By NATHAN WHALEN

Special to the News-Times

Genesis Egli, a senior at Oak Harbor High School, had a goal when she returned to the Mat Classic to compete in the 125-pound weight class of the 3A state wrestling tournament.

“This time was different,” Egli said. “It’s my last chance. I need to work hard, and I need to place.”

Egli reached her goal when she defeated Mountain View’s Hailey Miller via pinfall at 5:31 in the championship final to capture first place Feb. 21.

Oak Harbor coach Mike Crebbin said Egli’s finals match was the best she wrestled in the tournament.

“She wrestled really smart and didn’t overextend herself,” Crebbin said. Egli’s championship was Oak Harbor’s first wrestling championship since 2017 when Sam Zook won at 285 pounds, Crebbin added.

After she pinned Miller near the end of the third round, she said she remembered the work she needed to make it to the final. She finished the season with a record of 32-2. Her two losses came against the same wrestler, Egli said.

She had started wrestling in her sophomore year of high school. Her older brother, Ezekiel, had wrestled at Oak Harbor and placed fourth in the state tournament.

Egli’s sister, Sarai, also wrestles at Oak Harbor. Sarai qualified for the Mat Classic at 130 pounds. She won two matches but didn’t place.

Genesis Egli qualified for state in her sophomore and junior years, but she failed to place.

She was one of 19 girls from Oak Harbor to compete at the Mat Classic that took place Feb. 20 through Feb. 22 at the Tacoma Dome.

The Wildcats ended up taking fifth as a team in the 3A girls tournament that had wrestlers from 63 schools.

“The girls wrestled really well,” Crebbin said.

Three other Oak Harbor girls placed in the tournament – Julia Gonzales placed sixth at 100 pounds, Loto Tupu placed fourth at 190 pounds and Olivia Hudson placed second at 235 pounds, according to results posted at Trackwrestling.com.

Crebbin said Gonzales lost in the quarterfinals (6-0 decision to University’s Lily Cunningham) and had to fight to get a spot in the medal rounds. Gonzales faced Cunningham again in the fifth-place match, but came up short 3-1.

Tupu’s losses at the Mat Classic came against wrestlers who compete for Everett. She lost by decision (5-2) to eventual champion Mia Cienega in the semi-final match and lost 8-5 to Vida Cienega in the third-place match.

Hudson was pinned in the final at 235 pounds, losing to Prairie’s Faith Tarrant, who won her fourth consecutive state championship.

Kelso as a team won the 3A girls tournament. Crebbin noted that three District 1 teams – Sedro-Woolley (fourth), Oak Harbor (fifth) and Everett (sixth) placed in the top 10.

“It shows the quality of wrestling we have here in the northwest corner,” Crebbin said.

Girls wrestling has expanded in recent years with more wrestlers competing. Last week’s Mat Classic saw tournaments for 4A, 3A, 2A and a combined 1A, 1B, and 2B schools. The 2024 Mat Classic had two girls wrestling tournaments – one for 4A and 3A schools and one for smaller schools.

Oak Harbor’s boys wrestling team sent 10 wrestlers to the Mat Classic and three wrestlers placed.

Josiah Christopherson placed fifth at 175 pounds. He defeated his teammate Ethan Bazar by technical fall in the fifth place and sixth place match.

Junior Malachi Ebai placed fifth when he won by major decision over White River’s Thomas Stanhope 13-5.

Coach Aaron McBride said Ebai’s two losses in the tournament were each by one point.

South Whidbey sent a contingent of wrestlers to the Mat Classic.

“We took a really young team, they competed well and learned a lot,” Coach John Sommer said in an email.

South Whidbey’s Kaylie Baker placed second at 145 pounds. Vashon Island’s Persephone Puz pinned Baker at 2:42. For Baker, it was the second time she finished as runner-up.

“I could not be prouder of her and her accomplishments, she has been an absolute joy to coach,” Sommer added in the email.

South Whidbey sent three girls and five boys to the Mat Classic, but Baker was the only Falcon wrestler to place.

With the high school wrestling season complete, Egli is preparing for the freestyle wrestling season and she is looking to attend college.

Oak Harbor’s wrestling program starts planning for the next season. Crebbin said the middle schools have good numbers of boys and girls wrestlers.