Bulldogs win five titles in Aberdeen wrestling tourney

Their spoils did not include a team championship, but Montesano’s wrestlers nevertheless made a statement in Aberdeen’s Kickoff Classic.

Advancing seven wrestlers to the title round and winning five individual crowns, the Bulldogs placed second in a strong field at Aberdeen’s early season tourney on Saturday at Sam Benn Gym.

Olympic of Silverdale, the state’s fifth-ranked 2A team, took team honors with 248 points. So deep were the Trojans that their JV team placed sixth — beating four varsity squads — in the team standings.

Jacob Ellefson, Tony Williams, Kylar Prante, Austin Cain and Anthony Louthan nabbed titles as Class 1A Montesano placed second with 208 points. Columbia River was a distant third with 148 1/2.

Perennial Class 2A power Chehalis brought only a handful of competitors to the event.

The showing reinforced preseason projections that Montesano could be a force to be reckoned with at the regional and state 1A level this season.

“Our goal is to finish in the top three in every tournament we enter,” Montesano coach Jeff Klinger noted. “Obviously, we wanted to be No. 1, but when we saw what Olympic had, we knew it was going to be tough.”

Ellefson’s victory came in the most anticipated title-round pairing. He outdueled Hoquiam’s Jesse Velez in overtime in a 126-pound battle of state placewinners. Oddly, this was the first-ever meeting of the Harbor standouts.

The Bulldog sophomore secured an escape at the outset of the second round. The 1-0 lead stood up until midway through the final stanza, when Velez was awarded a stall point to force overtime.

Ellefson registered a takedown 26 seconds into the extra period to clinch the victory.

Prante breeezed through the 170-pound bracket. After polishing off his semifinal foe in only 38 seconds, he was forced to go the distance against North Mason’s Cole Rinehart in the championship match, but controlled the contest every bit as convincingly as the 15-2 score indicated.

Cain spent even less time on the mat, notching first-round pins in each of his three contested bouts. He needed only 90 seconds to finish Franklin Pierce’s top-seeded Max-Henry Nelson in the 152-pound final.

Louthan decisioned North Mason’s Joe Buxton, 8-3, in the 195-pound title contest.

Williams, only a freshman but very successful in age-group tournaments, scored a takedown in the opening 19 seconds and went on to beat Elma’s Mario Yanez by technical fall, 16-1, in a 120-pound final that was terminated only eight seconds into the second round.

Olympic’s Tre Toledo pinned Monte’s Tyler Izatt with only six seconds remaining in their 113-pound title contest. Izatt had hung tough until the final round, trailing only 4-1 after two stanzas.

Montesano’s Taylor Rupe dropped an 8-3 decision to Olympic’s Geordyn Shinard in the 220-pound final.

Aberdeen, Elma and Hoquiam competed in the tourney, but Hoquiam’s Velez and Elma’s Yanez were the only finalists from those schools.

Neither Elma nor Hoquiam was at full strength for the tourney.

“We came and got what we were going to get,” said Grizzly coach Fidel Sanchez, who was missing three regulars due to injuries and academic commitments. “Like we tell the kids, it’s not how we start, it’s how we finish.”

“I wish we would have had more finalists but, again, we are a really young team,” Elma coach Jason Dick observed. “For upperclassmen, I had three kids, period (today).”

106: Championship — Kaylomb Parrish (Olympic) dec. Alec Acfalle (Olympic JV), 9-2. Tied for third — Colton Harmon (North Mason) and Brendan Fleury (Aberdeen). 113: Championship — Tre Toledo (Olympic) pinned Tyler Izatt (Monte), 5:54. Tied for third — Martin Espino (Franklin Pierce) and Daniel Dial-Lopez (Franklin Pierce JV). 120: Championship — Tony Williams (Monte) tech. fall over Mario Yanez (E), 16-1. Tie for third — Jonas Heppe (E) and David Anderson (Franklin Pierce). 126: Championship — Jacob Ellefson (Monte) dec. Jesse Velez (Hoq), 3-1, OT. Tie for third — Jayden Olson (E) and Clay Whittiers (Columbia River). 132: Championship — Quentin Foster (Franklin Pierce) dec. Colton Peterson (North Mason), 4-0. Tie for third — Jacob Izatt (Monte) and Shane Santos (Olympic). 138: Championship — Jayden Fernandez (Olympic) dec. Melvin Santos (Olympic JV), 4-2. Tie for third — Austin Vinson (Monte) and Jacob Nowels (Chehalis). 145: Championship — Conner Thun (Columbia River) tech. fall over Kyle Ignacio (Olympic JV), 17-1. Tie for third — Jacob Nelson (E) and Logan Sigler (Chehalis).

152: Championship — Austin Cain (Monte) pinned Max-Henry Nelson (Franklin Pierce), 1:30. Tie for third — Nathan Pyles (Columbia River) and Tanner Olson (Olympic). 160: Championship — Logan Madison (Olympic) pinned Larry Anderson (Columbia River), 1:02. Tie for third — Cory Marsh (E) and Brian House (Franklin Pierce JV). 170: Championship — Kylar Prante (Monte) dec. Cole Rinehart (North Mason), 15-2. Tie for third — Jacob Jamieson (Aberdeen) and Jacob Pyles (Castle Rock). 182: Championship — Tyler Grewell (North Mason) pinned Jeremy Wojeck (Olympic JV), 3:12. Tie for third — Chaise Schuneman (Aberdeen) and Justin Baldwin (Aberdeen JV). 195: Championship — Anthony Louthan (Monte) dec. Joe Buxton (North Mason), 8-3. Tie for third — Matthew Guerrero (Olympic) and Sean Cook (Columbia River). 220: Championship — Geodyn Shinard (Olympic) dec. Taylor Rupe (Monte), 7-3. Tie for third — Nick Landseth (Hoq) and Nathan Gluck (Chehalis). Hwt: Championship — Umu Timoteo (Olympic) pinned Nico Ramirez (North Mason), 1:16. Tie for third — Gabe Fuiava (Olympic JV) and Nik Marsh (North Mason JV).