3 Hermiston wrestlers win WA titles. How other Mid-Columbia schools finished

Kyle Larson said his Hermiston boys wrestlers had been knocking on the door for so long trying to grab a team state championship, that everyone knew it was just a matter of time.

The Bulldogs had been flirting with a team title for five years, and last Friday in Tacoma, Hermiston scored 280.5 points to earn the Class 3A boys team title.

Spokane’s University High placed second at 219.5 points.

Larson was still excited a week later about Hermiston’s team title.

“It’s about time, don’t you think?” said Larson of last Friday night’s win. “We were confident we could do it. I thought there was a chance that we could score pretty high.”

Three Hermiston wrestlers — Aidan Larson, Jayden Martinez, and Jacoby Rodriguez — won individual state titles.

Aidan Larson, a junior who happens to be Kyle Larson’s son, defeated Tavarie Lee of Lincoln-Tacoma by a 10-8 score to take the 138-pound championships. Larson finished the season with a 46-4 record.

Meanwhile, Martinez (42-5), a sophomore, beat Kent Meridian’s Luke Garza 11-6 in the 132-pound title match.

Rodriguez (43-6), a senior, scored an 8-0 major decision in the 144-pound championship, beating Capital’s Patrick Halpin.

Hermiston senior Hayden Larson (45-7 and Kyle Larson’s nephew) placed second, falling 6-5 to Mercer Island’s Luke Sincock at 175 pounds in the championship match.

“I thought those four guys had a pretty good chance at winning state titles,” said Kyle Larson, whose squad also won the Mid-Columbia Conference regular-season dual meet title, as well as the District 5 team championship.

The Bulldogs’ Brayden Medelez (37-11) added a fourth-place finish at 126.

Kyle Larson said it’s too hard to compare Hermiston teams in this day and age, what with there being more classifications compared to the 2001 team that won an Oregon team title.

Larson himself was a sophomore on that squad.

And with seven returning placers coming back for the 2026-27 season, Hermiston wrestling fans should expect more success.

“Most of the guys who started for us have been wrestling here since they were 6, 8, 10 years old,” said Larson. “We hold them to a high standard. We expect them to believe it is possible (to win state championships).”

In other Class 3A boys’ highlights, Southridge senior Gabe Borisch capped his prep career with a third-place finish at 165 pounds. Borisch finished the season with a 31-4 record.

Kennewick sophomore Andrew Vogtman (35-6) placed fourth in the 113-pound division.

4A boys

While Tahoma (283.5 points) and Gonzaga Prep (251.5) placed 1-2 in the team title race, Kamiakin finished a respectable fourth with 158.5 points.

That included a state championship at 285 pounds by the Braves’ Brooks Knight.

The senior beat Lake Stevens’ Mikey Lawrence 4-2 in the title match Friday night. Knight finished his season with a 41-4 record.

Knight’s teammate, senior Cannon Meagher (28-8), earned second-place points after losing 10-2 to Gonzaga Prep’s Austin Schield in the 138-pound final.

Two other Kamiakin wrestlers, Tom Le and Teague Meagher, earned fourth-place medals.

Le, a senior at 126 pounds, finished his season with a 39-12 record. Sophomore Teague Meagher finished 42-10 at 120.

Chiawana senior Tayten Cissne finished the season with a 39-8 record after losing the 175-pound title match to Mead’s Duane Leslie by a 5-1 score.

Chiawana junior Trenton Vasquez (39-13) earned a third-place finish at 150.

4A girls

Richland’s Savannah Thorpe and Sunnyside’s Alyssa Graciano each won their individual state titles on Friday.

Thorpe, a senior, defeated Redmond’s Olivia Bishop 4-1 in the 115-pound title match. She also becomes the first ever individual state champion in Richland High School history. Thorpe ended her prep career with a 42-5 record this season.

Graciano, meanwhile, beat Kamiakin junior Daneill Tristan 3-0 for the 125-pound championship.

Graciano, a junior, ends her season with a 32-11 record. Kamiakin’s Tristan, finishing second, is 30-6.

Sunnyside senior Danica Torres was pinned by Mead’s Briella Portrey in the 110-pound final, giving Torres a second-place finish and a 37-6 record.

Three other local wrestlers had third-place finishes: Chiawana senior Matty Figueroa (28-5) at 110 pounds; Pasco junior Arianna Mendoza (27-11) at 115; and Kamiakin senior Ayla Mitchell (41-5) at 105.

Three more local athletes finished fourth: Pasco junior Netzary Delcid (34-10) at 105; Richland freshman Alyzah Gonzalez (42-8) at 100; and Chiawana senior Mireya Serna (26-14) at 120.

3A girls

Walla Walla’s Kylie Whitaker successfully defended her state title at 135 pounds, while Hermiston scored enough points to finish second in the team standings on Friday.

Whitaker, a senior for the Blue Devils, completed a 34-1 season when she pinned Kent Meridian’s Nevaeh Tantoco in 1:33 for her second championship.

Meanwhile, junior Kianna Gutierrez-Munoz (38-2) outscored Kelso’s Ava Risner 12-10 in the 145-pound state championship match, giving Hermiston its lone individual crown.

The Bulldogs scored 213 points. Only Kelso, with 266.5 points, was better.

Hermiston had three others place second: senior Harleigh Cubbage-Thorp (37-7) at 235; sophomore Iaunny Ruiz (31-8) at 100; and sophomore Emily Stone (39-3) at 140.

Southridge sophomore Lexi Allen (13-1) earned a second-place finish at 120 pounds, while teammate Kiara Haertling (170 pounds) finished third, and Desirae Juarez (130) was fourth.

Haertling finished 33-5 this season, while Juarez was 42-4.

Kennewick freshman Evalyn Mendoza (23-10) finished fourth at 115 pounds.

2A boys

Three Mid-Columbia athletes grabbed third-place finishes, and another one finished fourth.

Prosser sophomore Bryan Garcia Rosas finished third at 113 pounds, completing the season with a 38-10 record.

Meanwhile, Othello seniors Daniel Gonzalez (29-7) and Mason Russell (38-9) also grabbed thirds. Gonzalez wrestled at 132 pounds, while Russell was at 138.

Othello sophomore Xavier Mendez (27-8) finished fourth at 113.

2A girls

Grandview sophomore Heidy Larios Verduzco earned an individual state championship at 115 pounds on Saturday, as she defeated Lucy Hornby of W.F. West (Chehalis) 3-1 in the final.

Larios Verduzco finished her season with a 28-2 record.

Two other area wrestlers placed second in the finals.

Prosser junior Alexa Carrasco (35-8) lost 7-6 to Toppenish’s Aaliyah Gonzalez in the 100-pound title match.

Othello freshman Addie Russell lost in the 140-pound final, getting pinned at 5:13 by North Kitsap’s Carly Anderson. Still, Russell finished the season with an impressive 38-6 record.

Othello had two other wrestlers place third: junior Grayce Mendez (15-1) at 110 pounds, and senior Angie Monday (9-1) at 130.

1A boys

Royal freshman Stratton Yorgesen lost his final at 106 pounds on Saturday.

His second-place finish was the best among area 1A wrestlers.

Yorgesen finished his season at 42-10.

Three other Royal wrestlers placed third: senior Dennis Hernandez (39-12) at 120 pounds; junior Cael Orth (41-10) at 165; and senior Shea Stevenson (28-6) at 175.

Royal teammate and senior Thomas Antonio (42-13) finished fourth at 132 pounds; and Kiona-Benton junior Omar Gonzalez (32-14) placed fourth at 113.

1B/2B/1A girls

Royal had three individual state champions, which helped the Knights earn a state team title with 262 points. Granger was second with 172.

Sophomore Hali Christensen (135 pounds), freshman Sophia Garza (110), and senior Reese Prescott (115) each won titles for the Knights.

Christensen (37-9) pinned Naches Valley’s Emmaline Snyder in 2:40 for her crown; Garza (41-7) pinned Goldendale’s Olivia Myers in 1:08; and Prescott pinned Mt. Baker’s Karalyn Cook in 13 seconds.

Royal senior Sharon Arroyo finished second at 100, getting pinned by Granger’s Vanessa Torres in 5:04 in the final. Arroyo ended the season with a 32-10 record.

Royal freshman Elizabeth Jenks (46-6) earned a third-place finish at 170 pounds; while teammates Isabel Barajas (115), Leah Christensen (190) and Heaven Parker (125) all placed fourth.

Barajas, a junior, finished 40-19; Christensen, a sophomore, was 32-13; and Parker, a junior, was 35-18.

Other local individual state champs included Connell sophomore Madison Magana (41-7), who beat Castle Rock’s Larissa Fulton 7-4 to win the 105-pound title.

Kiona-Benton junior Aubrey Newberry repeated as 235-pound champion, when she beat Nina Siribun of Raymond/South Bend in overtime 4-1 for a sudden victory. Newberry had a 35-3 record this season.

Ki-Be senior Jayleth Gonzalez placed second at 125 pounds, getting pinned at 2:20 by Jade Blair of Forks in the final. Gonzalez was 39-12.

Connell senior Leah Steele (35-19) finished fourth at 170.

1B/2B boys

Three area boys finished high atop the podium in their respective weight classes.

Warden junior Raylen Heredia placed second at 113 pounds, losing to Lake Roosevelt’s Collin Christman in a technical fall.

Heredia finished with a 25-9 record.

River View senior Carter Pease placed second at 285 pounds, and he had a 39-8 record. Kenneth Daman of Forks pinned Pease in 43 seconds in the state finals.

Columbia-Burbank junior Jacob Johnson (40-14) placed third at 150 pounds.

-Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.

This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 4:10 PM.