Wide array of West Sound wrestlers reach semifinals at Mat Classic XXXV
TACOMA -- If there's one word that best describes the West Sound wrestlers who qualified for Mat Classic's semifinals Friday at the Tacoma Dome, it's variety.
There's 11 athletes representing eight schools across the boys and girls tournaments, from South Kitsap freshman 106-pounder Dylan Sternod to Olympic junior heavyweight Kevin Hudson and everyone in between. That group heads into Saturday's final day of competition still alive for state titles. The semifinal round and consolation-round begin at 10 a.m. and will be followed by placing matches for 3rd-8th place. The championship round is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
Of the seven West Sound wrestlers who became champions in 2023, six graduated last year. The lone returner, two-time winner Lars Michaelson of Bremerton, cruised through his first two matches Friday , earning first-period pins over Izel Morales of Burlington and Kyle Nowels of Chehalis in the Class 2A 190-pound bracket.
Four other wrestlers made the semifinals in 2A, including three from North Kitsap: 144-pound junior Jaxon Johnson (5th in 2023), 175-pound senior Ben Gomez (4th in 2023) and 215-pound junior Zakaria Hammou (7th in 2023).
Johnson managed to knock off two-time regional champion Jacob McKee of Hockinson in the first round and then topped Ellensburg's Konner Carlson in the quarterfinals. Hammou, a state-runner-up as a freshman, posted shutouts in his first two matches. He's following in the footsteps of older brother Sofian, a two-time 2A state champion for the Vikings at 220 pounds. Gomez, the son of Vikings head coach Robert Gomez, is a semifinalists for the second consecutive year.
Hudson, a league and regional champion for Olympic, earned a pair of pins to punch his ticket to the finals. He finished seventh in the 285-pound 2A class last year.
In 4A, South Kitsap's 144-pound senior Stone Hartford made the semifinals for the third consecutive Mat Classic. He won a state title as a freshman and took second last winter. He's joined in the final four by Sternod, the lone ninth-grader from West Sound to go 2-0 on Friday.
Bainbridge junior Garrett Goade made the semifinals in 3A at 175 pounds by edging Eli Policarpio of Chief Sealth, 7-6, in the round of eight. In 1A, Klahowya sophomore Sean Price won two matches by pin to reach the semifinals at 150 pounds.
On the girls' side, two returning state-placers reached the final four. Central Kitsap junior Deijah Diego advanced in the 4A/3A girls tournament at 125 pounds. She placed eighth last season. North Mason junior Sadie Evans, who was third as a sophomore, reached the semifinals in the 155-pound class in the 1B/2B/1A/2A tournament.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Wide array of West Sound wrestlers reach semifinals at Mat Classic
