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Shelton-Mason County Journal
NMWRESTLING
Zac Joaquin earns state title, brother Pedro loses in finals
By DEAN SIEMON
North Mason High School junior
Zac Joaquin achieved what 1,200
grapplers across the state traveled
to the Tacoma Dome this weekend
have dreamed of- being a cham-
pion.
Joaquin won the 2A ll2-pound
championship match at the WIAA
Mat Classic on Saturday at the Ta-
coma Dome, defeating Squalicum
High School's Ren Bishop 11-9 in
overtime.
In the third period, Joaquin was
leading 9-6 before Bishop earned an
escape and takedown as time ex-
pired.
"It was pretty crazy," Joaquin
said. "He got away from me in a
split second."
Aider both grapplers were de-
fending each other's attempt in the
first minute, Zac Joaquin was able
to defend a takedown attempt from
Bishop and gained position for the
two points.
"I was looking for the switch for a
split second he showed an opening,"
he said. "I still had to work for it."
The North Mason junior said he
began Testling in 2006 while in
eighth grade
"I've always wanted a state cham-
pionship," he said. "But I knew I
had to work hard and it feels great."
But only hag.the battle is win-
ning the state championship, as
Joaquin is already thinking about
defending his title next season as a
senior.
"That means I have to step it
up way more this year," he said.
"There're some certain moves I
want to work on, defensive ones."
"We're already planning an off-
season program for him," said North
Mason head coach Tony Coppinger.
"He'll be better next year."
the glory of a state championship,
another was unable to repeat the
same success.
Sertior Pedro Joaquin, Zac's
"I've w;
into true
I
teammates."
brother, faced a familiar foe in
North Kitsap High School's Jake
Velarde during the 2A ll9-pound
championship match, who won the
2010 championship at the same
weight.
"This season, I knew Jake was
going to be tough," Pedro Joaquin
said. "And if I wanted to hang with
him, I had to work hard."
Velarde was able to match the
North Mason senior's speed in a 6-2
decision on Saturday.
The two wrestled to a de-
cision where Velarde won at the
North Mason invitational tourna-
ment in January.
Pedro Joaquin was scheduled to
wrestle Velarde during the 2A Re-
gion III tournament the week be-
fore but pulled out due to illness.
"I thought people would think I
coward out, but I didn't, I was ill,"
Pedro Joaquin said. "To wrestle him
in the state finals, it felt great."
said after giving
everything he had on the mat,
wrestling in the state finals was a
good way to end his North Mason
See Joaquins on page C-5
Journal ~hotos by Dean Siemon
Above, North Mason High School junior Zac Joaquin gives a hug to head coach Tony
Coppinger after winning the 2A ll2-pound championship on Saturday at the WIAA
Mat Classic on Saturday. Right, North Mason senior Pedro Joaquin, who finished
second at 119 pounds, is shown wrestling Bellingham High School's Nolan Takemura
during Friday's preliminary rounds of the Mat Classic.
SHSWRESTLING
Journal photo by Dean Siembn
Shelton High School's Colby Barber attempts to bridge out of a pinning attempt from
Mariner High School's Alex Coffman on Friday at the IAA Mat Classic at the Taco-
ma Dome.
By DEAN SIEMON
While the three Shelton High
School Highclimber wrestlers who
competed at the 4A WIAA Mat
Classic wrestling tournament had
high expectations, the competition
at the Tacoma Dome was too much.
In the first day on Friday, all
three" Highclimbers were elimi-
nated in the double elimination
rounds.
"It's the top 16 in the state and
you have to bring you're A-game,"
said junior Ty McCullough, who
competed in his second Mat Clas-
sic.
While many of the more than
500 wrestlers (ranging from 1B to
4A) feel the nerves and emotion
from the tournament, some felt
went 0-2 for the second straight
season.
McCullough's day first started
with an 11-0 decision loss to Rich-
land High School's Josh Andrew.
"My gameplan was to get the
first takedown, then it changed to
turning him and pinning him," Mc-
Cullough said.
In a loser-out match, Mc-
Culloughwas trailing before being
pinned in the final second against
Andrew Vulliet from Edmonds-
Woodway High School.
Sophomore Jakeob Garrick be-
gan his day in the 125-pound di-
vision with a pinfall victory over
Roosevelt (Seattle) High School's
Calvin Olds with 10 seconds left.
"I was real surprised I was
right at home. able to pin a high-level guy like
"I've grown up with wrestling all that," Garrick said. "I knew all my
my life and it just felt right being matches were going to be tough,"
here," said Shelton junior Colby But he was unable to get a good
Barber. start in his second match, where
At 112 pounds; McCullough See Climbers on pageC:4
• Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011- Shelton-Mason cOunty JoUmai : Page c,1