Final Regular-Season 4A Class Individual Rankings

By The PREDICTOR

Kurt Lang

You know, as I put the finishing touches on this ranking, I think it might be helpful for everyone to know what goes into putting it all together.

I scan newspapers, the Internet, wrestling magazines, local radio and any other new outlet I can find. I hear from coaches, fans, wrestlers, and referees. I cruise the web to high school and league sites and steal statistics.

All of this information gets entered into my database, which has wrestling results back to 1953, and includes the names of thousands of wrestlers (4,385 this school year alone, or about 60% of the kids turning out). I record as many tournament results as I can (6,177 this year). I copy as many dual contest results as I can, using the speed of my computer (I estimate 40,000 or so head-to-head results this season, though they are not indexed—this is out of about 200,000 bouts that are wrestled in the high school season each year, in Washington State alone!). I enter all I can find out about each team, school and coach (About 264 schools have wrestling, that I know of).

I look into my archival database to rank the 220 tournaments I know about with a scale of 0-100. The toughest include the Tri State, Mat Classic, and Reno Tournament of Champions. At the low end I have JV tournaments (Yep, if I can find the results, they go in) and some non-sanctioned events. Much of the ranking is based upon instinct.

Finally, I sort wrestlers by weight and school classification, with the database assigning points base upon a formula including tourney toughness and placement.

After that report is issued by weight, I look at the top 20-30 wrestlers in each division, and look to all data I have on them as individuals. I juggle the rankings and add commentary, and send the finished product to folks who kindly post my material. (That’s right, to answer a question I get asked all of the time, I do not have my own website—I get published by others.)

I always reconsider my rankings when I get new information, because there are always some deserving wrestlers I’ve overlooked. And I always invite folks to give input, which will be heard. (wapredictor@hotmail.com

The tough part is, I can’t keep up with the emails (sometimes 30 per day) and the database, and I make mistakes. I am not discouraged; I just want you all to know that this is no cakewalk. I do it for the love of the oldest, greatest and purest sport in the world—and because the men and women who work their tails off on the mats deserve all of the recognition and respect we can give them. Go to a match, volunteer to help out, or if you’re already involved, please continue.

For those of you who have E-mailed me results, information, and opinions, my undying gratitude is yours. I have been so terribly busy that I haven’t had a chance to do anything but keep the database up-to-date. I apologize for not answering promptly, and I’ll try to catch up as soon as I can.

103

I haven’t had so much trouble with a whole ranking this year. The top-three were easy, but the next twelve are hard to put in order. This weekend will sort things out some more.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Ryan Trotter	Senior	Decatur	7^th—2001
2	Cory Vombaur	?	Evergreen (Vancouver)	No Prev
3	Joel Anderson	?	Enumclaw	No Prev
4	Ko Brudvik	Senior	Edmonds-Woodway	DNP—2001, 7^th—2000
5	Reese Whitley	Sophomore	Wenatchee	No Prev
6	Travis Warrington	?	Lake Stevens	No Prev
7	Michael Matte	?	Tahoma	No Prev
8	Chad Ferrozzo	Junior	Central Valley	No Prev
9	Maurice Lopez	?	Auburn	No Prev
10	Cory Fish	?	University	No Prev
11	Jeremy Montang	Freshman	University	No Prev
12	John Hanks	Junior	Marysville-Pilchuck	DNP—2001
13	Rory Magana	?	Oak Harbor	No Prev
14	Martin Salinas	Sophomore	Pasco	No Prev
15	Jordan Faucette	?	Rogers (Puyallup)	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Daniel Guzman, Walla Walla

Austin Templeton, Central Kitsap

Nathan Sawhill, Mead

Alex Jaime, Olympic

112

Holy cats, I didn’t realize how loaded this class is until I ran the report. In the top ten, I show fourteen previous trips to the dome, seven medals, five top-three’s, and two championships. Er-uh, you figure it out, I can’t.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Mike Rodriguez	Sophomore	Kamiakin	2^nd—2001
2	Jesse Getchell	Senior	Heritage	1^st—2001, 8^th—2000, DNP—1999
3	Matt Hadreas	Senior	Edmonds-Woodway	3^rd—2001, 7^th—2000, DNP—1999
4	Josh Williams	Senior	Kennewick	DNP—2001, 1^st—2000, DNP—1999
5	Jake Gonzalez	Sophomore	Enumclaw	DNP—2001
6	Dimitry Gaydarzhi	Senior	Curtis	DNP—2001
7	Julio Garcia	Junior	Port Angeles	DNP—2001
8	Justin Davidson	Sophomore	Bothell	No Prev
9	C.J. Brown	Senior	Stanwood	3^rd—2001
10	Tom Tran	Senior	University	No Prev
11	Jason Foster	Senior	Cascade (Everett)	DNP—2001
12	John Gonzales	Senior	Auburn	DNP—2000
13	Justin Rose	Senior	University	No Prev
14	Gilbert Bazan	Junior	Eisenhower	No Prev
15	Mike Caniparoli	?	Tahoma	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Rick Yeager, Evergreen (Vancouver)

Matt Karber, Rogers (Spokane)

Jeff Shiltz, Wilson

David Markey, Thomas Jefferson

Nathan Reese, Olympic

Kevin Lang, Oak Harbor

Mike Fisher, Battle Ground

119

Boy oh boy, another fun bracket to watch in Tacoma, if some of these guys can even get out of their regions. Absolutely inhumane is the competition at 119. Luke Kuhn is on top right now because of big wins over ranked wrestlers in big tournaments. Tony Kubec beat Ty Human in a classic Wesco matchup. Derek Kipperberg has been quietly winning away on the Kitsap Peninsula. And the others, well I could go on, but there’s no time---on to 125.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Luke Kuhn	Senior	Gonzaga Prep	DNP—2001
2	Tony Kubec	Sophomore	Cascade (Everett)	DNP—2001
3	Derek Kipperberg	Senior	South Kitsap	4^th—2001
4	Ty Human	Junior	Lake Stevens	5^th—2001, 2^nd—2000
5	Tyler Sherfey	Sophomore	Kamiakin	3^rd—2001
6	Jesse Lang	Junior	Richland	5^th—2001
7	Jon Maryanski	?	Tahoma	No Prev
8	Dan Johnson	Senior	University	No Prev
9	Ryan Wheeler	Junior	Olympic	No Prev
10	Nate Hawley	?	Mead	No Prev
11	Brett Wagner	Junior	Rogers (Puyallup)	5^th—2001
12	P.J. Gemin	Senior	Inglemoor	DNP—2001, DNP—2000
13	Jon Garcia	Senior	Oak Harbor	DNP—2001
14	Cory Getchell	?	Heritage	No Prev
15	Tonio Thacker	Junior	Auburn Riverside	8^th—2001

Honorable Mention

Jeff McClellan, Curtis

Matt Curry, Mount Vernon

Janya Lyuban,, Heritage

Chris Ross, Mountain View

Haven Hash, Prairie

Jamie Schrader, Foss

125

The question everywhere is, “What weight is Barnes going to go?” I know a lot of wrestlers’ post-season hopes ride on the answer, so I’ll weigh in with my guess, which has no insider information at all. I reckon he’ll step onto the scales at 125#, to free up the possibility for teammate Eric Curnett to win at 130#. Every point will count hugely in the team scores, and I think Coach Barnes will maximize his potential. That being said, the next question is, “Can anyone beat Burke?” Briefly, yes. Remember Gable, Karelin, Owen, McGettrick? Will anyone beat Burke? Well, that’s why they wrestle--to find out. Enjoy!

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Burke Barnes	Senior	Lake Stevens	1^st—2001, 1^st—2000, 1^st—1999
2	Mike Roggenkamp	Senior	Enumclaw	DNP—2001, DNP—2000
3	Mickey Elliott	Junior	Spanaway Lake	3^rd—2001
4	Ryan Montang	Senior	University	No Prev
5	Tyson Hintz	Senior	Moses Lake	6^th—2001, 2^nd—2000, DNP—1999
6	Jimmy Jayne	Senior	Arlington	2^nd—2001, 2^nd—2000, 4^th—1999
7	Anthony Cossano	Senior	Decatur	DNP—2001, DNP—2000
8	Paul Sewell	Senior	Inglemoor	5^th—2001, DNP—2000
9	Damon Jordan	Senior	Evergreen (Vancouver)	8^th—2001
10	Nate Stamm	Freshman	Gonzaga Prep	No Prev
11	Adam Theissen	Junior	Auburn Riverside	DNP—2001
12	Jeff Brown	Senior	Richland	8^th—2001
13	Roger Garcia	Senior	Cascade (Everett)	DNP—2001
14	Sean Forbes	?	Emerald Ridge	No Prev
15	Jacob Cook	Senior	Wenatchee	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Steven Werner, Mountain View

Jimmy Benefield, Lake Washington

Lance Guzek, Richland

James Castleton, Emerald Ridge

Trace Bradburn, Mead

130

Eric Curnett lost the first couple of weeks of wrestling when the whole team sat out to control a skin problem. But he seems to be wrestling well now, and I know he works as hard as anyone around. Across the sound at Central Kitsap, there are two very talented wrestlers that might both weigh in at 130#. Mendez and Eickmeyer have left a lot of guys wondering what hit ‘em.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Eric Curnett	Senior	Lake Stevens	2nd—2001, 3^rd—2000
2	Jason Mendez	Senior	Central Kitsap	DNP—2001
3	Zach Dompier	Senior	Moses Lake	DNP—2001
4	Chad Eickmeyer	Junior	Central Kitsap	No Prev
5	Chris Spurlock	Sophomore	Heritage	No Prev
6	Adam Morrison	?	Rogers (Puyallup)	No Prev
7	Marvell Tullos	Junior	Ferris	No Prev
8	Trique Meininger	Senior	Auburn	DNP—2001
9	Cody Sanford	Junior	Pasco	DNP—2001
10	Cody Watson	Junior	Walla Walla	No Prev
11	Ian Richards	Sophomore	Spanaway Lake	No Prev
12	Eric Jarrard	?	Auburn Riverside	No Prev
13	Josh Huett	Senior	Central Valley	DNP—2000
14	Nick Borchers	Sophomore	Port Angeles	No Prev
15	Casey Audette	Sophomore	Mount Vernon	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Eric Mata, Pasco

Alan Morrical, Moses Lake

Sean Goldsmith, Eastlake

Kellan Corn, East Valley (Spokane)

Jordan Andersen, North Kitsap

Matt Clouse, Southridge

Zach Holcomb, Mountain View

Trevor Mayer, Woodinville

Micah Pruss, Oak Harbor

135

Ariel Garza is a wrestler who had a shot at three championships if he’d been healthy, but luck wasn’t with him. He might make his third trip to the finals this year, but he may face one of the guys I have listed at 140#, if they drop down.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Ariel Garza	Senior	Moses Lake	6^th—2001, 1^st—2000, 2^nd—1999
2	Chris Fischer	Senior	Heritage	3^rd—2001
3	Tyler Pederson	Junior	Auburn	DNP—2000
4	Marcus Garthe	Junior	Lake Washington	8^th—2001
5	Jim Andrews	Senior	Curtis	No Prev
6	Jeremy LaRance	Senior	Sumner	8^th—2001, 7^th—2000
7	Luke Watson	Senior	Walla Walla	DNP—2001
8	Matt ReMillard	Sophomore	Southridge	7^th—2001
9	Brent Stover	?	Spanaway Lake	No Prev
10	Eric Smith	Senior	Bremerton	No Prev
11	Matt Leonard	Senior	Bothell	No Prev
12	Mark Bentley	Senior	Emerald Ridge	DNP—2001
13	Wayne Duvall	Senior	Moses Lake	No Prev
14	Norman Orr	Sophomore	Marysville-Pilchuck	No Prev
15	Paul Evanson	?	Mount Spokane	No Prev

Honorable Mention

James Barr-Finch, Auburn Riverside

Bill Ducharme, Foss

Robbie Curry, Mount Vernon

Chris Miller, Battle Ground

140

Bryan Seibel tore ‘em a new bracket at Tri State, along with excellent appearances at the Inland Empire and Pacific Northwest Classic. On the other hand, I don’t think Brandon Hunter will have any troubles to keep him out of regionals this year, and could be the guy. Kenny McNeese had a good Tri State, too, losing to a really tough Derek Williams of Tonasket.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Bryan Seibel	Senior	Moses Lake	3^rd—2001, DNP—2000
2	Brandon Hunter	Junior	Kentwood	No Prev
3	Kenny McNeese	Junior	Auburn	4^th—2001
4	Nick Tompkins	?	Tahoma	No Prev
5	Chris Smelser	Senior	Lake Washington	DNP—2001
6	Nate Peterson	Senior	Enumclaw	DNP—2000
7	Mike Frerichs	Junior	Central Kitsap	No Prev
8	Blake Yonago	Senior	Ferris	DNP—2000, DNP—1999
9	Ryan Erickson	?	Battle Ground	No Prev
10	B.J. Russell	Junior	Moses Lake	DNP—2001, 5^th—2000
11	Tom Watson	Senior	University	DNP—2001
12	Joel Mack	?	Heritage	No Prev
13	Andy Hall	Junior	Kennewick	No Prev
14	Ryan Nead	Senior	Tahoma	DNP—2001
15	Brett Nelson	?	Skyview	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Nate Bean, Eastlake

Willie Ward, Monroe

Jon Bauer, Rogers (Puyallup)

Ben Comeau, Mountlake Terrace

Ray Quist, Woodinville

Jared Jennings, Juanita

145

I saw Fred Farmer at the Battle at the Border in December—he flat-out dominated Stephen Folden for the championship. I don’t know what it’ll take to stop him now.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Fred Farmer	Senior	Heritage	2^nd—2001, 3^rd—2000, 3^rd—1999
2	Stephen Folden	Senior	Kentwood	1^st—2001
3	John Daschbach	Senior	Central Valley	8th—2001
4	Nick Johnson	Senior	Tahoma	DNP—2001
5	Brendan Dallas	?	Woodinville	No Prev
6	David Jones	Senior	Lake Washington	No Prev
7	Zac Robson	Sophomore	Lewis & Clark	No Prev
8	Adam Eatros	Senior	Southridge	4^th—2000
9	Eric Garcia	Junior	Moses Lake	3^rd—2001
10	Brent Thompson	Senior	Oak Harbor	DNP—2001
11	Tyson Paul	Senior	Eisenhower	6^th—2001
12	Patrick Kelly	Sophomore	South Kitsap	No Prev
13	Kyle Cheever	Senior	Bothell	DNP—2001
14	Nick Rogers	Junior	Stanwood	No Prev
15	Carlyle Scott	?	Battle Ground	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Tyler Cowgill, Central Kitsap

Ray Cruz, Curtis

Lars Trulson, Sumner

Zach Morris, Auburn

152

You gotta look at the SPSL and just shake your head in awe. Patrick Pitsch is enough to scare anyone away, but throw in Josh Wiebenga, whose only loss is to Pitsch, and Nate McClusky, ditto. Yikes. It’s a good thing they split the Regionals this year.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Patrick Pitsch	Junior	Spanaway Lake	3^rd—2001
2	Josh Wiebenga	Senior	Enumclaw	DNP—2001
3	Nate McClusky	?	Decatur	No Prev
4	Cory Vansteenwick	Senior	Battle Ground	7^th—2001
5	Dusty Long	Junior	Mountain View	2^nd—2001
6	Jeff Nearing	Junior	Lake Stevens	No Prev
7	Brad Kihm	Senior	Snohomish	DNP—2001
8	Clark Hutchman	Junior	North Kitsap	7^th—2001
9	Cody Hughes	Sophomore	Southridge	No Prev
10	Nate McEuen	Senior	Sumner	DNP—2001
11	Josh Martinelli	Junior	Central Kitsap	No Prev
12	Brian Call	?	Heritage	No Prev
13	Tomas Nicacio	Junior	Richland	No Prev
14	Joe Webb	Junior	Stanwood	No Prev
15	Andy Hughes	Senior	Cascade (Everett)	DNP—2001

Honorable Mention

Steve Story, Shadle Park

Brian Dean, Pasco

Cody Craig, Richland

Chris Mosher, Shelton

Vince Vierck, Skyview

Bryan Taylor, Inglemoor

Warren Hasagawa, Mountlake Terrace

T.K. O’Donnell, Foss

Seth Hanson, Enumclaw

160

Derek McLaughlin has beaten some pretty hard hombres in the finals of the tournaments he’s been in, and I’m going to keep him on top until someone knocks him down. That someone might be Christian Anderson, runner-up at Tri State for the second year, and Outstanding Wrestler at the Gator Invitational. And I can’t count out threats from the east, where Elliott Tenner has performed well.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Derek McLaughlin	Junior	Capital	2^nd—2001, 6^th—2000
2	Christian Anderson	Senior	Lake Stevens	4^th—2001
3	Elliott Tenner	Senior	University	No Prev
4	Jay Carlile	Sophomore	Battle Ground	DNP—2001
5	Jason Bressler	Senior	Decatur	DNP—2001
6	Palmer Weaver	Senior	Bothell	No Prev
7	Quinton Josie	Junior	Enumclaw	6^th—2000
8	Josh McDonnell	Senior	Cascade (Everett)	DNP—2001
9	Joe Hathaway	Senior	Curtis	DNP—2001
10	Luke Switzer	Senior	Olympic	No Prev
11	Brian Gustafson	Senior	Kentwood	No Prev
12	Chris James	?	Bellarmine Prep	No Prev
13	Kelly Weston	?	Shelton	No Prev
14	Mark Dodge	Freshman	Heritage	No Prev
15	Ken Stewart	Senior	Central Valley	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Troy Simeona, Kentlake

Jeff Hall, Eastlake

Jordan Henderson, Kennewick

Tom Bagley, Everett

Sky Croft, Jackson

Evan Winslow, Snohomish

171

Here’s another one of those slugfest weight classes that I can’t be too sure of. Ryan Qualls has done the best so far, with only one tourney loss, to Andy Andrews of Sedro-Woolley. Trey Lusk on the eastern side hasn’t been any slouch, either, having beaten Reiner and McCollum in a couple of tournaments.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Ryan Qualls	Senior	Tahoma	4^th—2001
2	Trey Lusk	Senior	Moses Lake	DNP—2001
3	Paul Reiner	Senior	Walla Walla	6^th—2001
4	Luke McCollum	?	Mead	No Prev
5	Kyle Bressler	Sophomore	Decatur	No Prev
6	Brandon Burt	?	Enumclaw	No Prev
7	Cory Devela	Senior	Sumner	6^th—2001, DNP—2000
8	Sean Kelly	Junior	Bellarmine Prep	DNP—2001
9	Kevin Balding	Sophomore	Shelton	No Prev
10	Jesse Erickson	?	Cascade (Everett)	No Prev
11	Kyle Malone	Senior	Gonzaga Prep	6^th—2001
12	Dustin Campos	Senior	Battle Ground	No Prev
13	Eric Olson	?	Stanwood	No Prev
14	Rick League	?	Foss	No Prev
15	David Schlosser	Senior	Redmond	DNP—2001

Honorable Mention

Cody White, Moses Lake

Scott LaBrash, Bothell

Chris Nichols, Ferris

Dan Dunkle, Kamiakin

Nick Vincent, Thomas Jefferson

189

I said at the start of the season that the Greater Spokane League would have some of the toughest brawls at this weight, an I was right on that. Michalski, Van Doren, and Bradley have been beating on each other all season, and I don’t know which one will come out on top. On the west side of the state, I’ve been impressed by Tyler Moyer, who wrestles with a coolness rarely seen in sophomores. Nobody should take him lightly.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Tony Michalski	Senior	East Valley (Spokane)	DNP—2001
2	Tyler Moyer	Sophomore	Central Kitsap	No Prev
3	Ryan Van Doren	Senior	Mead	5^th—2001, DNP—2000, DNP—1999
4	Pat Bradley	Senior	Gonzaga Prep	5^th—2001
5	Danny McNeese	Senior	Auburn	DNP—2001
6	Dan Espenshade	Senior	Decatur	No Prev
7	Tom Kinion	Senior	Pasco	No Prev
8	Yuri Malamura	?	Spanaway Lake	No Prev
9	Ryan Anderson	Junior	Lake Stevens	DNP—2001
10	Clancy Seymour	Senior	Stanwood	DNP—2001
11	Jon Ragan	Junior	Heritage	DNP—2001
12	Darrin Jones	Senior	Olympic	No Prev
13	James Rogers	?	Skyview	No Prev
14	Aaron Eisenbarth	Senior	Walla Walla	No Prev
15	Jake Nelson	?	Mead	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Lago Fai Fai, Hudson’s Bay

Mike Rudd, Central Valley

Justin Gielski, Kentlake

Isaiah Roduman, Mountain View

Jarod Jennings, North Kitsap

Dan Schafer, Wilson

215

Well, I don’t know how they count that high, but the Seattle Times reported that Ty Watterson is 33-0 on the season (I think they’re counting a few extra forfeits). In any case, nobody has beaten him, and he’s #1. Brad Farmer is growing into his frame (He went 160 last season…) and winning most of his matches. Then we run into another logjam in the GSL—good luck figuring that one out.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev. at State
1	Ty Watterson	Senior	Enumclaw	2^nd—2001, 8^th—2000
2	Brad Farmer	Sophomore	Heritage	DNP—2001
3	David Kulisch	Senior	Lewis & Clark	7^th—2001
4	Dan Gonzalez	Senior	Ferris	DNP—2001
5	Chris Thoreson	Senior	East Valley (Spokane)	1^st—2001, 1^st—2000, DNP—1999
6	Mike Bear	Senior	Stanwood	No Prev
7	Caleb Osborn	?	Skyview	No Prev
8	Matt Walker	?	Foss	No Prev
9	Chris Walsh	Senior	Lincoln	No Prev
10	Zack Neal	Senior	Kamiakin	No Prev
11	Chris Whiteman	Senior	Oak Harbor	No Prev
12	Mike Lisenby	Junior	Bothell	No Prev
13	Irwin Weiser	?	Marysville-Pilchuck	No Prev
14	Chad Peterson	Senior	Eisenhower	No Prev
15	Johnny Chew	Senior	East Valley (Spokane)	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Kenton Bass, Wenatchee

Corey Brown, Auburn

Micah Sabsowitz, Enumclaw

Brandon Ono, Pasco

Eric Wendlund, Sumner

Brian Turner, Everett

275

When you get 550 pounds of flesh crashing in the middle of the circle, anyone can win, but here’s how I rank the Big Guys.

Rank	Name	Year	School	Prev at State
1	Justin Moody	Senior	East Valley (Spokane)	3^rd—2001, DNP—2000
2	Mark Trott	Senior	Auburn	6^th—2001
3	Jesse Calderon	Senior	Cascade (Everett)	No Prev
4	Blaine Guenther	Junior	Bethel	DNP—2001
5	Aaron Dukleth	?	Evergreen (Vancouver)	No Prev
6	Zedekiah Martin	Junior	Wilson	No Prev
7	Dick Wilde	?	Skyview	No Prev
8	Jacob Bouge	Junior	University	No Prev
9	Will Blaschko	?	Tahoma	No Prev
10	Cody Simmons	Sophomore	Shelton	No Prev
11	Tim Smith	Junior	Wenatchee	No Prev
12	Richard Kowell	Senior	Mount Vernon	DNP—2001
13	Elvy Martinez	Senior	Capital	DNP—2001
14	Zack Kenealey	Junior	Juanita	DNP—2001
15	Marcus Compton	?	Heritage	No Prev

Honorable Mention

Scott Jennings, Central Kitsap

Josh Albee, Olympic

Sean Hogan, Oak Harbor

Chris Medrzycki, Bellarmine Prep

Mike Miner, Rogers (Spokane)

Kyle Clerget, Enumclaw

Matt Oleson, Marysville-Pilchuck

Kifa Fai Fai, Hudson’s Bay