HERMISTON, Ore.-The Hermiston Men’s Varsity Wrestling Team won the 3A Washington State Duals in Edmonds, Washington on January 31.
The State Duals are a new title this season, and the Bulldogs competed against 16 of the top teams in Washington to claim the inaugural championship.
“It was an awesome experience,” said Hermiston Head Coach Kyle Larson. “This was the start of history, it’s kind of strange that Hermiston, a school from Oregon won the first one, but we’ll always go and compete if we’re invited.”
A new title
To qualify for the State Duals Championship, teams had to have finished in the top eight in the state last season, be league champions, or be invited.
“I was fired up the first time I heard about the dual title,” said Larson. “The dual aspect is so different, it’s awesome to see 14-20 kids wanting their teammates to win. The excitement, camaraderie and support are awesome, especially when you get rolling through the first three or four matches.”
Unlike individual wrestling matches, where one wrestler grapples with another, dual meets consist of two teams competing against each other in multiple bouts across different weight classes, with scoring based on takedowns, escapes, reversals, near falls and pins.
“Every point and bonus point matters in duals,” said Larson. “Getting a pin and not getting a pin are obvious, but every wrestler has to do their job. If you get their number one guy, sometimes your job is not necessarily to pin them, but to not get pinned.”
3A Washington State Duals Champions
Hermiston opened the duals tournament with a 56-19 takedown of Shorewood, then pinned White River 53-21, before topping University 45-28, and then dominating Edmonds-Woodway, 61-12, for the championship.
“Our first match went well, but then they got tougher,” said Jacoby Rodriguez, a senior who wrestles at 144 pounds for the Bulldogs. “The team competed really well, though, and we won all our matches.”
Hermiston had the most dual wins of the tournament, with four, and scored the most team points with 215, en route to claiming the title.
“It’s good to know we won it the first time,” said Rodriguez. “Hopefully Hermiston can go back-to-back next year.”
For Aidan Larson, a junior who finished second at state for Hermiston last season, the dual meet title was a great team experience.
“It was a nice bonding experience for our team,” said Larson. “It’s an awesome feeling knowing Hermiston will be in the record books forever.”
On to Districts
The Bulldogs will compete at the WIAA District 6 State Qualifying Tournament at the Spokane Convention Center February 6-7, with the top six wrestlers qualifying for state.
Hermiston will face a different format at Districts, with teams bringing their JV squads with them, making for teams of over 20 wrestlers, and 22-man brackets, but the goal remains the same.
“Our goal is to win and set up to qualify as many individuals for state as possible,” said Larson.
Mat Classic XXXVII, the WIAA State Wrestling Tournament, is February 19-20 in the Tacoma Dome.
