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By Drew Lawson
The Record-Times 

Five Gorillas qualify for state Mat Classic

Davenport finishes fourth at regionals

 

Last updated 2/16/2023 at 10:10am

Byrne Bennett | The Record-Times

Davenport 195-pound senior Sam Schneider performs a double leg takedown during the Region 3 Tournament at Reardan High School Saturday, Feb. 11. The Gorillas are sending five wrestlers and three alternates to the Mat Classic in Tacoma this weekend.

REARDAN - Five Davenport wrestlers are headed to the state Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome after qualifying at the 1B/2B Region 3 Tournament Saturday, Feb. 11. Additionally, three wrestlers were selected as alternates for state despite not qualifying through their efforts.

The Gorillas finished fourth as a team in the regional contest.

"To be honest, regionals didn't exactly go as planned," senior Matthew Wines said. "But we're still moving on...I think we'll have a good run if we can take it one match at a time."

Senior Sam Schneider was the lone Gorilla to finish first in his weight class at regionals, winning the 195-pound division. Schneider has a bye in the first round of the Mat Classic and will wrestle the winner of a match between Rainier senior Mason Hornby and Warden freshman Valentin Juarez.


Schneider is wrestling in his third Mat Classic and is gunning for his first state wrestling title.

"Perfect execution," Schneider said when asked about the keys to achieving that first-place finish. "Being there physically and mentally. There's minimal room for error...to be the best, you have to beat the best."

Fellow senior Wines finished third in the 160-pound division and will wrestle Rainier sophomore Zander Peck in the first round of the Mat Classic.

Freshman Brock Gustaveson finished second in the 182-pound division and will square off against Lake Roosevelt senior Junior Garcia in the first round of the Mat Classic. Fellow freshman Malachi Hoff placed second in the 126-pound division and will wrestle Granger junior Adrian Alvarez to begin his run in the Tacoma Dome.


Junior Brody Schillinger was the fifth Gorilla to qualify for state, placing third in the 152-pound division. He'll wrestle Toledo sophomore Bomani Birdwell in the first round of the Mat Classic.

Brendon Peters-Biggs, Zander Hoff and Ryan Cash will travel with the team as state alternates.

"We didn't hit the level we thought we should've (at regionals), but hopefully that was a good wakeup call for us ahead of the state tournament," Davenport head coach Matt Schneider said. "Every one of us has to be laser-focused."

The Mat Classic is set for Feb. 17-18 in the Tacoma Dome, with 12 1B/2B wrestlers facing off in a bracket format in each weight class.

Author Bio

Drew Lawson, Editor

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Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.

 

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