Methow Valley Snooze

Liberty Bell High School 1B/2B wrestling state championships

Mat Classic XXIV in the Tacoma Dome
Dispatches & photos by Mike Maltais

Gunnar Doggett is state champion!
Gunnar won the 160-pound title with an 8-2 decision over
Wyatt Jenkins of Pomeroy.
Last year, Gunnar won the state championship at 145 pounds.

Gunnar Doggett, after his state championship victory.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Justin McMillan - 2nd place
At 126 pounds, Justin took second place in a 15-0 technical fall loss
to J.P. Martinez of Warden.

Trent Skelton - 2nd place

At 106 pounds, Trent took second place in a close 9-7 overtime loss
to Jose Paco Marin of Kittitas.

Jonathan McMillan - 3rd place

At 152 pounds, Jonathan placed third by winning in an 8-4 decision
over Kyle Delegard of Tacoma Baptist.

Taylor Woodruff - 4th place
At 106 pounds, Taylor placed fourth after a close 6-5 decision loss
to Justin Chantry of Selkirk.

Liberty Bell High School placed fourth among B schools, with 76 team points, and was among the top three academic B teams with a 3.1+ team GPA.

Tylar Moe
Was voted State Coach of the Year among B schools.

Congratulations to all the Liberty Bell wrestlers
at the 2012 Mat Classic!
Gunnar Doggett
Justin McMillan
Trent Skelton
Jonathan McMillan
Taylor Woodruff
Shane Coleman
Buck Prib
&
Intrepid alternate, Emmett Fink

***

Taylor Woodruff

In a close and somewhat controversial match, Taylor Woodruff
lost a 6-5 decision to Justin Chantry of Selkirk to place fourth at 106 pounds.
Taylor was up 4-0 midway through the match before Chantry
gained ground and edged by in the final minute of competition.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Current scoreboard

Midway through the day's consolation rounds,
they changed the team order on the 1B/2B
scoreboard as Liberty Bell edged ahead of Pomeroy
by four points, 69-65. "I hope it holds," said
coach Tylar Moe. One of Moe's goals this
year is to place no less than fourth as a team.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Buck Prib
loses to Ike Martinez of Reardan.

Buck Prib at 182 pounds made a strong comeback from being
down 7-0 to catch his opponent, Ike Martinez of Reardan,
but Martinez was able to score near the end of the match
to win 10-7.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Shane Coleman
lost to Garet Sax of Selkirk.

Shane Coleman put up a good fight, but ended up on the short end
of a 5-0 decision against Garet Sax of Selkirk.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Jonathan McMillan

defeats Logan Zunker of Reardan

In a low-scoring battle that went into overtime knotted at 2-2,
Jonathan McMillan (152 lbs) executed a sweet single on Reardan's
Logan Zunker to score two points and win the match 4-2.
He advances into the final round against Kyle Delegard
of Tacoma Baptist for 3rd/4th place.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Hairdo interlude

One of the more interesting side attractions

on the floor is the variety of hair styles

created especially for the Mat Classic.

Photo by Mike Maltais

Taylor Woodruff

defeats Jesus Dominguez of Warden.

Taylor Woodruff (106 lbs) was well up on points over Jesus Dominguez
of Warden when he turned an arm bar into a cow catcher to pin
Dominguez for the win with 10 seconds remaining in the match.
Taylor advances to the finals and will wrestle Justin Chantry
of Selkirk this afternoon for 3rd/4th place.
Photo by Mike Maltais

There are 23 matches going on at once on the arena floor.
The morning started off with the A schools and girls teams.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Saturday morning dispatch from the Tacoma Dome
By Mike Maltais
Another nasty-weather day here. Overcast and rain, though not as heavy as parts of yesterday. Here's where we are this morning:

As a team, Liberty Bell currently stands in fifth place with 57 points, one behind Pomeroy. Actually not bad considering there are 36 B schools on the docket. Top team scores are Warden 112, Reardan 84.5, Kittitas 62, Pomeroy 58, Liberty Bell 57 and Lake Roosevelt 26.

Competition in the consolation semi-final rounds begins at 10 a.m. and will include the following Mountain Lions:

106 pounds – Taylor Woodruff v. Jesus Dominguez (Warden). Winner advances to compete for third and fourth, and wrestles winner of Justin Chantry (Selkirk) and Matty Carroll (Tacoma Baptist). Woodruff defeated Nicholas Betrozoff of Willipa Valley by a pin in 1:34 of the first period in his first match, then lost to Trent Skelton 12-8 to drop into the consolation round.

152 pounds – Jonathan McMillan v. Logan Zunker of Reardan. Winner advances to compete for third and fourth, and wrestles the winner of Kyle Delegard (Tacoma Baptist) and Ryan Smith-Slaymaker (how do you like that name) of Pomeroy. Jonathan lost his first match to Delegard of by decision, 16-6, and got bumped into the consolation bracket. There he defeated Chris O'Connor of Concrete by pin in 47 seconds to advance into semi-finals.

170 pounds – Shane Coleman v. Garet Sax of Selkirk. Winner advances to compete for third and fourth, and wrestles the winner of Sean Waters (Lake Roosevelt) and Gus Randall (Winlock). Coleman lost his first match to defending state champ Tory Knebel of Pomeroy by a pin in 1:49 of the first round. Knebel's a good wrestler, confident, and knew exactly what he wanted to do.

182 pounds – Buck Prib v. Ike Martinez of Reardan. Winner advances to compete for third and fourth against the winner of Levi Seylor (Lake Roosevelt) and Cameron Wischhusen (La Conner). Prib lost his first match to Niko Knezovich of Reardan by a pin in 1:29. In the consolation bracket, Prib defeated Matthew Boyes of Raymond by a 6-3 decision.

LBHS activities director, Mike Wilson, learned just before the team departed for Tacoma that Liberty Bell's wrestlers were in the running for top academic B team with a GPA of 3.1+. Yesterday, coach Moe said they did not win that title but are in the top three.

Competition in the championship round begins at 5 p.m. and we have three – Trent Skelton (106), Justin McMillan (126), and Gunnar Doggett (160). Quite a comeback for McMillan, considering the neck injury he sustained last year. I spoke to his father Thursday who told me that if Justin wins he going to send a photo to Justin's surgeon congratulating him on the fine repair job he did.

Team academic awards coming up.

More from the floor to come.

Saturday's final championship matches will be:

Trent Skelton v Jose Paco Marin 106 lbs

Justin McMillan v JP Martinez 126 lbs

Gunnar Doggett v Wyatt Jenkens 160 lbs

Saturday's first-round consolation matches will be:

Taylor Woodruff 106 lbs v Jesus Dominguez of Warden

Jonathan McMillan 152 lbs v Logan Zunker of Reardan

Shane Coleman 170 lbs v Garet Sax of Selkirk

Buck Prib 182 lbs v Ike Martinez of Reardan

Friday's Results

Trent Skelton defeated Taylor Woodruff in their semi-final match 12-8 and will advance to meet Paco Marin of Kittitas for the 106-pound championship tomorrow.

Justin McMillan beat Cody Erickson of LIberty Spangle 4-2 in a one-minute overtime to advance to the 126-pound championship finals against JP Martinez of Warden.

Gunnar Doggett defeated Alex Alvarez 10-0 to advance to tomorrow's 160-pound championship match against Wyatt Jenkins of Pomeroy.

Friday's Consolation Results

Jonathan McMillan defeated Chris O'Connor of Concrete by a pin in the 152-pound class.
Shane Coleman beat Cody Corn of Concrete by decision 13-5 at 170 pounds.

Buck Prib took a 4-2 decision at 182 pounds over Matthew Boyes of Raymond.

Taylor Woodruff will wrestle Jesus Dominguez of Warden tomorrow.

All advance to semi-final rounds for 3rd/4th place tomorrow.

Friday's Top 10B Washington Mat Classic XXIV Championships 2012 Team Scores

1. WARDEN 112

2. REARDAN 84.5

3. KITTITAS 62

4. POMEROY 58

5. LIBERTY BELL 57

6. LAKE ROOSEVELT 26

7. MARY WALKER 20

8. OROVILLE 19

9. LIBERTY (SPANGLE) 19

10. ALMIRA-COULEE-HARTLINE 18

Buck Prib

Buck Prib scores points against Matthew Boyes of Raymond
en route to a 4-2 decision at 182 pounds. Buck will advance
to the semi-final round for 3rd/4th place tomorrow.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Shane Coleman

Shane Coleman winning 13-5 over Cody Corn of Concrete
to advance to the semi-final round at 170 pounds
for 3rd and 4th place.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Gunnar Doggett

Gunnar Doggett defeating Oroville's Alex Alvarez by decision
to advance to the championship round at 160.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Justin McMillan

Justin McMillan in his 4-2 second-round win over Cody Erickson.
Justin will advance to the 126-pound championship match
and face Alex Alvarez of Oroville tomorrow.
Photo by Mike Maltais

State Coach of the Year interlude:
Liberty Bell High School wrestling coach Tylar Moe
has been voted "State Coach of the Year"
by his fellow coaches.

Buck Prib

Buck Prib wrestled at 182 pounds and lost by a pin
to Reardan's Niko Knezovich in less than a minute of the first round.
Prib will wrestle in the consolation round
along with Jonathan McMillan and Shane Coleman.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Shane Coleman

Shane Coleman had a tough first-round match
in the 170-pound weight class against defending state champion
Tory Knebel of Pomeroy. Knebel ended up winning by a pin
in the first period. Coleman will compete in the consolation round.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Gunnar Doggett

160-pound Gunnar Doggett defeated his first-round opponent,
Michael Haskins of Selkirk, by an 8-5 decision.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Jonathan McMillan

Jonathan McMillan, at 152 pounds, lost his first match
by a 14-8 decision to Kyle Delegard of Tacoma Baptist.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Justin McMillan

Justin McMillan wins his first match at 126 pounds
against Mason Mackey of Wahkiakum
with a pin in 48 seconds in the first period.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Taylor Woodruff

Taylor Woodruff wins his first match at 106 pounds
with a first-round pin over Nicholas Betrozoff of Willipa Valley.
Photo by Mike Maltais

Advancing:
Taylor Woodruff and Trent Skelton face off at 4 pm in the 106-pound division.
Justin McMillan wrestles Liberty Spangle's Cody Erickson of Liberty Spangle at 5 pm in the 126-pound division.
Gunnar Doggett meets Oroville's Alex Alvarez at 6:40 pm in the 160-pound division.

Consolation bracket:
Jonathan McMillan vs. Chris O'Connor (Concrete)
Shane Coleman vs. Cody Corn (Concrete)
Buck Prib vs. Matthew Boyes (Raymond)
Taylor Woodruff vs. Jesus Dominguez (Warden)

Buck Prib loses to Niko Knezovich of Reardan - pinned in the first round.

Shane Coleman lost by a pin in the first round to the defending 170-pound state champion Tory Knebel of Pomeroy.

Gunnar Doggett beats Michael Haskins of Selkirk, 8-5.

Jonathan McMillan lost his match to Kyle Delagard of Tacoma Baptist, 14-8.

Justin McMillan defeated Mason Mackey of Wahkiakum by a pin in 48.3 seconds of the first period. He advances and will wrestle again this afternoon. Next up will be Jonathan McMillan at 152 pounds against Kyle Delegard of Tacoma Baptist.

Taylor Woodruff and Trent Skelton both made quick work of their opponents in the first round of Liberty Bell competition and the first matches at 106 pounds. Both pinned their opponents in less than two minutes of the first period. Woodruff beat Nicholas Betrozoff from Willipa Valley and Skelton defeated Matt Carroll of Tacoma Baptist. Skelton and Woodruff will now face each other later this afternoon. Up next, Justin McMillan at 126 pounds.

Friday, Feb. 17, 2012
Dispatches from MV News sports editor Mike Maltais, live, from the floor of the Tacoma Dome. It's Mat Classic XXIV (24 for all non-Romans). Actually, correct that; it's the 2012 Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Dairy Farmers of Washington/Les Schwab Tires Mat Classic XXIV State Wrestling Championships.

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012
The Liberty Bell High School wrestling team left this morning for the state wrestling championships at the Tacoma Dome, which begin Friday morning.