Lake Washington finishes second at KingCo 3A wrestling tournament

Juanita, Lake Washington qualify 15 wrestlers for regionals

Five members of the Lake Washington High wrestling team won individual titles at the Class 3A KingCo Conference championships on Saturday at the Juanita Fieldhouse.

The Kangs finished second as a team with seven finalists and 11 wrestlers on the podium.

Juanita finished third, behind Mercer Island and ahead of Interlake and Bellevue. Redmond won the 3A title.

The top three wrestlers in each bracket advance to the Class 3A Region 4 Championships, scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11 at Juanita High School.

The Kangs dominated the lighter weights. Freshmen Max Reisman and Michaelo Degross met in the 106-pound final, ending in a second-round pin for Degross.

Lake Washington junior Logan Heenan won a 12-7 decision over Redmond sophomore Jobe Zuniga in the 120-pound final.

Junior Hunter Giffard picked up one of the quickest pins in the finals, pinning Redmond freshman Alessandro Rizzi in 23 seconds to win the 132-pound bracket.

Kang senior Bilal Khilfeh lost a 5-4 decision in the 160-pound final to Redmond’s Cameron Allenshipman after pinning his opponents in the first two matches. Lake Washington’s Julius Shipton won a 6-2 decision over Juanita junior Nate Martin at 170 pounds.

The 220-pound match, like the 106-pound final, was an all-Kang bout. Sophomore Zach Schuster pinned teammate Andy Davis with seven seconds remaining in the match to win the conference title.

The Rebels weren’t without big moments of their own. Sophomore King Kotalas won by fall in the first 113-pound match, then beat Mercer Island’s Jordan Tillinger by decision in the semifinals. Kotalas then beat top-seeded Redmond sophomore Nadav Levanoni by decision, 9-3, in the conference final.

Juanita junior John Nascimento pinned Lake Washington’s Alex Garry midway through the first round to win the 285-pound bracket.

A handful of Kirkland-area wrestlers battled and won the third and final spot in the regional tournament. Lake Washington freshman Eliah Lux beat teammate Ryan Watson for third place at 126 pounds, and Juanita junior Dane Garman beat Lake Washington’s John Hentges by 17-1 technical fall to take third at 138 pounds.

Juanita 182-pound junior Matthew Moehrle won the third-place match over Mercer Island’s Connor Hill.

Lake Washington’s Marton Teichner finished fourth in the 113-pound bracket and Juanita’s Nathan Ferrell finished fourth in the 132-pound bracket.

Lake Washington junior Jose Mendoza finished fourth in the 195 pound bracket.

Bellevue’s Zach England was named the 3A Wrestler of the Year. Redmond’s Bob Kaneko won 2A/3A Coach of the Year.

TEAM SCORES

1. Redmond, 217

2. Lake Washington, 176

3. Mercer Island, 105.5

4. Juanita, 102.5

5. Interlake, 69.5

6. Bellevue, 18

BRACKET CHAMPIONS

106 — Michaelo Degross, Lake Washington

113 — King Kotalas, Juanita

120 — Logan Heenan, Lake Washington

126 — Aidan Campana, Interlake

132 — Hunter Giffard, Lake Washington

138 — Judah Dorsey, Redmond

145 — Jeremy Hernandez, Redmond

152 — Phillip Palm, Redmond

160 — Cameron Allenshipman, Redmond

170 — Julius Shipton, Lake Washington

182 — Luke Kennedy, Redmond

195 — Nick Kaneko, Redmond

220 — Zach Shuster, Lake Washington

285 — John Nascimento, Juanita

ADDITIONAL REGIONAL QUALIFIERS

106 — Max Reisman, Lake Washington; Luke Manchester, Interlake

113 — Nadav Levanoni, Redmond; Jordan Tillinger, Mercer Island

120 — Jobe Zuniga, Redmond; Eli Pruchno, Mercer Island

126 — Alex Ayala, Redmond; Elijah Lux, Lake Washington

132 — Rani Ghazal, Redmond; Josh Medvinsky, Redmond

138 — Cole Manchester, Interlake; Dane Garman, Juanita

145 — Piljin Kwak, Mercer Island; Jack Ellis, Redmond

152 — Finnian Childress, Mercer Island; Jonah Andrews, Mercer Island

160 — Bilal Khilfeh, Lake Washington; Lucas Varela, Interlake

170 — Nate Martin, Juanita; Alex Folta, Redmond

182 — Donnie Howard, Mercer Island; Matthew Moehrle, Juanita

195 — Henry Hawblitzel, Bellevue; Shane Piha, Mercer Island

220 — Andy Davis, Lake Washington; Teague Frazier, Mercer Island

285 — Alex Garry, Lake Washington; Ben Maier, Redmond