Mule wrestlers grind through tournaments

The last two weeks before Christmas brought the Wahkiakum Mule wrestling team into their toughest competition of the year, Coach Matt Stacey reported this week.

Competition included the Mules' own Downriver Challenge and the Oroville Tournament. They've faced competitors from perennial powerhouses such as Pomeroy, Tacoma Baptist and Concrete/Darrington.

Blayne Edwards, the Mules' entry in the 103 lb. class, has come through it virtually untouched, Stacey said. He won the class at Downriver, and Ben Miles placed second in the 140 lb. class.

"All of the boys put in some of their best performances so far this year," Stacey said. "All the weight classes were tough, and the team as a whole is young. However, each of the wrestlers showed improvement in their matches."

On December 23, the team traveled to Oroville for some cross-state competition, which, Stacey said, is one of the toughest tournaments before the state tournament.

Edwards won his class again, two by pins, and came out as the undefreated, top-ranked wrestler statewide in the class. He is 9-0 with six pins for the season.

The next compeition for the Mules went to Ocosta yesterday; they'll compete in the Castle Rock (varsity) and Kelso (junior varsity) tournaments on Saturday.