SPOKANE — A trio of member of the Port Angeles Wrestling Club competed this weekend at the USA Wrestling Freestyle/Greco-Roman state tournament, with a pair them bringing back medals for placing well up in their categories.
Carson Grooms finished second in both the freestyle and in the Greco-Roman in the 84-pound 14U division. Meanwhile, Jace Collins finished fourth in Greco-Roman in the 14U division, 140 pounds. Also competing at the tournament was Port Angeles’ Drew Disher in the 157-pound, 16U categories.
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling in which the legs cannot be used to take down an opponent or for holds and emphasises upper-body techniques and throws.
PA softball to play today
PORT ANGELES — A crucial Port Angeles-North Kitsap softball game will be played at 4:15 p.m. today in Poulsbo.
The game was originally scheduled for Monday but had to be postponed because the Hood Canal Bridge malfunctioned and was not fixed until late Monday night.
The game could end up determining the Olympic League championship. Port Angeles (9-1 sits in first place while Olympic 9-2) and North Kitsap (8-2) sit one loss behind. If the Roughriders win the game, they don’t quite clinch the league championship, but are in good shape to win it. If North Kitsap wins, it could set up a three-way tie for first place.
Port Angeles beat North Kitsap 7-0 last week. The Riders also have a game against last-place Bremerton (1-11, 1-14) on Thursday and against North Mason (6-4, 11-5) at home at Dry Creek Elementary at 4:15 p.m. Friday.
A soccer match between Port Angeles and Olympic scheduled for Monday has not been rescheduled. Playoff seeding will be set Wednesday and it’s possible that game will not be played.
White Crane compete at Oregon
PORT ANGELES — A team from White Crane Taekwondo based in Port Angeles attended the Northwest Regional Hanmadang Martial Arts Festival on Saturday at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.
With hopes of qualifying for the World Championships, several members were successful. Andrew Hass, an instructor at the Port Angeles studio, won gold in long jump shoulder rolling and long jump board breaking, and a bronze in the high jump board breaking.
Teammate Annabell Norcross from the Poulsbo school (Cross Martial Arts) won in the high jump board break and the forms and power board breaking divisions. Norcross and Hass now await word from the committee to learn if they will go to Los Angeles for the World Games.
Team leader Grandmaster Robert Nicholls set a world record by performing 102 official Korean forms in succession with no breaks or references. The ordeal took one hour and twenty-four minutes and sets the standard for martial artists everywhere. He is the West Coast director for the National Taekwondo Federation and runs the Port Angeles school.
Pierce sets PA record
PORT ANGELES — Brody Pierce’s triple jump at the Shoreline Invitational set a Port Angeles High School record for juniors. The record had stood for 38 years.
Pierce’s distance of 44 feet, 6 inches broke the old record of 44-5, set by Scott Ashmon in 1987.
Pierce is very much within range of the overall school record, which is 45-7½, which is also held by Ashmon.
Jace Collins competes in the 16U 140-pound weight division at the USA Wresting Freestyle/Greco-Roman state championships this weekend. Collins finished fourth in Greco-Roman. (Roger Harnack/Cheney Free Press)
Grandmaster Robert Nicholls of White Crane Martial Arts performs 102 straight Korean forms at the Northwest Regional Hanmadang Martial Arts Festival in Eugene, Ore., this weekend. (White Crane Martial Arts)
