Showalter, Taylor and soph Moore all on podium
A pair of Cheney seniors completed their wrestling careers at Mat Classic XXXIV at the Tacoma Dome, Feb. 17 and 18, earning their second medals.
Joe Showalter, 138 pounds, battled through a bracket loaded with returning placers to a fourth-place finish and a 46-12 record on the season. Jaysen Rodriguez of Hermiston improved to 23-3 on the season with a 4-0 decision.
“Joe has been a great ambassador of our program for four years and his leadership is going to be hard to replace,” head coach Jason Connor wrote in an email. “A controlled 1-0 decision over Kayle Bearson of Thomas Jefferson in the quarterfinals set him up well in the tournament,” Connor added.
Dalton Taylor, 152 pounds, rebounded from a fourth-round loss by fall to Chase Martin of Lake Washington to place seventh. His medal came following a technical fall win, 17-1, over Percie Hatfield from Oak Harbor, giving Taylor a 37-11 record this season.
“Dalton let it fly in his last match,” Connor said. “We are proud of how he battled back after failing to reach his goal.”
Connor went on the further praise Taylor’s effort, saying, “It says a lot about his character; when a lot of kids are ready to fold their tent and hit the snack bar, Dalton finished what he started.”
Sophomore Trenton Moore placed sixth in a rematch of last weekend’s regional final with Ben Larson of Hermiston, losing 7-1 but finishing 38-19 for the season. “Trenton is doing everything right to set the standard in our program and cannot wait to get on the mats during the offseason, “Connor said.
Cheney’s girl’s entry, Jalisca Holmgren gained valuable experience just being at the state tournament, Connor said.
“She seemed a little awestruck by the atmosphere and it showed in her matches,” Connor said. “She didn’t quite get to her dominant positions and fell to her first two opponents.”
Connor noted Holmgren is young and tough and will bounce back next year.
“She is our first girl to qualify for the state tournament and we expect her to lead a growing girls’ team having that experience,” Connor said.
Paul Delaney is a retired Free Press Publishing reporter and can be reached at [email protected].
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