By Greg Farrar
Conner Small, Liberty High School senior, exults to his supporters in triumph as he wins the 170-lb. state 2A wrestling championship with a 7-3 win over Sedro Woolley senior Jacob Farrell Feb. 21 during Mat Classic XXVII at the Tacoma Dome.

The process was a long and sometimes painful one — Small finished fifth as a sophomore and third as a junior — but it was ultimately rewarding as he captured the Class 2A state crown at 170 pounds to close the Mat Classic XXVII, Feb. 20-21 at the Tacoma Dome.

“Surreal” was the first word out of Small’s mouth after he defeated Sedro Woolley’s Jacob Farrell, 7-3, in the championship bout. He then spoke about the help he received from his dad.

“I can’t even explain what me and him have gone through,” Small said. “I owe everything to him. He’s been there since day one. I couldn’t ask for a more supportive father in my life.”

Small, who will compete at Arizona State University next year, rolled through his final Mat Classic with convincing decisions in his first three matches. It got tougher against Farrell, however, as Small held a tenuous 4-2 lead with two minutes left.

“We’ve been worried about this guy for a while,” Small said. “We’ve known he’s been my target all year, and he proved it out on the mat. He’s a great competitor. I was just there tonight. My head was in it, I knew what I wanted to do and I executed.”

Romney Noel was close — oh, so very close.

The Liberty senior needed points late in his 182-pound semifinal match against Sedro-Woolley’s Quinten Dickman-Roppel. He was able to escape with 35 seconds left, and had his opponent on the verge of a takedown that would’ve tied the score.

But Dickman-Roppel didn’t go down easily, and stayed on his feet long enough that Noel couldn’t complete the move inbounds. The Sedro-Woolley senior then got his own takedown and advanced to the final with a 7-3 victory.

Mental toughness allowed Noel to recover quickly, as he won his next two matches and finished third in the state.

“It’s hard to battle back after a loss, and I’m proud of myself for doing that,” Noel said.

Noel held off Quincy’s Cade Wallace, 5-3, and then took some tough shots from Washington’s Jacob Nelson in his placing match. Nelson was trailing in the third, and he slammed Noel out of bounds in an effort to get points. The move wasn’t dirty, but Noel had to fight through pain the rest of the way before getting a pin with 16 seconds left.

“Wrestling is the toughest thing I’ve ever done,” Noel said. “It’s taught me how to work, how to fight back after getting popped in the face. Wrestling teaches you how to be a warrior. You’re all alone out there, so it’s a good life lesson.”

Liberty senior Joanna Moreira capped her career with a fifth-place finish at 135 pounds in the girls’ division.

Hazen wrestlers win two medals

By Greg Farrar
Raven Svenson (left), Hazen High School sophomore, wrestles Charliann McCall of Centralia at 155 pounds, eventually winning by pin at 2:31 in her first match at the Mat Classic XXVII state 3A championship tournament Feb. 20 at the Tacoma Dome. Svenson went on to win fifth at state.

Hazen High School qualified five wrestlers for the Mat Classic, and two finished the weekend as medalists.

The Highlanders’ highest finisher was sophomore Raven Svenson, who finished fifth in the girls’ 155-pound division. Svenson improved upon her 2014 performance, when she placed seventh at state.

“She sealed the deal with a strong performance in her medal match finishing the match with a textbook throw to a fall,” Hazen coach Rory Magana wrote in an email.

Hazen junior Nik Vargas was the other medalist, placing eighth in the boys’ 3A 132-pound division. Vargas dropped his opening-round match, but fought back through the lower bracket to secure a spot on the podium.

Magana praised Vargas’ performance, saying the junior wrestled with “fundamentally-sound technique.” Both Vargas and Svenson are expected to return next year.

Senior Anthony Scott (106), sophomore Tyson Mowrey (113) and senior Derek Nichols (138) didn’t place, but all three “fought hard and wrestled tough,” Magana said.

Scott made the state meet in what was his first year as a wrestler, Mowrey lost to his division’s third-place finisher, while Nichols got caught in one of the most competitive brackets in the 3A tournament, Magana said.

Derek Nichols, Hazen High School senior (top), wrestles Beamer High School’s Malik Ford.

When the Liberty and Hazen wrestling teams hit the mats Jan. 16, they were tackling more than their opponents.

They, along with Oak Harbor and Highline high school wrestling teams, did all that they could to tackle pancreatic cancer at the dual meet and fundraiser.

Hazen coach Rory Magana’s father Rodney, who died just eight months after he was diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer in 2011, inspired the fundraiser now in its fifth year.

“The diagnosis is a tough one,” Magana said. “The two-year survival rates are very low, and the five-year survival rates are even lower. Pancreatic cancer is the most lethal cancer diagnosis that there is, but not a lot of people have heard about it.”

This year, the Liberty gymnasium played host to the annual meet/fundraiser. In addition to T-shirt sales, pancreatic cancer education and a silent auction, fans were treated to a night of competitive wrestling.

Liberty went 1-1 on the night, defeating Hazen in a close one, while losing to Highline. The Highlanders dropped both of their matches, falling to Oak Harbor after losing to the Patriots.

“The Hazen match was a barnburner,” Liberty coach Wright Noel said. “Liberty won even though we gave up 12 points in forfeits.”

Sean Surowiec, at 126 pounds, Juan Flores (152) and Conner Small (170) each had crucial pins for Liberty, leading the Patriots to the victory.

In the other matches, the Highlanders’ Nik Vargas won by technical fall over Patriot Cooper Murch (132); Hazen’s Derek Nichols won by decision over Liberty’s Ethan Le (138), 7-0; and Leo Palaganas, of Hazen, won by decision over the Patriots’ Alec Bluhm (145), 11-4.

“We won on the strength of our wrestlers refusing to get pinned or give up major points, and the wrestlers we counted on winning were able to pin,” Noel said. “It was a great team win.”

Against Highline, Liberty got pins from Jarmon Joseph (126), Romney Noel (182), Murch and Small.

Magana said that while the Highlanders “wrestled tough,” they struggled to cope with several holes in their lineup due to illness and injury.

Of all the Highlanders’ wrestlers, Magana said he was most impressed with Nichols, who went 2-0 on the night and avenged a previous loss to No. 1-ranked wrestler Jeremy Vester (138).

“After falling behind early in the match, Nichols battled back with a dramatic throw late in the third period,” Magana said. “Nichols would earn the fall over Vester in one of the biggest upsets of the season.”

Admission to the meet was free, though donations, all of which went to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, were accepted at the door. The teams and their fans raised $1,000.

“Over the last few years, our wrestlers have been very excited to compete for such a worthy cause,” Magana said. “They love stepping up to raise awareness for such a good cause.”

Hazen drillers make it three in a row

Contributed
The Hazen High School drill team and coaches show off their third consecutive first-place trophy after the Dance and Drill State Championships March 29 at the Yakima SunDome.

If Kristin Sargent’s career as the head coach of the Hazen drill team was written as a book, it would have the perfect fairy tale ending.

The preface would note that her Hazen roots run deep. She was a member of the Liberty High School drill team before coming to Hazen, where she was the drill team captain in 1999.

The body of the story would detail her seven years as the Hazen drill coach, a golden era of sorts, as she led the Highlanders to several state titles.

The best part would be the ending, though, when Sargent’s team captured its third consecutive state title, in the same year she announced it would be her last.

That’s what happened March 29 as the Hazen drill team added to its overflowing trophy case with another great showing at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Dance and Drill State Championships in the Yakima SunDome.

The Highlanders took first in 3A pom with a score of 252.3.

Liberty goes from 3A to 2A

Liberty High School sports teams went from 3A to 2A beginning in the 2014-2015 school year.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association released enrollment numbers showing Liberty, at 891.8, is the size of a 2A school. Schools with less than 990.8 students, but more than 472, are considered 2A.

In the recent past, the Patriots had opted up to the 3A level, despite its stature as one of the state’s smallest 3A schools, but this time around, administrators decided to test the 2A waters.

Former Liberty Athletic Director Stark Porter said he looked at the move as a two-year experiment, after which the school would re-evaluate things.

Hazen’s basketball star signs with ASU

With the swift stroke of a pen, Hazen High School senior Dominic Green made a permanent decision about the setting of his life’s next chapter Nov. 12.

The Hazen basketball star signed his national letter of intent to play at Arizona State University next year, officially making him a Sun Devil.

Green, a small forward, chose Arizona State over offers from schools such as Washington State University, Portland State University and the University of Montana.

Green is the first Hazen boys basketball player to sign with a Division I school since 1992, when Jason Hamilton began his career at San Diego State University before transferring to the University of Washington. Hamilton now serves as a radio analyst for the Huskies’ basketball team.

Patriots win first swim title

By Greg Farrar
The Liberty High School swim team cheers Nov. 15 as the 400-yard freestyle relay team wins the final event and the Patriots run away with their first-ever team state swimming championship.

The 2014 Liberty girls swim team won the program’s first state championship in a devastatingly dominant fashion. The Patriots won seven of the meet’s 12 events and left the King County Aquatic Center with a 2A record final score of 348 points.

To put that score in perspective, second-place finisher Sehome, coincidentally Liberty coach Kris Daughters’ alma mater, had 188 points.

“That was one of the most fun nights of my existence,” a beaming Daughters said at the end of the meet.

Senior Mackenna Briggs led Liberty swimmers with two individual wins, capturing the 100-yard butterfly with a 2A meet record time of 55.65 seconds, and cruising to victory in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.78. Briggs, a University of San Diego commit, also won the Swimmer of the Meet Award.

Hazen, Liberty wrestlers shine at Mat Classic

Malik Haythorne’s senior season of wrestling was emblematic of his entire Hazen High School team — growth was evident.

A year after failing to win a match at the state championships, Haythorne nearly wound up capturing a 3A state title. He settled for second place at 152 pounds as the Mat Classic XXVI wrapped up Feb. 22 at the Tacoma Dome.

Haythorne’s runner-up finish topped the Highlanders’ six-athlete contingent at the Mat Classic. Raven Svenson, a freshman who took seventh in the 155-pound girls division, was Hazen’s only other medalist.

On the Liberty side, three Patriots reached the medal podium.

Conner Small took third at 160 pounds, Romney Noel was sixth at 170 and Joanna Moreira took sixth in the 137-pound girls division.

Patriots put together big fall at 2A

In its first sports season at 2A, the Liberty Athletic Department put together an impressive 2014 fall postseason.

In addition to the swim team’s 2A state title, other teams took home hardware, too.

The Liberty boys and girls cross-country teams each earned third place at the state championships in Pasco Nov. 8, taking home the first state trophies in program history.

The Patriots’ volleyball team also made history, making its first state appearance and earning an eighth-place trophy.

Hazen senior named a Sea Gal

Hazen High School 2014 graduate Errin Mekel was selected as a member of the Seattle Seahawks dance team, the Sea Gals, for the 2014-2015 season.

Mekel, also a member of the state-champion Hazen drill team in 2014, competed in a marathon of workshops, tryouts and auditions to be selected as a Sea Gal.

She used her athleticism, knowledge of choreography and passion to win over judges in the selection process. Out of the hundreds of women who try out, only between 24 and 32 are selected for the squad.

Liberty tennis star goes out on top

A year after Liberty High School tennis player Jenny Adams teamed up with Kristy Braunston to take second at the 3A state doubles tournament, Adams went solo with almost as much success.

She placed fourth at the 3A state tennis singles tournament May 31.

Adams, who graduated in 2014 as one of Liberty’s best tennis players ever, defeated Shadle Park’s Audra Spargo in three sets to win the fourth-place medal.

Hazen coach steps down to lead alma mater

The Hazen High School football team began spring 2014 practices under new leadership after head coach Drew Oliver stepped down to take over at Newport High School, his alma mater.

Oliver took over the program in 2009, and under his direction, Hazen returned to the state playoffs during the 2011 season, for the first time since 1993.

Oliver, who grew up in the Newport Hills neighborhood, coached at Newport prior to accepting the job at Hazen.

David Kilpatrick-White took over for Oliver. The 2003 Bothell High School graduate came to Hazen via the Bothell program, having coached freshmen wide receivers.

Hazen finished 4-6 under the first-year coach.

A year after failing to win a match at the state championships, Haythorne nearly wound up capturing a Class 3A state title. He settled for second place at 152 pounds as the Mat Classic XXVI wrapped up Feb. 22 at the Tacoma Dome.

By Greg Farrar
Malik Haythorne (left), Hazen High School senior, works to get a takedown against Decatur senior Christian Aragon in his first round 152-pound bout during the 3A state wrestling championships Feb. 21 at the Tacoma Dome.

Haythorne’s tournament run began with a pin against Decatur’s Christian Aragon, progressed with a 7-5 overtime decision against Bainbridge’s Dylan Read, and reached the title bout with a 12-7 victory over North Central’s Cody Kiourkas.

In the championship match, Hudson’s Bay senior Gunnar Metzger pinned Haythorne in 2 minutes, 37 seconds.

Haythorne, however, was basking in a winning glow for most of the tournament. He wore a big grin after defeating Read in the quarterfinals, a match in which Haythorne trailed 5-1 after two periods before he scored the final six points.

He didn’t let failure dominate his thoughts.

“Honestly, there’s always a little doubt, but then when you reassess the situation and stick to your fundamentals, you realize what you’re best at,” Haythorne said. “It all just comes down to who wanted it more, and I think that was me at the end of the day.”

Haythorne beat Read by two points at a tournament in December, so the pair were familiar with each other. At the start of the third period, a technical violation gave Haythorne a point, and he quickly escaped to get within 5-3.

With 30 seconds left in regulation, Haythorne took down Read for the tying points, then repeated the feat early in overtime.

Haythorne’s runner-up finish topped the Highlanders’ six-athlete contingent at the Mat Classic. Raven Svenson, a freshman who took seventh in the 155-pound girls division, was Hazen’s only other medalist.

Svenson dropped an 11-9 decision to Lincoln’s D.J. White in the first round, but quickly battled back in the consolation bracket.

She pinned Connell’s Caily Mendez in 2:15, and earned an 11-8 win over Mount Baker’s Aniecea Camacho to advance to the medal round.

At 106, freshman Tyson Mowrey got a tough draw and lost his opener to North Central’s Clai Quintanilla by pin in 1:22.

Quintanilla went on to win the state title, and although Mowrey pinned Franklin’s Lam Tran in 39 seconds, he didn’t reach the medal round as Peninsula’s Michael Campigotto pinned him in 5:38.

Junior Derek Nichols (126) suffered a similar fate. He drew Shorewood senior Matthew Floresca to start the tourney, and Floresca won by pin in 2:40 en route to the state title. Ferndale’s Adaeus Wilson-Premo pinned Nichols in a loser-out match.

Zach Moore, a junior, finished 1-2 at 138 pounds. He lost 10-8 to Bainbridge’s Jack Miller on a last-second takedown, beat Enumclaw’s Ben Cross 10-1, and lost 6-3 to Shadle Park’s Connor Kerr.

Senior Jairo Barahona (182) lost twice — 11-5 to Peninsula’s Luke Holsinger, and 6-3 to North Central’s Junior Villaro.

Hazen’s season was largely successful, Haythorne noted, as the squad finished second at sub-regional competition and seventh at the Region 3 meet. The Highlanders scored 25 points to finish 30th overall at state.

“Our program is actually growing,” Haythorne said. “It’s starting to look a lot tougher. We’ve been right up there with tough teams. We saw Oak Harbor in a dual meet, and even though they beat us, it was really close. It just shows the program is starting to come together after five years.”

Three Liberty athletes medal

The Liberty High School wrestling team had three athletes reach the medal podium.

Joanna Moreira, a junior, was among the top-ranked 137-pound girls all season, but had to settle for sixth place after three straight losses to end the season.

Moreira reached the semifinals with a bruising 7-4 victory over Othello’s Phelicia Perez, the type of match that symbolized her season.

“Usually, I go three rounds,” she said. “I rarely pin, and even though that’s kind of iffy, it’s kind of helped me because of my conditioning. I can go three rounds. If I’m tied in the second round, I know I can beat this girl by fitness. I’m conditioned way better.”

Liberty juniors Conner Small and Romney Noel also earned medals. Small took third at 160 pounds, and Noel was sixth at 170.

Kyle Armstrong (120) and Quinn Magendanz (182) also reached state for the Patriots, but neither advanced to the medal round.