Kodiaks' Reinhart finishes second in 285 at state

The Cascade High School wrestling team finished their season on Feb. 16, on day two of the Mat Classic XXXI state championships. The Kodiaks finished 17th out of 47 teams with 63 points. 

"It was nice having 14 guys at state and to get the opportunity to wrestle," Head Coach Jesus Sandoval said. "For all of the kids, it was a great experience." 

Cascade’s Hunter Reinhart was one match away from winning the state title in the 285-pound division. Reinhart advanced to the 285 semifinals after he pinned Mount Baker’s Braeden Shannon in the third period. Coach Sandoval said Reinhart's win over Shannon was a key victory for the Kodiak wrestler, who had lost to the Mount Baker grappler earlier in the season. 

Reinhart followed the win with a second-period pin over Deer Park’s Titan Duncan to reach the finals. In the championship match, Reinhart was pinned by Forks’ Luke Dahlgren in the second round of their match.

Reinhart was not the only Cascade wrestler to make it to the podium as Jace Seely finished seventh in the 132-pound division.

Seely earned an 10-8 decision over Stevenson’s Andrew Garcia to advance in consolation bracket. He continued his momentum in the next match, defeating Lakeside’s Mason Christen, 10-8, in overtime. After his pinfall loss to Zillah’s Emmanuel Troncos, Seely earned an 8-3 decision over La Center’s Hunter Mallicoat.

"Seely had some tough matches, so it was nice to see him medal for the podium," Coach Sandoval said.

In the 113-pound consolation round, Axel Martinez opened the day with a pin over Naches Valley’s John Mitzel in the second period of their match. He lost his final match to Forks’ Andre Santos-Del via a 4-3 decision. Coach Sandoval said Axel Martinez was leading in the final minutes until Santos-Del scored a reversal to win the match. 

"It's unfortunate because it was Axel's senior year, but that's state," Coach Sandoval added. "Every second counts." 

Austin Curry was eliminated from the 138-pound bracket after an 11-1 majority decision loss to Medical Lake’s Justin Warnick.

Adian Arceo ended his run in the 138-pound division after a 15-7 majority decision loss to Granger’s Juan Arteaga.

"To be able to have a wrestler in the finals is a great experience," Coach Sandoval said. "We talked to the team and they were excited (about state) and look forward to next year. They're already setting goals to return to the state tournament next season." 

The Kodiak grapplers wrapped up what has been an amazing 2018-19 campaign. Cascade went 8-0 in Caribou Trail League duals en route to their first conference championship in 12 years, then followed it with the District 6 title, a first in program history. The Kodiaks lose five seniors to graduation: Ricardo Barragan, Axel Martinez, Daniel Sandoval, Jose Valdez and D'Andre Vasquez.