Swain takes silver

Newport shines at state wrestling tourney

TACOMA – Newport’s Ares Swain brought home the silver medal from the Mat Classic, held at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 20-21.

Swain swept through the 1B/2B boys tournament, winning his first match with a first round pin, his second with a 47 second pin, his third with a 12-2 decision before losing by a fall in the finals.

“In the finals he would meet league rival and returning state champion Brock Gustaveson of Davenport,” Newport Coach Daniel Swain says. “Brock and Ares have traded wins this season, but unfortunately it was Brock’s night. He wrestled lights out against Ares and earned his state championship. I’m proud of what Ares was able to accomplish this season as a junior and can’t wait to see what next year looks like.”

Senior Roman Tannehill placed fourth in the 285-pound category.

“He wrestled his best wrestling of the season and made his coaches proud in how he determined he was throughout the season,” Swain says. “He would finish the tournament 6-2.”

On the girls’ 1B/2B/1A girls competition, freshman Payton Bennett won sixth in the 100-pound category.

She had an amazing tournament, Swain says, making the semi-finals.

She got a bye in her first match, won by a pin in the next two matches before facing the into eventual champion Kiara Torres of Grandview, where she lost by a fall late in the match.

“She becomes the first freshman female to place at state in Newport history, Swain says.

Fellow freshman Tyson Nunley at 132 also had a stellar tournament, winning seventh. The top eight placed.

He wrestled fellow Newport Grizzly Preston Wacenske in the first match after both he and Wacenske won by pins the first day. Nunley got a major decision win, putting him into match with league rival Alex Matusik, who had beaten Nunley all season.

“Tyson showed up and wrestled his best match of the season and earned a Technical Fall 20-4,” Swain says. He lost his next match to the eventual third placer and moved on to the seventh-eighth place match.

“He would win that 17-4 and become the first male freshman to place since 2005,” Swain says.

Swain says Newport had a good tournament.

“We came out of the gates hot with 12 of 15 winning their first match,” he says. “Those that lost their first match showed their season wasn’t over yet, by winning their next match. All 15 wrestlers qualified for day two of the Mat Classic.”

Hunter Coe and JJ Findley at 120 started day two with pins, then had to wrestle each other, with Findley getting a come from behind pin.

Findley lost his next match.

At 144 Nate Shaw wrestled a hard fought tournament and finished 1-2. At 150, freshmen Gavvin Cater showed potential in his second year of wrestling, going 1-2.

At 175 Robert Warren, whose season had been plagued with injuries, wrestled with stomach flu day one of the tournament. He was 2-2 for the tournament. Warren won one match after having to stop the match to throw up, Swain says. He came back to pin his opponent.

At 215 Landen Pillers would face off with teammate Connor McQuinn in the very first round.

Landen would win that match and finish his tournament 3-2 only one match out from being a state placer. Freshman Connor McQuinn moved on from his loss by winning his next match by pin in 42 seconds.

He would finish 1-2.

At 285 senior Jaden Medrano would lose his first match, then won his next match by pin in 56 seconds.

At 110, freshman Allysah Bays, won with a 42-second pin in the girls division. In the quarter finals she ran into some tough competition and would lose her next two.

At 125, Addison Stigall showed poise as she worked her way through the state tournament. She would make it to the placing match but lose a heartbreaker, Swain says. Newport placed seventh in the state as a team, nine points out of top five in the 1B/2B class, Swain says.

“We are a young team and our future looks very bright,” he says.