Mule wrestlers claim five medals in tourney

The Wahkiaum Mule wrestlers competed at the Warrenton Invitational tournament last Saturday. Eight teams were present from Washington and Oregon. The Mules had only six wrestlers competing that day and five of those placed in the top three. Having half the wrestlers than the other teams, the Mules still placed 4th in overall team points.

At 132 lbs., Luke Stacey placed second. Match one was a bye (counts as a win). Luke’s second match was against a Knappa wrestler and was a 16-9 win. He then went on to a championship match against Castle Rock and had a 13-10 loss.

At 145 lbs., Alex Johnson placed second. His first match was Vernonia, and Alex pinned his opponent in round three for the win. The second match win against Astoria was also a pin, this one in round two. The championship match against a Knappa wrestler was a 5-2 loss by points.

At 152 lbs., Mason Mackey placed second. The first match was an opponent from Knappa; Mason won with a pin 32 seconds into round one. Second match was Astoria and a win by pin in round one. The match for the championship was a loss by points against Castle Rock 6-2.

At160 lbs., Kody Vik placed third. His first match was a 9-2 loss to an Astoria wrestler. Match two was a win by pin against Warrenton in the first round. The next match was for the 3rd place medal, and Kody pinned his Astoria opponent in round two for the win.

At 182 lbs., Nate Cothren placed first. With three wins by pin, Nate was the Mules' only first place medalist of the day. Match one’s pin against Ilwaco was in round two, then a Vernonia pin in round one. His championship match was another Ilwaco opponent pin in round one.

Trynity Mendez wrestled at 138 lbs. Her first two matches were losses by pins to wrestlers from Ilwaco and Astoria. In her third match she pinned her opposing wrestler from Knappa in the second round.

This Saturday, the Mules host the Down River Challenge. Mule wrestlers would like to thank all the businesses and people who sponsored weight classes or donated food, time or money to make this happen. The community is what makes this tournament possible!