Kamiakin crowns 8 champs on way to district title

The Kamiakin Braves had a slim lead heading into the championship matches Saturday afternoon, but the point exploded from there.

The Braves went out and won eight of 14 titles, picking up the 3A Mid-Columbia Conference district title at Southridge High School for the third year in a row.

“When it gets to the finals, our guys wrestle tough,” Kamiakin coach Jordan Anderson said. “We had some guys like Austin Hayward, who won at 120, do a good job, and the heavyweights, that was a great match.”

The Braves rolled up 366 points, followed by Southridge (319.5) and Kennewick (145). The Suns had five champions, while the Lions had one.

The MCC will send its top three wrestlers in each weight class to the 3A Region 3 Tournament Feb. 9-10 at Edmonds-Woodway High School.

Kamiakin will send 20 wrestlers, while Southridge has 14 and Kennewick eight.

“The MCC is one of the toughest in the state,” Anderson said. “With us, Southridge, Chiawana, Pasco and Hanford — every team has someone who contributes. It’s all a reflection of the coaches, the kids programs and the hard work the guys put in. We are excited to go back over there and show them what Tri-City wrestling is all about.”

The Tri-City fans got quite a show Saturday, with the 285-pound match the highlight of the day.

Southridge’s Yuriy Slutskiy took the mat against Kamiakin’s Brock McCue, and after a scoreless first round, Slutskiy earned a 3-point near fall in the second for a 3-0 lead. McCue maneuvered a reversal, and Slutskiy recorded an escape for a 4-2 lead heading into the final round.

With Slutskiy taking the down position, McCue controlled the action and earned two stalling points, the last with 30 seconds remaining, to knot the score at 4-4.

With the first overtime solving nothing, Slutskiy took the down position to start the second OT, and when he could not escape, the third overtime rolled around.

With McCue on the bottom, Slutskiy was able to record a 2-point near fall, and McCue got an escape with 9 seconds left on the clock, but that would be it as Slutskiy escaped with a 6-5 victory.

“I started off slow,” Slutskiy said, trying to catch his breath. “I usually start aggressive. When I was down, I was planning on chilling, but I learned not to stall anymore. Just go out and wrestle as hard as you can.”

Slutskiy said it was a move he learned from his brother Greg’s coach at Kennewick that helped him get the back points in the third overtime.

“You get your legs locked in, cradle and lean back,” he said.

McCue, an undersized heavyweight all season, has had a ton of success, but Slutskiy has been his kryptonite this year.

“He is a second-year guy, and to see how far he has come in two years is awesome,” Anderson said of McCue. “He has done great and is very coachable. He’ll get another shot next week.”

Xavier Zavala (113), Hayward (120), Austin Almaguer (132) and Rece Quintana (138) already had their titles sewn up, leaving Joey Chavez to strut his stuff at 145 against Ryan Nett of Southridge.

With Chavez, ranked No. 3 in the state rankings, and Nett at No. 4, a classic battle was brewing. But it never boiled over the top. Chavez took down Nett, got him trussed up and pinned in 1:48.

Kamiakin’s Sione Halo, who is is ranked No. 2, took top honors at 152, beating Steven Saltz of Southridge 13-2.

At 160, top-ranked Emilio Ramos of Kennewick eked out a 2-1 win over second-ranked Mikael Failor of Southridge. Ramos recorded a 2-point near fall in the third round, and Failor registered an escape with 20 seconds remaining, but would not score again.

Southridge’s Mark Meier, the state’s top man at 170, found himself on the wrong side of Kamiakin’s Jacob Olson, who pinned Meier at the end of the first round for the upset.

Jevon Johnson a newcomer to the MCC scene after transferring from Sacramento over the summer, won the 182-pound title for the Suns, pinning Gibby Marquez of Kamiakin in 5:30.

“Now that I have won the MCC, I’m confident,” Johnson said. “I can hold my head up high and not let anything slow me down. Kamiakin may have won the trophy, but as a team we got a considerable boost going into regionals.”

Kamiakin’s Luke Eskelsen won at 220, posting a 7-5 decision over Southridge’s Atsamaz Pliev.

This story was originally published February 3, 2018 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Kamiakin crowns 8 champs on way to district title."