Rivals wrestling teams lose to Cascade Christian

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The East Jefferson Rivals boys and girls wrestling teams lost by a technicality to Cascade Christian High School in their latest Nisqually League duel in Puyallup.

The Wednesday, Dec. 14 matchup was filled with exhilarating performances, but four EJ forfeits hurt their chances of securing the victory.

“We had a great evening with explosive performances from East Jefferson wrestlers,” said Rivals Assistant Coach Ryan White.

Following the final match of the evening, both head coaches met at the scoring table with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association referee. They had to revert to the WIAA rulebook for tie-breaking scenarios, which ended up leaving Cascade Christian with a win by technicality due to criteria.

“We forfeited four weight classes because no healthy EJ athletes could step on the mat,” said Jim Wilcox, EJ girls head coach. “Fortunately, Cascade Christian forfeited two weight classes, so we were able to close the gap a bit and start things off in only a 12-point hole. Once the actual wrestling began, EJ went on a run.”

Rivals grapplers Grady White (138-pound weight class), senior Ike Banks (145-pound weight class), freshman Manaseh Lanphear Ramirez (152-pound weight class), and freshman Jameson Henery (160-pound weight class) each won via pin.

EJ’s Lars Wakefield was last on the mat at heavyweight, securing a third-round pin for a win.

“Lars reached deep and was able to catch the winded Cascade Christian wrestler off balance with a beautiful throw that put the opponent directly from his feet to his back,” Wilcox said.

After the Puyallup meet, the Rivals girls wrestling squad headed south to Silverdale Dec. 16 and Dec. 17 for the annual Hammerhead Tournament.

Top placers at the event were Mi Amada Lanphear Ramirez in the girls 120-pound division varsity bracket and Akili Clevenger in the 120-pound junior varsity bracket. 

Lanphear Ramirez earned third place with some very hard fought victories; two by pin and two by points. All four of Lanphear Ramirez’s wins were against girls who competed last year in the state tournament. Showing grit and determination, Akili Clevenger finished her tournament with two pins. 

“Another female athlete who had her first competition of the year this weekend is our foreign exchange student, Agata Opatrna,” said EJ wrestling Head Coach Steve Grimm. “She is having a truly American experience as part of our team, and competed hard in the 145-pound junior varsity bracket. She lost both of her matches but managed to score points in her first match, which was great to see.”

It may be months out, but the Rivals are already prepping for the Nisqually League Tournament coming up in February.