Enumclaw and Yelm finished one-two with dominating performances at the Rogers Holiday Wrestling tournament in Puyallup on Saturday.
Enumclaw took first with 253 points, and Yelm finished second with 248.
Enumclaw coach Lee Reichert said Yelm’s participation in the annual tournament made the victory even more gratifying.
“Yelm really brings an element to the tournament that steps things up,” Reichert said. “It was great for us and for them. We’re glad they were here. We look forward to them. It makes us better and it makes them better, too. The only way you get better is to wrestle teams that are right up there. It was fun.”
The two schools produced 11 of 14 champions in the tournament and were paired off in four finals. Bellarmine Prep, Kent-Meridian and Puyallup were the only other schools to claim a weight-division champion.
“We do have a little bit of past history, and it seems we were always battling for the state championship for the last four years,” said Yelm coach Gaylord Strand, whose school switched to 4A from 3A this year. “It’s always fun to compete and lock horns with them because they’re a good team.”
Although there were no big upsets, top state contenders Dillon and Darren Harris, the stellar brother duo from Yelm, and Tyke Reid and Lucas Somera from Enumclaw, all continued their winning ways, with Darren Harris and Somera capturing tournament MVPs.
Somera, arguably the most recognizable wrestler at the tournament having won a state title the past two years, rampaged through the field with 11-1, 14-0 and 12-2 scores.
Despite the lopsided nature of his victories, Reichert thought it was good experience for his top wrestler.
“It has to be a little more businesslike for him,” Reichert said. “Let’s go out and get it done. And then when we get to the SPSL tournament or the Sedro (-Woolley) tournament. There are some great kids in those tournaments. “When you’re at his level, it’s hard to find something that’s better than you are. We have one of the toughest schedules you can get. He’ll get pushed as hard as we can push him.”
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