Montesano’s junior high wrestlers literally tore up the mats in their first regular competition of the season.

Teams from Hoquiam, Ranier, Adna and Rochester and a combined Napavine-Onalaska squad converged Nov. 6on the Montesano High School gymnasium. It was the first regular competition of the season. The Monte squad got 27 wins including 23 pins.

““We have been working hard on the development of basic techniques and most of the kids executed pretty well,” coach Darrel White said. “We have a long way to go but we were particularly pleased with the number of pins we scored.”

Undefeated Monte wrestlers included eighth-graders Jesse Cervantes, Cole Ekerson, Mateo Sanchez, Hailee Stoken, Dominic Driscoll, Sean Ryker and Ethan Blomgren; and seventh-graders Cohen Andersen, Frankie Baltazar, Reid Pace and Enrique Mendoza.

White also praised the school staff and the Montesano Mad Dog youth wrestling parents parents and coaches who assisted in hosting the meet.

“The event went off without a hitch,” he said. “Considering that there were about 80 entrants and that most wrestled two matches, it was a great success.”

Wrestlers of the Week

Eighth-grader Dominic Driscoll pinned a Hoquiam opponent with a powerful duck-under and claw-ride and took only 1 minute, three seconds to grab a win. In his second match, he dispatched a Napavine foe in 1:16.

Seventh-grader Reid Pace pinned a Rainier wrestler in 1:19 and led a tough Onalaska grappler 9-2 before scoring a pin at 3:48.

Both boys were praised for their level of effort and technique by their coaches.