Mat Classic: Kiona-Benton boys advance 4 to 1A semifinals

Kiona-Benton made a little noise Friday in the Class 1A division of Mat Classic.

The Bears advanced four of their seven boys into Saturday’s semifinals, led by senior Jaron Gunter at 120 pounds.

Gunter (120) advanced with an 11-2 win over Moses Kilpatrick of Vashon Island in the first round, then pinned Aaron Cardoza of Granger in 3:59 in the quarterfinals.

“There’s nothing better,” Gunter said of reaching the semis. “I’m trying to stay focused and keep a good pace.”

Keaton Covington (106), Angel Del Angel (113), Flavio Sandoval (138) and Anthony Llernas (285) reached the quarterfinals for the Bears, with Del Angel, Sandoval and Llernas all making the semifinals.

The Bears are seventh in the 1A team race with 41 points, while Granger is running away with things after Day 1 with 114 points.

In the 2A division, Othello had a good morning with four making the quarterfinals, but by the end of the day, just Reese Jones (170) and TJ Martinez (195)were still in the running for gold.

The Huskies looked to have three advance, but freshman Isaiah Perez (220), who led 5-0 after two rounds against Caden Hicks of Tumwater, found himself in a heap of trouble in third, got taken down and pinned at 5:48.

“That was a big one that got away,” Othello coach Sammy Rocha said. “It was going as expected, but Isaiah has to learn situational wrestling at this level. Reese and TJ are seasoned guys. They have been here before. They are hard to beat — they don’t make mistakes.”

Toppenish leads the 2A team race with 68 points, while Othello is sixth with 31 points.

Connell had Jonathan Magana (106) and Alexander Deines move into the semifinals, while Royal advanced Abraham Medina (126).

In the girls division, Hanford’s Libby Graham won her first match, but failed to reach the semifinals.

Othello moved Nikki Velazquez (130), Elizabeth Giles (135) and Kaylee Martinez (140) into the semifinals. The Huskies are third in the team race with 40 points, 10 back of leader Yelm.

Sunnyside’s Aylin Bautista (170) and Stephanie Blankenship (105) moved into the semifinals, as did Warden’s Aaliyah Escamilla (100) and Angelica Vela (105).

This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 9:56 PM with the headline "Mat Classic: Kiona-Benton boys advance 4 to 1A semifinals."