With tension in the air, Kentridge’s Nick Aliment couldn’t help but deliver an ear-to-ear grin Saturday night during the South Puget Sound League North Division sub-district wrestling tournament at Kent-Meridian High.
The tension came from a tight-fisted team race in which Auburn and Tahoma were going toe-to-toe for two solid days. Away from that, however, Kentridge’s Aliment was a ball of energy — and smiles.
A sophomore, Aliment delivered one of the tournament’s finest performances, working over Kentwood’s Hayden Petersen 7-2 for the 112-pound crown.
“This feels great,” said a beaming Aliment, who improved to 24-4. “I’ve been working hard all year. (Petersen) beat me earlier in the year and I wanted to come back and prove that I had what it took. All the hard work was worth it. I knew I could do this.”
It was Kentridge’s first individual title since 2007 and provided a distinct ray of light in a program that hasn’t produced many league champions during the last decade.
“We have a young team and they all look up to Nick. This is good,” said Kentridge coach Jason DelaRosa. “We have a lot of ninth graders on our varsity team and a lot of sophomores … they all look up to him and want to be like Nick.”
While Aliment was busy enjoying the victory, Auburn was busy putting the final touches on the team title. A crown that wasn’t officially decided until after the championship round had been completed. Due to computer glitches, team scores were incorrect for much of the two-day tournament, causing emotions to be a bit higher than in past years. By the end of the evening Saturday, Auburn managed to fend off Tahoma, 338-334. Kentwood finished in fourth with 258.5 points followed by Kentlake (240) Thomas Jefferson (196.5), Kentridge (161), Kent-Meridian (126), Auburn Riverside (125) and Federal Way (27).
The top five wrestlers in each weight class advance to Friday and Saturday’s regional tournament at Snohomish High. The top five wrestlers in each weight class at regionals advance to the state tournament, which is slated for Feb. 20-21 at the Tacoma Dome.
Though far behind the leaders in the team race, Kentwood enjoyed its share of success on Saturday, pushing nine wrestlers through to regionals. Bringing home top honors for Kentwood included: Ruben Navejas (103), Cody Quinn (140) and Nathan Herrick (285).
Navejas showed the most technique of the Kentwood trio, working over Kent-Meridian’s Jesus Valdez to a major decision, 13-0. Valdez (24-3) was the lone Royal to advance to the championship round, but he couldn’t handle Navejas, one of the state’s top 103-pounders.
“I’m turning it up a notch,” said Navejas, who improved to 25-2. “I’ve really stepped up my training. I’ve been pushing myself a lot harder and being more cautious compared to last year.”
Quinn was just as good, using a show of force to pin Tahoma’s J.R. Rea in 2:47. Meanwhile, Herrick proved to be the most relentless of anyone taking the mat Saturday, earning a 5-4, triple-overtime win over Auburn’s Nick Conlan.
“The stuff we do in practice helps a lot,” said Herrick, who appeared in good enough shape after the win to go another couple of rounds. “It feels great.”
Kentlake was just as impressive in the finals as Austin Carrillo (145) and Greg Eley (160) delivered golden performances.
Carrillo upended Tahoma’s John Buban, 6-4, to avenge a loss earlier in the season.
“Me and my coach (Pete Reardon) have been working a lot,” said Carrillo, who improved to 26-4. “(When I lost to Buban earlier in the season) he had just beaten Cody Quinn … so I was a little intimidated. But I watched the tape and realized he was just another guy. He puts his singlet on one leg at a time.”
Eley was just as impressive two matches later, pinning Auburn’s Michael Karpstein in 29 seconds. It was the quickest pin of the finals.
Team scores
1, Auburn 338; 2, Tahoma 334; 3, Kentwood 258.5; 4, Kentlake 240; 5, Thomas Jefferson 196.5; 6, Kentridge 161; 7, Kent-Meridian 126; 8, Auburn Riverside 125; 9, Federal Way 27.
Championship round
103: Ruben Navejas (KW) md. Jesus Valdez (K-M), 13-0. 112: Nick Aliment (KR) d. Hayden Petersen (KW) 7-2. 119: Michael Turner (AR) p. Eric Alonzo (KW), 4:55. 125: Kelly Maughan (A) d. Ivan Mukomol (TJ), 4-1. 130: Jordan Higa (T) d. Billy Creighton (KW), 6-4. 135: Tyler Lamb (T) wins by injury default. 140: Cody Quinn (KW) p. J.R. Rea (T) 2:47. 145: Austin Carrillo (KL) d. John Buban (T), 6-4. 152: Graham Davis (A) d. Zeke Nistrian (TJ) 7-4. 160: Greg Eley (KL) p. Michael Karpstein (A), :29. 171: Nick Bayer (T) d. Dylan Rutledge (A), 9-6. 189: Jake Swartz (A) p. Zach Hogan (KL), 2:16. 215: Konner Knudtsen (T) d. Chris Young (A), 8-6, OT. 285: Nathan Herrick (KW) d. Nick Conlan (A) 5-4, 3 OT.
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