THE ISSAQUAHPRESS
SPORTS
B4
Wednesday February 20, 2013
Wrestlers end strong at state By Lillian O’Rorke ltucker@ sammamishreview.com
Skyline’s Max Levy goes out on top After two consecutive years of second-place finishes, Skyline High School senior Max Levy ended his career as the state’s 2013 4A 1-meter diving champion. The gymnast-turned-diver,
The local 4A wrestling programs were well-represented at the 25th annual Mat Classic Feb. 15-16 where 14 area wrestlers battled the state’s top athletes for a chance to medal in high school’s biggest tournament. After taking second at the Region 3 Tournament the weekend before, Skyline High School wrestlers filled eight of the 14 weight classes at the state championship. By the time the two-day tournament was about over, the excitement of having eight wrestlers make it to the final 16 had taken its toll on Gus Kiss’ vocal cords. By 2 p.m. Saturday, the Skyline coach’s voice was all but gone. “We’re really proud of the fact that we brought eight kids and one alternate,” he said in an almost whisper. “It’s a culmination of hard work and dedication, and it’s nice to see the end result.” Just like he did in his run up to state, Skyline’s 220-pound wrestler, Sean McAlhaney, came from behind and swept the competition. Having lost his first bout to Brandon Champaco, of Spanaway Lake — who eventually finished four places behind McAlhaney — the Skyline senior pushed on and won his next five matches. He sealed the deal in the final battle for third place by pinning Lake Stevens’ Shaq Reed in 4:31. “I’m stoked. When I first started wrestling this year, I was off to a terrible start. So, everything now is just like a blessing,” he said with a wide grin on his face. “I went 0-3 my first three matches, I was unseeded in KingCo, and I won KingCo and won regionals. And now, to
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BY GREG FARRAR
Raymond Ha, Liberty High School senior, steps up out of the pool after repeating as 3A state champion in the 100-yard butterfly Feb. 16 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
FINAL STATEMENT
All area high school swimmers win team, individual state titles By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com
At the 2013 4A Boys State Swim and Dive Championships, Issaquah High School coach Laura Halter wore a T-shirt with an illustration of purple-and-gold eagle wings on the back. Each feather included the name of one of her swimmers. It proved to be an appropriate symbol, as it took each swimmer working together to help the Eagles take flight toward a fourth-place finish at state. In order to excel in state competition, teams must string together solid relay results,
and Issaquah’s superb teamwork was on full display at the King County Aquatic Center on Feb. 15-16. The Eagles began the competition with a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay. The team of Ben Nussbaum, Austin Melody, Gabe Florsheim and Spencer McCulloh secured the finish with a time of 1 minute, 37.57 seconds. In the thrilling 200 freestyle relay, the Eagles surprised everyone but themselves on the way to a first-place finish with a time of 1:28.95. Issaquah won the same event last year, but after preliminaries, the Eagles were seeded fifth. The relay team of Willy Matsuda, Henry Pratt, Florsheim and McCulloh trailed through most of the heat. It wasn’t until the very last leg of the race that the Eagles took the lead and secured the win. In what may have been the most exciting race of the
day, the Eagles held off state swimming power Kamiak High School, which led for most of the race. As McCulloh emerged from the pool after swimming the anchor leg of the relay, cheers of excitement from Issaquah supporters roared through the stands, while the Issaquah swim team enthusiastically celebrated the win on the pool deck. “Each team member couldn’t have done more for his team,” Pratt said. “Willy did exactly what he needed to do, Gabe did exactly what he needed to do, I did what I had to do and so did Spencer.” For McCulloh, a senior, it was the perfect ending to his high school career. “Oh my goodness, to go out like that, what else could you ask for?” he said. “First place in my favorite relay, my favorite event, it was so good. It was the perfect relay.”
In individual events, Issaquah’s Melody and Florsheim each took home medals. Melody, a senior, placed sixth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:56.67, while Florsheim, a sophomore, took sixth in the 100 butterfly with a time of 52.29. It was all about the team, though, as the Eagles excitedly hoisted the fourth-place trophy at the end of the day. “Some schools have a couple of hot shots, but we have a team, and there’s nothing else you can ask for,” Pratt said.
Saving the best for last By Sebastian Moraga smoraga@snovalleystar.com Tia Riley closed her gym-
nastics career on a major upswing, competing in three disciplines and setting personal bests in two.
BY GREG FARRAR
Tia Riley, Liberty High School senior, leaps during her floor routine at the 3A state gymnastics championships in Tacoma.
The Liberty High School senior’s scores in floor and vault at the state meet in Tacoma surpassed all her marks in prep gymnastics, she said. She did not qualify for finals, but nobody could call her final meet a failure, not her coach who said that two minor mistakes kept Riley from the floor finals, nor Riley herself. “I’m happy,” she said. “I’m glad I competed so well in my last meet.” Coming into the Tacoma Dome, she had expectations that went beyond the judges’ scores. She just wanted to have fun and live it up. “I did not expect to do as well as I did,” she said. On floor, she scored a 9.3. On vault, she scored an 8.775. On bars, she scored 6.55. “Competition was definitely tougher than we expected,” she said. “In other years, I would have made it to finals with those scores, but this year has been way harder.” Lori Copenhaver, head coach for Liberty gymnastics for the past 22 years, praised Riley. “I was really proud of See GYMNAST, Page B5
Joanna Moreira, Liberty High School sophomore, complete with nosebleed, is declared the 10-5 winner over Centralia’s Jenna Gillaspie in her first-round, 137-pound bout during the state 3A wrestling championships Feb. 15 at the Tacoma Dome. BY GREG FARRAR
Patriots’ wrestlers leave state battered, but better By Sebastian Moraga smoraga@snovalleystar.com Her face was caked in sweat, her shoulders had mat burns and her nostrils were leaking red. And yet, Joanna Moreira could not stop smiling.
The Liberty High School wrestler had just defeated Angelica Vaschenko, from Franklin Pierce High School, in the second round of consolation at the state tourney in Tacoma. The win, a 12-8 tussle of wills, assured that the
137-pound Patriot from São Paulo, Brazil, would finish better at state than in 2012. “This is a big accomplishment,” she said. “I See BATTERED, Page B5