Sitch in the finals (3A 2003) deserves a high ranking.  Next is Manuel Plata of Prosser who's one loss at state last year was also to Sitch, and has placed each of his first three years in high school.  In 6th place is Allen Wood who I expect is ready to challenge the big boys for a top six spot, but probably not in the finals.
125
1JustinDavidson BothellSenior5th in 4A 03, 2nd in 02
2LesterBrown Lake StevensJunior5th in 4A 03, 7th in 02
3PeterBarnes HeritageSoph6th in 4A 03
4Brandon Shetlin North ThurstonSenior2nd in 3A 03
5ManuelPlata ProsserSenior3X state placer, lost to Sitch
6AllenWood TahomaSenior7th in 4A 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
DustinEnglish DecatorSenior8th in 4A 03
DanielCurulla ElmaJunior4th in 2A 03
RossVillegas OrovilleJunior2nd in 1A 03
MattHaas Mt Si Soph4th in 3A 03
TonyCantu OthelloSenior4th in 2A 03
 
130 Preview:  Last year was Brandon Sitch's coming out party and he hit high school with a bang.  State champ in 3A, as a freshman, and National runner-up in Cadet division at Fargo at both Greco-Roman and Freestyle.  I've seen this kid work at it for a long time and the past 3-4 years he just started to crank up the level.  My pick as the top 130 in the state to start the season.  Another long time freestyler is Leenhouts of Reardon who was state champion in 1A and has been tough for years in kids wrestling.  Last year Matt Roll "got on a roll" at the state meet and took it all the way to the finals before losing to multi-time state Champ Aaron Pedeferri.  Ryan Conley of Sultan had a breakthrough year last year in winning the 2A 125 title over Colt Warren of Mt. Baker who I have ranked 5th.  Rick Shattuck took third in 2A and also has years of experience to fall back on from kids wrestling.  5 out of my top 6 picks here have wrestled off season extensively, proving the old adage that "summer wrestling makes winter champions."
130
1BrandonSitch KelsoSoph1st in 3A 03, 2nd at USAW Nationals in GR and FS
2JakeLeenhouts ReardanSenior1st in 1A 03
3MattRoll Clover ParkSenior2nd in 3A 03
4RyanConley SultanSenior1st in 2A 03
5ColtWarren Mt. BakerSenior2nd in 2A 03
6RickShattuck OrtingJunior3rd in 2A 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
TC Imes East ValleySeniorstate participant 4A in 03
LeviSommers RochesterSenior
JeffHatton AberdeenSenior3rd in 2A 03
JonHurtado ProsserJunior
 
135 Preview:  Is this the year that Tony Kubec gets his state high school title?  I think he will.  The last two years he went into the state tournament without an in state loss but both times he ran into a fired up Tyler Sherfey and ended up on the short end of the stick.  This year it appears that they will be in separate weights and he should get that title that has eluded him the past few years.  An All-American in freestyle or greco each of the past 3 years, Tony is a heavy favorite to win his 4A class and also be the best in all divisions. 

Nathan Stamm at number two is a question mark.  I have seen him wrestle at a high level but injuries slowed him down the past year.  The last time I saw him wrestle was when he was on the Cadet Dual team 2 years ago and he was dealing with a shoulder injury then.  If healthy, he is a force but I still don't think he would have what it would take to beat Tony this year.  Kipperberg comes from a family of tough wrestlers and his older brother won the title at 119 in 2002.  He could be a contender to be in the finals this year.  Not too many returning high placers this year in this group so the rest is wide open with McPeak finishing the highest in 2003 at 3rd in 3A.  Holcumb and Heger bring up the 5th and 6th place based on their 5th place finishes in 2003.

135
1TonyKubec Lake StevensSenior3rd in 4A 03, Cadet AA in 02 & 01, Junior AA in 03
2NathanStamm East ValleySenior4th in 4A 02
3MicahKipperberg South KitsapSenior7th in 4A 03
4MikeMcPeak ClarkstonSenior3rd in 3A 03
5ZachHolcumb Mountain ViewSenior5th in 3A 03
6ColtHeger ClarkstonSenior5th in 3A 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
ChrisWichers Oak HarborJunior
CharlesCampbell ColfaxSenior
CaseyAudette Mt. VernonSenior
 
140 Preview: Although this group is loaded, Tyler Sherfey as the cream of the crop and is my number one pick.  Sherfey and Rodriguez(119) might be the two best seniors in the state and they are on the same high school team.  Tyler was 3rd as a freshman, 2nd as a sophomore and 1st in state as a junior.  He earned AA honors in Fargo last year and wrestled extremely well at Junior duals including a win over highly touted Angel Cejudo of Arizona.  With Kubec at 135, I don't know if their is anyone at 140 that can push him, let alone beat him.  He keeps improving every year and his best wrestling may still be in his future with college.  I haven't seen Chris Stewart wrestle but all I have heard is great things so he gets the pick for second place to start the season.  Greg Ford is tough as nails and has been around forever.  I first saw him at the kids state freestyle in 1993 when I took my son to his first state meet.  My mother was there and told me to watch this little boy wrestle, as his abilities had caught her attention.  Unknown to us at the time was that he was in the same group as our teammate, and next door neighbor (Kent) who had gone with us to state.  Needless to say, Greg ruined Kent's undefeated season and has been racking up wins ever since.  Greg was at Heritage last year but rumor has him back at Olympia.  At either school, he will be around when the medals are handed out.

Lots of freestylers in this group as the next one is Ian Richards who took forth in 4A last year and was on the Cadet Dual team in 2002.  Next pick is Alex Pitsch who is the last in a stellar line of brothers (Dan and Pat) that wrestled for Spanaway Lake High School.  He was Cadet state freestyle champion last year where he defeated Tim Whitley for the title.  It is his first year in high school but he will hit the ground running.  Tim Whitley is my pick for 6th after taking 4th in 4A 125 last year as a freshman.  I first heard of this guy back about the time I first saw Ford!

Honorable mention is Maverick Port of Liberty.  ANOTHER of the kids that I have seen on the other side of the mat forever as he used to wrestle JJ Pugh when I took him to tournaments in the mid 90's.  Maverick has always impressed me with his toughness but none more than this past summer.  At Cadet duals he was injured.  He and I got to spend about 3 hours at the emergency room until 2:00 in the morning and then get up back up at 7:00 for the tournament.  He didn't wrestle that day but he came back and wrestled freestyle with a very painful hand the next 2 days and went 5-2 to help the team finish in the top 13 at Nationals.  That took a lot of guts and determination on his part just to continue, let alone win 5 out of 7 matches, wrestling basically one handed.  I have little doubt but that he can win the 1A title this year.

140
1TylerSherfey KamiakinSenior1st in 4A 03, 2nd in 4A 03, 3rd in 4A 03
2ChrisStewart SteilacoomSenior2nd in 2A 03
3GregFord Heritage or Olympia?Senior3rd in 4A 03
4IanRichards Spanaway LakeSenior4th in 4A 03
5AlexPitsch Spanaway LakeSoph
6TimWhitley WenatcheeSoph4th in 4A 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
MaverickPort Liberty BellSoph3rd in 1A 03
 
145 Preview:  Picking number one in this group is one of the hardest choices to make, along with the next group.  Mikey Sewell and Kyle Bounds are two exceptional wrestlers and both won titles as sophomores last year.  For Kyle it was his second state title while for Mikey it was the first one he could try for since he goes to a 3 year high school.  Both were on the Cadet National Dual team in 2002 and did great.  Kyle has been in the USAW finals each of the last 3 years and has 2 national titles!  During greco matches with Kyle, you always keep your eyes on the match because he can throw a 5 pointer at any time.  Both of these kids are great athletes and it is a very difficult choice as I think I could just as well flip a coin when it comes to picking a winner in folkstyle between these two.  The easiest would be to have them wrestle but they are in different divisions and probably won't see each other this year.  I also think that Mikey may actually wrestle at 152 this year so the choice may be a moot point. 

Last year some people wanted to count Kyle out of the title chase because of some tough losses he had earlier in the high school season.  Winning titles is about wrestling the best on a given day and also, being the "healthiest" at the right time.  Kyle had some injuries during the season and was not 100% until he hit the state meet.  What you saw at state was a healthy Kyle, and a big winner!

The rest of the group features some tough kids with BJ Ward a defending champ in 3A returning as well as Coby Jones, the guy he beat in the finals.  Jon Bauer returns as a senior after taking 2nd last year in 2A while Brent Stover is set to comlete his high school career this year after taking 4th in 4A as a junior.  Also keep as eye out for Matt Remillard who could move up into this top six group as the season progresses.

145
1MikeySewell InglemoorJunior1st in 4A 03
2KyleBounds Columbia RiverJunior1st in 3A 03, Cadet National GR champion 03
3BJWard Liberty (Issaquah)Senior 1st in 3A 03
4JonBauer Rogers (Puyallup)Senior 2nd in 2A 03
5CobyJones Burlington EdisonJunior 2nd in 3A 03
6BrentStover Spanaway LakeSenior4th in 4A 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
BradRasmussen CheneySenior7th in 3A 03
NickPack RoyalSenior1st in 1A 03
WillieIves OmakSenior
AlexMumma BrewsterSenior2nd in 1A 03
MattRemillard SouthridgeSeniorstate participant 4A in 03
 
152 Preview:  Another really tough call to make here is between Johnson and Dorward.  Last year, both of them had great seasons, right up to the Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.  Johnson won just about everything including, Tri-State, districts and regionals.  He had defending state champ, Brandon Hunter in his group but Brandon was out with a broken ankle until districts.  He forfeited to Johnson at districts and regionals taking 2nd in both and having lots of close matches in making it to the finals.  At state it was more of the same as Johnson cruised to the finals and Hunter had some close matches on the way to the finals.  I don't know if Hunter was sandbagging or what prior to the finals but when he came out for the match with Johnson, he absolutely unloaded a seasons worth of frustration on the young sophomore and won his second title, going undefeated for a second year.  This year will be different as Johnson has a year's worth of high school experience and I think he may go undefeated this winter.  Johnson is also a longtime kid's wrestler along with two other brothers that you'll be hearing about in the near future.

Dorward is right there with Johnson, just like Sewell vs. Bounds.  Dorward was bracketed for a showdown with Bounds at state last year but I understand he had some health issues come up at the worst possible time, the state meet!  He was beaten in the semi-finals and then injury defaulted to 6th place.  If healthy, he can go with anyone, anywhere.  Two or three  years ago at nationals he went 0-2 but some guy came on my message board asking who Dorward from Washington was.  I'm going by memory but he was totally impressed and I think the guy said Tony lost by 1 pt to the #1 ranked sophomore and by 1 point to the #2 ranked sophomore.  Talk about a bad draw!  If I remember right they were Ryan Davis and Brandon Mason, two HUGE names in wrestling over the past 2 years.

Justin Studer is a longtime wrestler who has had great success over the years.  He should be a strong favorite for the 3A title.  Torres and Nommenson both placed last year and will be aiming to stand higher on the podium this year.

In 6th place is Brent Chriswell.  I haven't seen him wrestle since he just moved up here from Oregon a while ago and he has mostly been training down there, until this year.  I think he was still in Junior High last year since they have a 3 year high school.  He went back to Fargo as part of team Washington last summer and earned AA honors as a Cadet.  From what I have been told, this kid is someone to really watch.

152
1MichaelJohnson TahomaJunior2nd in 4A 03
2TonyDorward Mt. RainierSenior6th in 3A 03
3JustinStuder Liberty (Issaquah)Senior 2nd in 3A 03
4AlexTorres OthelloSenior3rd in 2A 03
5JoeNommenson YelmSenior6th in 3A 03
6BrentChriswell Soph?Cadet AA in 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
OmarPetty ClarkstonJunior7th in 3A 03
 
160 Preview:  Carlile Scott gets the early nod at 160 although he might actually end up at 171.  The reason I give the  number pre-season spot to Carlile is based on his potential.  Last year he ended up 7th in state but last spring he placed in the GR division of the FILA Cadet Nationals and more importantly, he beat David Craig there, 10-0!  David Craig is a many time national champion from Florida that won a Cadet National title this past summer in Fargo.  I also based it on the GR run he made at Cadet Duals in 2002 when he went undefeated, including "cloths lining" one guy off the whistle for a 5 second pin.  The last thing he has going for him is that he is just plain, hysterically, funny when he wants to be!

Number 2 goes to  Troy Hanson of Enumclaw who also placed 7th last year.  I first heard of Troy through his posts on the message boards and then watched him go through the field pretty easily at the Regional tournament in Snohomish.  He seems like a pretty tough customer.  Brent Larson is from Cascade High School in Everett and although he didn't make it to state last year, he did take 7th as a sophomore.  Brent was the WESCO North champ last year beating both Willie Ward and Brent Orr.   Last year his group at regionals was brutal and he and Ward were both left watching in the dome from the stands after both placed the year before.  Brent has an unorthodox style and does well with it due to his uncanny balance and sense of position.  Norman Orr beat Brent in the WESCO dual meet and went on to place 5th at state.  This is another wrestler that may be up another weight group at 171 but he is a definite contender.

I didn't know anything about Ryan Anderson until the Nationals in Fargo this summer were he won a ton of matches and ended up in the top 8 back east.  I presume he is another of Dave Mitchell's protégées from the Junkyard Dogs freestyle club and will be a favorite for a state title this year.  Holt from Heritage was a state participant last year and the report I have gotten is that he is very good.  I could use a few names from people in who else will be good in this weight group as the season progresses.

160
1CarlileScott Battle GroundJunior7th in 4A 03, FILA Cadet AA 03
2TroyHanson EnumclawSenior7th in 4A 03
3BrentLarson CascadeSenior7th in 4A 02
4NormanOrr MarysvilleSenior5th in 4A 03
5RyanAnderson TonasketJuniorCadet AA in 03
6KewaeHolt HeritageSenior4th in 4A Region 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
 
171 Preview:  Dustin Haukenberry, another Cadet Dual Team member from 2002 is my choice in  the 171 group.  Dustin is the younger brother of 2X state champ Anthony Haukenberry and is on his way to matching or possibly beating that feat if he can win 2 more titles.  A rough, hardnosed wrestler who I saw display a lot of mental toughness at the Cadet Duals and at the Tacoma Dome last year.  He'll be tough to beat. 

Ranked second is Mark Dodge who took 4th in 4A last year at state and was on the Cadet team with Dustin in 2002.  In third and fourth are two seniors that will contend for the title in their respective divisions, Brian Horanski and Paul Rudisky.  Cory Creighton is a sophomore who has been wrestling for years, with great success.  I had never really seen him much in the past but I had the opportunity to officiate a couple of his matches at the state freestyle championships this past spring and was quite impressed.  Being a sophomore competing at 171 is a tough task but I think Cory is up to the task. 

Mike Custer gets the 6th spot based on placing 8th in 4A last year.  Another sophomore to keep an eye on is Chris Frerichs of Central Kitsap.  I have heard from several reliable sources that this kid is the real deal.  I haven't seen him since last year he was still in junior high.  His brother was runner-up in 4A to Brandon Hunter in 2002.

171
1DustinHaukenberry White RiverJunior1st in 3A 03
2MarkDodge HeritageJunior4th in 4A 03
3BrianHoranski EnumclawSenior7th in 4A 03
4PaulRudisky VashonSenior2nd in 2A 03
5CoryCreighton StevensonSoph
6MikeCuster Central KitsapSenior8th in 4A 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
PaulHazenberg KennewickSenior2nd in 2A 03
DJDaniels Mark MorrisSenior8th in 3A 03
ChrisFrerichs Central KitsapSophJunior HS as a 9th grader
 
189 Preview:  What can you say about this group?  It is loaded with talented kids and is a hard one to call.  Chet Slevin gets the call for 1st but the next several guys are real close.  Chet has been wrestling since he was about 5 years old and won 7 state freestyle titles from 1991-1999.  He has won titles all over the country and I first met Chet at a tournament in Tulsa, OK back in 1995.  It was the AAU Grand Nationals and I think Chet took first in all three styles.  Next is Kyle Bressler who was state champ last year in 4A over Scott Labrash by fall.  Labrash beat him by decision the week before at regionals so this could be a real toss up and I may have Labrash ranked too low by having him in 5th place.

Jay Carlile is ranked third after placing 2nd and 3rd the past two years at the Mat Classic.  Jay is another of the kids with years of experience on the freestyle circuit and has always been one of my favorites to watch.  Jay is a throwing machine in freestyle/Greco-Roman and has earned All-American honors on numerous occasions over the past 10 years.  Evan Mattingly is another of the tough Vashon Island group and is the defending state champ in 2A.  In 6th rank is Brad Padgett who is the White Rive teammate of Dustin Haukenberry.  They had 2 guys from the same team in the top 5 at state.  Nice workout partners!  My observations of Brad's wrestling were this summer at Cadet Duals when he got the opportunity to wrestle lots of matches against some of the toughest kids in the country.  That experience should help him a lot this coming year.

189
1ChetSlevin FerndaleSenior3A State champ 03
2KyleBressler DecaturSenior4A State champ 03
3JayCarlile Battle GroundSenior3rd in 4A 03
4EvanMattingly Vashon IslandSenior2A State champ 03
5ScottLabrash BothellSenior2nd in 4A 03
6BradPadgett White RiverJunior5th in 3A 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
 
215 Preview:  Garrett Johnson is a beast!  My pick as pre-season number one in a group that includes several, agile big men.  Garrett will be going for his third HS state title and also placed well last year at FILA Cadet Nationals.  He was on the Cadet Dual team in 2002 and was a great asset as he crushed most of the opposition he faced.  Brad Farmer comes from a family of great wrestlers out of the SW Washington area.  He may be at 275 instead of 215 and will contend for a state title at either weight.  Last year Matt Leonard lost to the eventual state champ in the semi-finals and then lost a close match to Farmer to end up in 4th place.  This year he is looking to move up!

Tom Radash will work on improving his 7th place finish in 03 while Junior Chase Campbell of Kalama will give his best effort in 1A after placing 2nd in 2003.  Ranked 6th is Trenton Tuiaspsopo who was a state participant in 2003.  Yes he is related to the Oakland Raider quarterback and has the same kind of athletic ability.  He doesn't have a lot of experience but he gets a huge boost this year as his new coach in 2003 is Otto Olson of Everett who was a 3X state champ and a 3X AA at University of Michigan.

215
1GarrettJohnson Medical LakeSenior2X Champ 2A 02-03
2BradFarmer HeritageSenior3rd in 4A 03
3MattLeonard Lake StevensSenior4th in 4A 03
4TomRadash EastmontSenior7th in 4A 03
5ChaseCampbell KalamaJunior2nd in 1A 03
5TrentonTuiasosopo MarinerSenior       State Participant 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
BradFraser East ValleySenior7th in 4A 03
CesarWilliams QuincySenior3rd in 2A 03
ClintOsborne Lake StevensJunior4th in Reg I 03
CurtDavis OthelloSenior5th in 2A 03
 
275 Preview:  This is a tough group for me to rank as I don't think I have really watched any of these guys wrestle other than Vandermolen.  Sommer is from my Region and I have heard he is very tough and he is my top pick as the returning state champ at 3A in 2003.  Nick Berry of Vashon is another one that I hear is very good and I believe he beat Shaw in the finals last year by only a point so Shaw is obviously tough as well.  If my memory is correct, Shaw wrestled for the Washington Junior Dual team last year in Oklahoma.  The results were probably not what Shaw wanted when he went back there but let me tell you, the competition at Junior Duals is a whole different level than what he faced while wrestling in state last year.  That experience, although painful, has a way of turning boys into men and he might kick it to a higher level and take Berry out.  We'll have to wait and see what develops.

Daniel Vandermolen is the top returnee in 4A and I think he'll do very well this coming year.  I saw him at Juanita High School a couple of weeks ago and he looked like a well put together heavyweight.  He is my pick for the tops in 4A to start the season.  Stephon Hall of Central Valley and Stephon Westfall are the 2 other heavies to make my list.  The top six are all seniors which is no surprise in the 275 class.  The only junior listed on the initial ranking is Alex King of Steilacoom who placed 4 in 2A last year.  The 2A division has 3 out of last years top 4 returning so it should be quite a battle come MatClassic time.

275
1TimSommer AnacortesSenior3A state champ 03
2NickBerry VashonSenior2A state champ 03
3DanielVandermolen JuanitaSeniorstate participant 4A in 03
4RobbieHall Central ValleySenior
5StephonWestfall CheneySenior4th in 3A 03
6RobbyShaw LakesideSenior2nd in 2A 03
Honorable Mention (no specific order)   
AlexKing SteilacoomJunior4th in 2A 03

 

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