Three Mules place in Down River Challenge

This past weekend the Mule Wrestling Team hosted the 13th annual Down River Challenge. This year the tournament consisted of 16 schools and over 180 wrestlers.

Kalama High School finished the tournament in first place and took home the championship trophy by edging out Kelso’s JV squad by three points. Darrington finished third behind Kelso by only 2 points. Other local schools were Clatskanie who finished fourth, Warrenton was fifth, Mark Morris sixth, Knappa was eleventh, Wahkiakum twelfth, and Ilwaco was fifteenth.

Three Mule wrestlers placed in the tournament. Ben Miles (freshman, 103 pounds) finished fifth. Jared McEntire (senior, 119 pounds) finished third, and Brady Johns (junior, 152 pounds) finished second. Mule wrestling coaches were also impressed with James Goldsmith (freshman, 145 pounds) and Ben Doumit (junior, 160 pounds) who both came very close to placing in the tournament.

McEntire finished the day achieving two milestones in his wrestling career, said Mule Coach John Hannah. With his win total so far this year he has cracked the top twenty winning wrestler list at Wahkiakum High School. He now ranks 19th all-time on the career wins list with 53. He also earned his first Down River Medal.

Johns finished second for the second straight year and has lost both times to Pomeroy wrestlers. Last year’s defeat was to the eventual state champion Jesse Tennent, and this year’s opponent from Pomeroy Scott Wulff is ranked in the top 3 at 152 pounds.

"Both freshman competitors did very well in just their second varsity tournament," Hannah said." With one placing and the other only one win away from placing, both Goldsmith and Miles showed promise for the rest of this year and their wrestling careers."

The Mules will depart Friday morning to Oroville to compete in the North Okanagan Holiday Invitational. The tournament is considered to be one of, if not the toughest, tournaments in the state for small schools, Hannah said. The tournament will be all day on Saturday, and the team will return Sunday evening.