By NATHAN WHALEN
Special to the News-Times
Two Whidbey Island wrestlers earned second place in their respective weight classes at the Mat Classic state wrestling tournament that took place Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
Oak Harbor’s Percie Hatfield placed second at 157 pounds in the 3A boys tournament and South Whidbey’s Kaylie Baker placed second at 145 pounds in the 1B/2B/1A/2A girls tournament.
“He wrestled phenomenal,” Oak Harbor boys wrestling coach Aaron McBride said about Hatfield, who is a junior. “He earned everything he got.”
He dominated his first matches of the tournament and his semifinal win against Walla Walla’s Carter O’Dell by decision 7-6, was one of the best matches he wrestled, McBride said. Hatfield came up short in the finals against Arlington’s Tre Haines, losing by decision 16-9.
Baker had a strong start to the tournament.
“She worked her way all the way through with three wins by pin,” South Whidbey wrestling coach John Sommer said. Her sole loss in the tournament came against Toppenish’s Makayla Torres, where she lost by technical fall 16-0.
Sommer noted that Baker defeated Torres during the state freestyle championships in 2023.
Oak Harbor’s girls wrestling team also had wrestlers place at the Mat Classic with Annabelle Suto placing third at 135 pounds in the 3A/4A girls tournament and Brianna Richard placing sixth at 130 pounds.
In the quarterfinals, Suto faced eventual state champion Curtis’ Sierra Wangen, whose only loss of the season took place in regionals. “It was unfortunate to meet her in the quarters,” said Oak Harbor girls wrestling coach Michael Crebbin.
She wrestled three matches to make it to the third-place match, where she defeated Pasco’s Berkley McCullough by major decision 9-0.
“That’s the problem when you get dropped into consolations. You just have to wrestle and wrestle,” Crebbin said.
Richard, a senior who is finishing her first year of wrestling, likely would have placed higher if the season lasted longer. “She is continuing to get better week, by week, by week,” Crebbin said.
Crebbin noted that Suto and Richard are both seniors and competed in the second day of the tournament.
“It would have been nice to get a few more placers,” Crebbin said, adding that the other girls who qualified for state are juniors and have to start planning for next year.
“We got a good, strong core,” Crebbin said.
McBride noted that sophomore Joel Christopherson, who wrestled at 144 pounds, had a couple of wins during Mat Classic. “He definitely has got a great future ahead of him.”
South Whidbey’s Cole Thorsen placed sixth in Tacoma.
“He had a tough tournament. He had to battle to get to the second day,” Sommer said.
Thorsen, who is a senior, has competed in the Mat Classic for the past three years. Last year, he made it to the second day.
Coupeville also had a wrestler compete at state. Senior Jaje Drake competed at 215 pounds in the 1B/2B boys tournament and made it to the second day of the tournament, winning two matches and losing two matches.
Drake, who is Coupeville’s only wrestler, competed with South Whidbey’s wrestling team. Sommer said Drake had a good tournament for a first-year wrestler to make it to the second day.
Sommer said the weekend’s results marked the first time since he became wrestling coach at South Whidbey that the school had two wrestlers place at state.
Oak Harbor’s Percie Hatfield stands at the podium after earning second place at the Mat Classic state wrestling tournament that took place Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome. (Photo courtesy Aaron McBride)
