Mule wrestlers medal at Three Rivers Classic

The Wahkiakum Mule Wrestlers attended Three Rivers Classic tournament at Mark Morris on Saturday, their first of the season.

The tournament had 12 teams and was an all 1A to 3A showing, Wahkiakum being the only B team. Out of seven Mules that wrestled, five placed in the top four of their weight classes.

At 132 lbs., junior Luke Stacey placed third. Stacey’s first opponent was from R.A. Long, and Stacey won the match 6-5. Second round was against Kelso and was a loss by points. Stacey then won the match for third place against an R.A. Long wrestler 8-0.

At 145, junior Alex Johnson took second place. His first match was with Kelso and Johnson won 16-3. Second match against Stevenson was a win with a pin in round two. The championship match was a Rainier wrestler and a 7-5 loss on points.

At 152 lbs., senior Mason Mackey placed second. Match one was a win against Kalama by points 11-6. Second match was also a Kalama wrestler, a 6-4 overtime win. The match for the championship was an 11-6 loss by points against a Woodland wrestler.

At 182 lbs., senior Nate Cothren placed third. Cothren wrestled up a weight class this tournament and did very well. Match one was a win by pin in the first round against Mark Morris. His second match was a loss by pin to a Rainier wrestler in the third round. In the match for third place, he won with a pin in the first round.

At 195 lbs., junior Trystan Mendez placed fourth. Mendez also wrestled up a weight class. In the first match, Mendez was up 17-7 and seemed to be headed to a win. But in wrestling, all it takes is one wrong move to put one in a bad position, and he was pinned by his Castle Rock opponent. Second match was a bye. Mendez won the 4th place match with a pin in the second round against Mark Morris. (3rd/5th wrestled off and 4th/6th wrestled because of the way the brackets were set up)

Junior Kody Vik, 160 lbs., earned a win against Castle Rock and had an excellent match against a Stevenson opponent with a loss by one point.

The Mules' only girl wrestler this year is freshman Trynity Mendez. At 138, she put up a fight in her first two matches of her high school career against older boys from LaCenter and Kelso.

The Mules head to Warrenton this Saturday for more tournament action. Wahkiakum will host its annual Downriver Challenge Wrestling Tournament on December 21.