The excitement just keeps building this week in the world of high school athletics. Wrestlers will converge upon the Tacoma Dome, swimmers will finish their seasons in Federal Way, gymnasts will determine state participants and basketball teams stage all-important district tournaments.
For athletes from Enumclaw and White River high schools, here’s where things stand.
STATE WRESTLING: BOYS
Wrestlers from both Enumclaw and White River high schools will be competing at this week’s state championships, thanks to top-four performances at the regional level.
A total of nine Plateau grapplers — five from White River and four from EHS — will head to the Tacoma Dome for Mat Classic XXXIV, the state finale. Matches begin at 10 a.m. Friday and the wrestling extravaganza wraps up when the championship finals begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Mat Classic involves wrestlers from every classification in the state, from the smallest schools to the largest, and includes both male and female competitors.
On the boys’ side, the EHS and WR standouts earned their state berths during a Feb. 11 regional tournament at North Mason High School in Belfair. In the regional team standings, White River placed third and EHS was fourth.
Individually, the top finishes were turned in by a pair of Enumclaw wrestlers who battled their way to regional championships. Taking No. 1 honors in Belfair were Westin Triplett at 140 pounds and Zeke Luchi at 285.
Teammates headed to state include Caleb Grantham and Mason Elder who placed third at 132 and 152 pounds, respectively. Also competing for EHS at regionals but failing to advance to Mat Classic were Dylan McMahan, Wyatt Gibson and Sean Hong.
The White River squad will head to Tacoma with a pair of wrestlers who climbed to the regional title bout and claimed second-place honors. Those impressive finishes were turned in by Hunter Oswold at 138 pounds and Riley Simmons at 220.
Placing third in Belfair were Caleb Evanger at 120 pounds and Caleb Dale at 145. Chase Campbell took fourth place at 182 to earn his state trip.
Others competing for White River at regionals, but falling short of a state berth, were Micah Eller, Joshua Hanson, Trevor King, Ryan Miller, Tyson Moran and Christopher Bowen.
STATE WRESTLING: GIRLS
After leading their White River High team to a regional championship last weekend, five Hornets will participate this week at Mat Classic XXXIV.
The Friday-Saturday event takes over the Tacoma Dome, bringing together wrestlers — both male and female — from all corners of the state. Competition begins Friday morning and concludes with Saturday afternoon’s championship matches.
On the girls’ side, this year brings a major change. Previously, all girls were entered into a single competition, no matter what school they attend. Beginning this year, there is a separate competition for athletes from the larger 4A/3A classes, with all others in a single tourney.
White River heads to Tacoma boasting a trio of regional champions. That honor went to Anna DiCugno at 125 pounds, Nicole Poussier at 135 and Taydem Bylin at 140. Also making a Dome appearance will be Adriah Blue, second at regionals at 110 pounds, and Lilyana Lamothe, second at 120. Also competing for White River at the regional level (but not advancing) were Amelia Miller, Lana Rodarte, Rylie Woods, Ellie Reed and Gillian Tilton.
Enumclaw High had a single wrestler at girls’ regionals, Madison Cooper. The freshman did not advance to state.
DISTRICT BASKETBALL: BOYS
After winning the SPSL 2A crown, the Enumclaw High boys’ team enters District 2A/3A play as the No. 3-seeded team. White River was pegged at No. 8.
The 16-team district tourney, which opens tonight (Wednesday) and wraps up Saturday, will send five teams into the state tournament.
Enumclaw opens with a home game tonight against the Port Angeles Roughriders. The contest tips off at 6 p.m. in Chuck Smith Gymnasium. A victory would push EHS into the semifinals against Lindbergh or Sequim and assure EHS of a state berth; a loss would bring a Friday, loser-out contest against Highline or Franklin Pierce, again on the EHS campus.
White River will travel to Renton High for its district opener, taking on the highly-regarded (20-1) RedHawks tonight at 6 p.m. A White River win would move the team into the semifinals and guarantee a state berth; a loss at Renton would bring a loser-out contest Friday (in Buckley) against the loser of an opening-round game between Steilacoom and Olympic.
DISTRICT BASKETBALL: GIRLS
The girls’ teams from both White River and Enumclaw, coming off a successful regular season in which they shared the SPSL 2A championship with 13-1 records, continue District 2A/3A play Thursday evening.
The teams began tourney play last night (Tuesday), both on their home court. White River, seeded No. 2, hosted No. 7 North Kitsap while the No. 4 EHS girls hosted No. 5 Sammamish.
For both teams, a Tuesday loss would mean Thursday’s game would be of the loser-out variety while a Tuesday win would bring a semifinal appearance and a guaranteed berth into the Class 2A state tournament.
If White River won Tuesday, the Hornets will play either Port Angeles or Renton Thursday at Highline High. If Enumclaw won Tuesday, EHS faces either Clover Park or Sequim, also Thursday at Highline High.
GYMNASTICS
The Enumclaw High girls placed third in last weekend’s subdistrict meet and, by virtue of that impressive showing, will be taking the entire squad to this Thursday’s district competition.
From there, the best of the best will advance to the Feb. 23-25 state championships at Sammamish High School.
Enumclaw’s appearance in the Feb. 11 Class 2A/3A subdistrict meet at Kentlake High was highlighted by Julia Carter, who dominated the vault, was second in bars and sixth in the floor exercise, leading to a third-place finish in the all-around.
In team scoring, Enumclaw won the vault, was second in floor and fourth on bars and beam.
“That was a tough meet,” coach Ben Skipworth reported. He noted that his Hornets secured the No. 3 spot by just .325 points. “Julia’s vault helped a lot with our team score,” he said, pointing out that she scored .775 higher than the No. 2 finisher.
On another high note, White River’s only gymnast, Kylee Trudgeon, advanced to districts in all four events.
Thursday’s district meet will take place at the South Hill Mall, where the former Toys R Us store has transitioned to a gymnastics home. Action begins at 10 a.m.
BOYS’ STATE SWIMMING
A season that began in mid-November will conclude this week with a three-day state championship meet for select swimmers and divers.
The state finale will span Feb. 16-18 at the King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way.
Both Plateau high schools, Enumclaw and White River, will have quartets entered in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
White River High also will have a pair of swimmers competing in individual events. Mason Arnold will take part in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke; teammate Conroy Meyers will test the field in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle events.
PHOTOS BY KEVIN HANSON The hoop edition of the Battle of the Bridge was played out over the course of two nights last week. The Hornet-Hornet girls’ game was contested Thursday and the boys tussled the following evening; both victories went to the home-court Enumclaw teams. In these photos, Enumclaw’s Karson Holt drives to the hoop and White River’s Dakota Sprouse does the same. White River’s Dakota Sprouse tried to get around an Enumclaw defender. Photo by Kevin Hanson
