Spartan wrestlers upend Wildcats

Wade Weinert won a key match with a 9-6 decision in his 140-pound bout with Oak Harbor that helped the Spartans win 38-30 last Friday night. PHOTO BY JOHN GALBREATH | STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS Alex Hatley took just 40 seconds to dispatch his opponent Matt Wilson in the 285-pound match against Oak Harbor and, by doing so, inspired his fellow Spartan wrestlers (1-1 in league, 3-3 overall) to six more victories in the bouts that followed to upend the Wildcats 38-30 in WesCo 4A North mat action last Friday night at the Stanwood High gym.

After that heavyweight match, the Sparts’ next individual win came at the hands of Nick Kinsman, the team’s 125 pounder, who proceeded to follow Hatley’s lead with a pin in one minute, 5 seconds.

Jarred Studley took the 130-pound match by forfeit.

Zach Schut, a freshman who wrestles as a 135 pounder, built up a 7-3 lead through a takedown, a twopoint near-fall, an escape and a well-executed reversal before scoring a pin 40 seconds into the third round.

Wade Weinert (140) used a takedown, a pair of escapes, a one-point illegal hold call and a reversal to close out the Cat’s Brandon Stratton 9-6.

Sophomore Kyle Bennett built an astounding 16-2 margin over Steven Souza at 152 before mercifully settling down to pin Souza at the 31-second mark of the third period.

Over six minutes of action senior grappler Joe Eidsness scored four different near falls, a reversal, a takedown and an escape to easily rack up a 19-0 triumph at 160 pounds for the Sparts’ final points.

Against Marysville-Pilchuck earlier in the week, Stanwood lost decisively 52-16 after winning only four matches.

Michael Randall scored a 7-3 decision over MP’s Kyle Bossom at 215, Studley pinned Christian Mendoza at the 5:04 mark, Weinert notched an 11- 2 major decision at 140 pounds and Eidsness (160) continued his winning ways by securing a tough 6-4 decision over the Tommies’ Chris Herbert.