If you're a wrestling fan in the state of Washington — where there are no collegiate programs — there aren't a lot of opportunities to celebrate the sport over the course of two days.

The one major exception to that rule, of course, happens this weekend when the Mat Classic XXIV high-school state wrestling championships take place at the Tacoma Dome. Thousands upon thousands of wrestlers, coaches and fans will descend upon the Dome and turn it into a madhouse. There's really nothing like it, and if you've never been, I encourage you to show up and soak it all in.

Peninsula High School will have four wrestlers there, and Gig Harbor High School will have two. While neither side is going to challenge for a team title — look below for my predictions on that — I think the guys that have made should do very well. Three of the Seahawks have prior experience at state, as do both of the Tides.

If you had a chance to attend the Region III championships this weekend, you got a taste of what Mat Classic will be like, though on a much smaller scale. Both the Class 3A tournament at Bonney Lake and the Class 4A tourney at Jefferson High in Federal Way were well-attended. Here's a photo gallery from both events:

Here's a look at how I think each local wrestler will do, with some team predictions for the 4A and 3A classifications at the end. All rankings are from the Washington Wrestling Report as of Feb. 11.

GIG HARBOR TIDES

Kyle Iverson (138 pounds): Iverson qualified for his first Mat Classic as a junior last winter, but he's vastly improved since then, when he failed to win either of his matches.

The fifth-ranked Iverson was the runner-up at regionals to Kentlake's Colton Marlowe, who checks in at No. 3, and the two are on opposite sides of the state bracket, meaning they wouldn't meet until Saturday's championship bout.

Iverson's biggest hurdle to getting there likely will be top-ranked Ian Steen of Graham-Kapowsin, a likely semifinal opponent. He'll begin the tourney against No. 7 Sam Berry of Union, and although Berry is a sophomore, he won his region and has already been to state once. If Iverson beats Berry, one quarterfinal possibility, Beamer's Aron Set-Heit, is no pushover either. He's making his third state trip.

I think Iverson will make it to the semis but lose a close decision to Steen. He'll rebound and rematch with Marlowe to finish the tourney, and he'll avenge the 6-4 loss in the regional final.

Prediction: Third place

Jacob Spadoni (145 pounds): Spadoni seems to be incredibly resilient, and he showed it again at regionals, picking up a must-win over South Kitsap's Cody Rose to get into state.

Spadoni is ranked 10th, which, I honestly think is a bit low. That said, there's no easy path for him to the semis. His first foe, No. 3 Austin Wagner of Davis, was a state runner-up in 2011 and looks like he underperformed at regionals. In the quarters, Spadoni could get No. 4 Matt Cuzzetto of Edmonds-Woodway, a regional champ and eighth-place medalist from last year.

Resilience is a great quality to have at Mat Classic. Wagner will bump Spadoni into the consolation bracket, but he'll battle out of that with two victories to get to the medal round.

Prediction: Seventh place

PENINSULA SEAHAWKS

Randy Nimrick (132 pounds): Nimrick is better than the fifth-place regional performance he turned in, but the losses he sustained there affected his state draw. He's got to go through top-ranked Dillon Harris of Yelm to start Mat Classic, and Nimrick stuck right with him at the regional before losing 7-6. Not an impossible obstacle to overcome.

The 132-pound division doesn't seem overly deep, though, and even if Nimrick, ranked seventh, doesn't upset Harris, he should easily get out of the consolation bracket. The tough day two matches could be against guys like Timberline's Josh Beam, Everett's Jessie Lopez and Camas's Tyler Weiss.

Prediction: Fifth place

Tyler Allen (138 pounds): This is Allen's time to shine. He's making his third state trip, and there is no reason for him to be overwhelmed by the moment as a senior. He hasn't won a medal yet, but that's almost sure to change.

Allen is ranked No. 7, and he's got two winnable matches to start the tourney. His first opponent is a familiar one; he beat O'Dea's Dominic Nicacio to open last year's Mat Classic. In the quarters, he should have favorable matchups with either Sam Wilkes of Mount Spokane or Timmy Douglass of Glacier Peak; both are first-timers at state.

Hudson's Bay sophomore Aaron Blaine is the best bet for a semifinale foe, and I think Allen's experience wins out again there. That puts him in the championship match against Yelm's James Bradley. Unfortunately, Bradley has finished second the last two years, and that kind of unquenched thirst may be too much for Allen to overcome.

Prediction: Second place

Casey Larson (145 pounds): Larson's league and regional titles are solid resume-builders, and the fourth-ranked junior has prior experience on the big stage as he finished eighth as a sophomore.

Winning the regional usually gives you a good draw at state, and Larson got exactly that, in my opinion. Barring a pretty major upset, he'll get to the semis relatively unchallenged.

Preston Baich of West Valley-Yakima is ranked No. 2, and Larson will take a decision over him to reach the championship. There, he'll meet No. 1 Brady Mast of Sedro-Woolley, a traditional state powerhouse program. Mast was a runner-up in 2011, and like teammate Allen, Larson will fall victim to a guy that's on a mission.

Prediction: Second place

Jake Ricco (152 pounds): Ricco made a terrific run at the Region III meet to get to his first Mat Classic, and the junior has solidified himself enough to get recognized around the state. He's moved up to fifth in the latest rankings.

Ricco didn't get a favorable draw, though, and he'll go against University (Spokane) senior Adrian Orndorff in his opener. That will be an interesting match to watch, because it will likely determine the direction of Ricco's final result.

I think Ricco will have some nerves at the beginning — that's only natural — but he'll battle out of the consolation bracket. What he may struggle with is the grind and length of the event, and the fact that this is his first year at 152, having moved all the way up from 119. He could run out of gas by the end of Saturday.

Prediction: Sixth place

TEAM PREDICTIONS

The 4A battle shapes up to be a two-horse race between Tahoma and Mead. The Bears are sure to have a huge contingent of fans on hand — I witnessed some of that at the regional meet — and I think they'll get the program's elusive first title at the 4A level.

The 3A race also comes down to two teams, with Yelm and Enumclaw staging round two of their intra-regional rivalry. Enumclaw got the crown last weekend, but Yelm gets the one that really counts this time around.