Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Wahkiakum Mule wrestler Jacob Smith looks for a pin in last Saturday's Downriver Challenge. Smith, who shows promise according to Coach Frankie Mendez, took fifth place in his class.
Rayanna Carlon grapples with a competitor and takes second in her class.
Mule teammates Jason Lewis, on top, and Jacob Smith wrestle a match.
Tarah Wisner, left, gets her first taste of competition, but a shoulder injury put a damper on the experience at the 2015 Downriver Challenge. She placed third.
The Wahkiakum Mules new wrestling coach Frankie Mendez managed to salvage the Downriver Challenge this year after rumors that the program wasn't going to survive took the event off some coaches' calendars.
When Mendez found out that only six teams were expected, he got on the phone and started calling wrestling programs. By the time he was done, 10 more teams from all over Washington and Oregon had promised to come to Cathlamet for the event.
"Chief Leschi, Neah-Kah-Nie, Kelso," Mendez began to list names, pleased. "Clatskanie, Napavine."
"We would have lost that weekend if we didn't have the Downriver event this year," Suzanne Mackey, a Wahkiakum Mules Wrestling supporter and parent to a former wrestler said. "We have held that date for an event in Cathlamet for 15 years."
Energy ran high in the gym, and while it was far from silent, there was a quiet, intense quality to it. The upper and lower bleachers were open and full of people, including teams and spectators. Competitors and coaches lined the walls on the floor watching one match or the other, waiting for their turn, cheering on a teammate, checking out the competition.
For the girls, junior wrestler Trynity Mendez took second in her weight class, as did Rayanna Carlon. Tarah Wisner, who aggravated a shoulder injury, took third in her class.
For the boys, Jacob Smith took fifth place and Jason Lewis did not place.
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