The South Whidbey wrestling team traveled to Port Townsend for the Port Townsend Hat Trick Tournament on Dec. 11.

The competition included top-ranked 1A schools like Omak (No. 2), Port Townsend (10) and Vashon Island (12). Montesano and Tenino high schools rounded out the six-team tournament.

South Whidbey wrestled four of the five teams in a dual-match format: team versus team, working up from 103 to 285 pounds.

The Falcons did not have a full lineup, and forfeited at 103, 112 and 119 pounds, and the three automatic forfeits put the Falcons in a deficit before the match began.

To compensate for not having a legitimate 189 and 215 due to an illness-related injury to Avery Buechner, South Whidbey head coach Jim Thompson repositioned wrestlers to fill empty slots.

“It was a chance for kids to get matches,” said South Whidbey head coach Jim Thompson. “When matches were over, we just threw kids together. Everybody got at least three matches.”

The early season tournament coupled with recent school cancellations led to holes in most teams’ lineups. Thompson explained a lot of student-athletes are still in their weight-loss plans, which means vacant weights, especially in the 103 and 112 divisions.

“Unless I grab a freshman from the hall and get him to wrestle, we’re not going to have a 103,” he said.

Patrick Monell and Christian Justus flipped between wrestling

189 and 215 — 15 pounds above their own weights. Also, sharing a weight class were seniors Ben Jacobsen-Ross and Van Morgen at 160 pounds.

The Montesano Bulldogs downed the Falcons 55-39. South Whidbey rebounded to defeat a ranked Port Townsend Redskins squad, 58-48.

The second-ranked Omak Pioneers defeated South Whidbey 36-24. Last were the Tenino Beavers, who squeezed past the Falcons 36-30.

Four Falcons finished the tournament undefeated.

Senior Evan Thompson, 145 pounds, finished 4-0. Ross was 3-0 and pinned his opponents from Montesano and Tenino.

Morgen was 4-0 with three exhibition matches and pinned his Omak opponent, while teammate Jeremiah Robey,

171, was 3-0.

Christian Justus, 189, wrestled up a weight class at 215 and was 2-1.

“I was pretty pleased overall for how we performed for our first tournament of the season,” Thompson said of his team. “Everyone got some serious mat time, and got some experience under their belts.”

Evan Thompson and Jeremiah Robey each won the Hat Trick Challenge, which is a minimum of three wins.

Cascade Conference competition begins for South Whidbey at Granite Falls on Thursday, Dec. 16.