History making season: Southridge’s Zayid Al-Ghani is the Herald’s All-Area Wrestler of the Year

Zayid Al-Ghani was in the eighth grade at Highlands Middle School the first time Southridge coach Steve Isley laid eyes on the budding wrestler. He knew the young man was destined to do great things.

“He told me I’d be a state champion,” Al-Ghani recalled of their first conversation.

Isley doesn’t deny it.

“I told everyone at our awards banquet that I have probably said that 100 times to 100 different kids,” Isley said. “I was wrong the other 99 times. There are talented kids, but some don’t continue to wrestle, stay on track, stay in school or or work hard enough. There have been kids who have gone off the path who could have been state placers. You have to put in the work.”

Al-Ghani, the Herald’s All-Area Wrestler of the Year, won the Class 3A 170-pound title last month, becoming just the second Southridge wrestler to win a state title. The other was Eric Schwartz (Class 1A, 101 pounds) in 1997.

“It feels good to be part of history at our school,” Al-Ghani said. “It’s definitely the highlight of my high school career. It’s what I wanted to achieve.”

Isley still is beaming with pride.

“The reality still is setting in, and I was just the coach,” he said.

Kamiakin’s Jordan Anderson was named Coach of the Year. He led the Braves to district and regional titles before finishing third in the Class 3A team race at state.

“It was a great year. A great team effort from the beginning to the end,” Anderson said. “It was great to see us finish like we did. What’s nice is, we do have a lot coming back, but we are losing five solid seniors. The leadership we are losing will be hard to replace, but we have some sophomores and juniors ready to step into their shoes.”

Al-Ghani, who finished his senior season with a 37-4 record, was a unanimous choice by the Mid-Columbia Conference coaches as the upper weight wrestler of the year. He won district and regional titles heading into state, where he was in one of the most challenging weight classes.

“At 160 and 170, you have some of the best athletes you will see,” Isley said. “Zayid is as fast as a 120-pound kid, and as strong as a 195-pound kid.”

Al-Ghani opened his state run with a first-round pin of Vlad Buchheit of O’Dea, then followed with a 9-2 decision over Zach Threlfall of Kelso to reach the semifinals.

Al-Ghani met up with Keegan Dorsey of Bonney Lake in the semis, where he eked out a 3-2 decision to advance to the finals.

“Going into the semis was the hardest part,” Al-Ghani said. “I made the semis last year, but mentally I wasn’t there. I was a junior, I was scared. This time, I was ready and worked my way through it.”

Added Isley: “I knew the semifinal match would be the tough one,” he said. “My assistants and I were nervous before the match. We knew if he got to the finals, that Zayid was better than the other kid.”

Keith Pablo of Marysville-Pilchuck was Al-Ghani’s opponent in the finals, and the two wrestlers were scoreless after the first period. Pablo got an escape in the second, only to be taken down by Al-Ghani with 20 seconds left in the round.

Al-Ghani maneuvered and escape and another takedown for a 5-1 lead with 53 seconds left in the match. Pablo got a late escape to make it 5-2, which is where it stood in the end.

“In the finals, you are anxious,” Al-Ghani said. “Everyone is watching just your match. It was nerve wracking. One little mistake and you are on your back, you are second and that is the end of your high school career. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.”

The future still is a little murky for Al-Ghani. North Idaho College would like him to come and wrestle for them, but football (he is a running back) is his first love and Grossmont College in San Diego has expressed interest.

Al-Ghani would like to major in physical therapy or sports medicine, and both schools would be a good starting point.

“I don’t think he has reached his full potential on the mat,” Isley said. “If he committed himself, he could be an All-American at NIC. He needs to take the visits and see what’s best for him.”

This story was originally published March 14, 2017 at 4:03 PM with the headline "History making season: Southridge’s Zayid Al-Ghani is the Herald’s All-Area Wrestler of the Year."