Wrestling: Chiawana advances 8 to quarterfinals

The Chiawana wrestling team had a big first day Friday at the Pac-Coast Championships, advancing eight wrestlers into today’s quarterfinals in Vancouver.

Additionally, five more wrestlers are alive in consolation.

Freshman 106-pounder Nathan Fengen was most impressive with a first-period pin and 13-0 major decision in his two matches. Christian Segura at 113 got a first-round bye and then won a 13-7 decision.

Bryce Buckley didn’t have much trouble at 126 with a 12-3 win and pin in the closing moments of his second-round match. Jacob Garcia (138) and Jadin Salazar (145) both followed big first-round decisions with tight, two-point wins.

Tyler Vargas had a busy day at 170, pinning his way through a pigtail before winning a pair of two-point decisions to reach the quarters. Clayton Johnson picked up a pin and 7-3 win at 182, and Abzael Loeza followed a bye with a pin at 220.

Josiah Cazier (132), Masen Brown (145, non-scoring), Blake Bishop (160), Braylon Hanson (182 NS) and Levi McBride (220) bounced back from early losses and still have hopes of placing.

This story was originally published January 3, 2014 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Wrestling: Chiawana advances 8 to quarterfinals."