Chiawana wins state title again. 7 Tri-Cities area wrestlers are individual champs

Chiawana head wrestling coach Jack Anderson made himself sick on Monday.

All of the week’s hard work in Tacoma last week had drained him of any energy, and he had no voice left.

But he wore it like a badge of honor, after watching his Riverhawks repeat as Class 4A team champions at the WIAA’s Mat Classic XXXII, the state’s high school wrestling championships in the Tacoma Dome.

“It’s absolutely harder to repeat as a state champion,” said Anderson. “There is a lot of pressure. But the kids did well.”

All nine Chiawana wrestlers placed among the top eight in their respective weight classes — including state champions Robby Vaughn at 138 pounds, and Anderson’s son Isaiah at 195 — scoring team points for the cause.

“I was proud of them all,” said Jack Anderson. “Their work ethic is so strong. They’re all about the team. They’re never worried about the individual honors.”

And the Riverhawks have also put a target on their backs for years to come, as other schools will try to take them down.

“Isn’t that great?” said Jack Anderson. “I love having the Tri-Cities as a target. This area has always been known for its football, baseball and basketball. And now we’ve taken the sport of wrestling to the top.”

Altogether, the Mid-Columbia had one team — Chiawana — win a state title, as well as seven individuals.

Besides Isaiah Anderson and Vaughn, the other Mid-Columbia champions include Kennewick’s Ayanna Asselin, Sunnyside’s Elijah Barajas, Pasco’s Isaiah Gonzalez, Othello’s Emily Mendez and Othello’s Isaiah Perez.

Here’s a look at each state tournament:

Class 4A

Chiawana finished with 143 points, while Sunnyside placed second with 132.

Jack Anderson and his coaching staff worked the math, and by the time Vaughn had won his title at 138 pounds, they knew they had enough points to repeat as champs.

That’s good, because Sunnyside had rolled up a lot of points in the lower weights.

Barajas, a junior, defeated Decatur’s Colin Jack 1-0 in the 106-pound title to give the Grizzlies their lone individual state title.

But Sunnyside teammates Alejandro Fernandez (fourth at 113 pounds), Edward Villanueva (second at 120), Fabian Ortega (third at 126), Andrew Macias (second at 132) and Austin Villanueva (third at 138) all scored team points early.

However, once Vaughn won his state title — after three consecutive years of second-place finishes, the senior defeated South Kitsap’s Xavier Eaglin 5-2 in the final on Saturday — the Riverhawks started scoring points in the upper weights.

Vaughn said he entered the final by trusting in his abilities.

“I trusted the work I put in and I believed it would help me to do what I needed to be done,” said Vaughn. “I did underestimate (Eaglin) a little bit, though. I thought it would be an easier match, and I had to work for every point.”

Sophomore Darion Johnson, who won a state title at 120 pounds in 2019, finished second at 152.

Senior Riley Cissne finished his prep career with a third-place medal at 170.

Senior Tyson Stover — who also won a state title in 2019 — finished second at 182.

Isaiah Anderson followed that by beating Tahoma’s Michael Gasper 3-2 in the 195-pound final.

It was the sophomore’s second consecutive state title.

“Going into the final, I really had no nerves,” said Isaiah. “Our coaches preach to take in the moment and soak it all in. Plus, this wasn’t my first time in the finals. I was confident and comfortable.”

Anderson and Gasper had never battled each other on the mat before.

“I knew (Gasper) was a tough wrestler, and I knew he had a gas tank to push the ice during the match,” said Isaiah. “But watching film on him throughout this year, I knew I could beat him. I knew the whole year that I was going to have him in the state finals, and I had to train and push myself all year with that in mind.”

Riverhawks senior JJ Rodriguez added a fifth-place finish at 220 pounds.

“I think the most pleasant surprise was JJ Rodriguez,” said Jack Anderson. “He wasn’t ranked all season. He flew under the radar all year long, but we thought he’d do well.”

Pasco’s Gonzalez — who won a state title at 113 pounds as a freshman to finish his career with bookend championships — defeated Gideon Malychewski of Camas in a major decision of 16-8 in the 160-pound final.

Gonzalez said he really didn’t have a game plan going into the tournament.

“It was more of a thought process,” he said. “All I wanted to do was just stick with what I was best at, wrestle my match, and most importantly have fun.”

It also gave the Bulldogs senior an unbeaten season at 45-0.

“(Being undefeated) feels great,” said Gonzalez. “But I wasn’t thinking about it until towards the end of the season. I’ve never really been big on keeping track of records and rankings. Also, I’m never a person to shy away from a challenge such as a tough match, so I always wanted to find the competition.

“I just trained my best and took it one match at a time. Over time, the wins piled up. I am proud I was able to go undefeated.”

Pasco placed 15th among teams in the standings with 49 points.

Class 3A

Kamiakin and Hermiston each had two wrestlers with high placings.

For the Braves, senior Guillermo Ramirez finished second at 120 pounds, while junior Gilbert Marquez was third at 195.

Sam Cadenas (220 pounds) and Trevor Wagner (160) each finished third at their weight classes for Hermiston.

Kennewick junior Chayc Ottum nabbed a fifth place at 220.

Mt. Spokane won the team title with 141 points, while Hermiston placed 13th with 52 points, and Kamiakin 14th with 49.

Class 2A

Othello’s Perez completed his prep career with his third consecutive state title at 285 pounds, this time beating Wapato’s Eduardo Mendez 16-3 in a major decision.

Perez, headed to BYU this fall to play football, pinned his first three opponents.

His teammate, 145-pounder Arturo Solorio, finished second.

Prosser had three high placers: senior Logan Candanoza (170 pounds) and sophomore Reyden Huizar (113) both placed second, while junior Diego Contreras finished fourth at 106.

Grandview had two standouts, as Damian Monreal was third at 120, and Jesus Sanchez was fourth at 126.

Toppenish ran away with the team title with 247.5 points, while Othello was fifth with 69 points, and Prosser ninth with 57 points.

Class 1A

Royal had three high placers, led by the second-place finishes of Dominic Martinez (132 pounds) and Lorenzo Myrick (160). Benji Bustos at 170 pounds finished fourth.

Connell had two wrestlers near the top of the podium: senior Johnathan Magana was third at 120 pounds, while junior Abel Morales placed fourth at 126.

Kiona-Benton senior AJ Stewart grabbed fifth place at 160 pounds.

Granger took the team title with 178 points, while Connell finished fourth with 86, and Royal was eighth with 77.5 points.

Class 1B/2B

Lind-Ritzville’s Johnny Ryan was the area’s highest placer, taking second at 113 pounds.

His teammate, Douglas Morris, finished fourth at 195.

Mabton freshman Isaac Rodriguez placed third at 106 pounds, while teammate Marcos Velasquez placed fourth at 220.

Dayton’s Carlos Norris finished fourth at 138.

Tonasket ran away with the team title with 294.5 points.

Girls

Led by the Asselin sisters, Kennewick finished second in the team standings with 86.5 points. Only White River, with 95 points, was better.

Sophomore Ayanna Asselin won the 155-pound title, defeating Quincy’s Shannon Workinger 8-3.

Sister Alexia Asselin, a junior, placed second at 170 pounds; while sophomore sister Aubreyanna Asselin was third at 145.

Sara Correa Cambindo also gave Kennewick points, placing fifth at 135.

Othello finished fifth as a team with 64 points, and the Huskies were led by Mendez. The senior defeated Salyna Shotwell of Rogers of Puyallup 7-3 in the 110-pound final.

The Huskies also added points when junior Iyazely Barraza placed second at 115, and Alexis Monday finished fourth at 110.

Hanford placed sixth as a team with 54 points. Junior Taylor Wilson, who won state titles in her freshman and sophomore seasons, placed second at 100 pounds.

Falcons teammate Grace Nelson nabbed a fifth place at 145.

Sunnyside also finished sixth with 54 points, and earned points with a third-place finish at 100 pounds by Eliza Rodriguez, and a fifth-place finish by Alexxus Ramos at 110.

Other top placings by Mid-Columbians include Warden’s Aaliyah Escamilla (second at 105 points), Walla Walla’s Nayeli Flores (fifth at 100), Pasco’s Jazmin Mercado (fourth at 125), Connell’s Rosa Saucedo Ramirez (second at 190), and Walla Walla’s Annelise Whitaker (second at 140).

This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 4:55 PM.