PORT ANGELES — Forks controls the axe for 2018, the traveling trophy presented to winners of The Battle for the Axe, the Olympic Shootout Team Wrestling Tournament.
The Spartans ran roughshod over their North Olympic Peninsula counterparts, compiling a 3-0 meet record in Thursday’s matches at Port Angeles High School.
Forks took down third-place Port Townsend 60-16, topped fourth-place Sequim 70-12 and beat Port Angeles 67-12 in the final dual of the night to decide the overall champion.
Despite the dominance his wrestlers displayed, Spartans’ head coach Bob Wheeler believes his team is capable of producing more.
“I’m still wanting more than what we are getting because there is just so much potential,” Wheeler said. “We haven’t put our team together the way it could be. We were missing a couple of important guys tonight, we can still be better.”
Brett Moody led the way at 170 pounds for Forks, picking up three pins. He opened with a pin of Port Townsend’s Wes Blue at 1:32, dispatched Logan Laxson of Sequim in 41 seconds and pinned Port Angeles’ Carson Jackson at 2:54.
“He’s a very hard worker and he’s been doing well for us,” Wheeler said of Moody.
Last year’s 106-pound Class 1A state champion Josue Lucas, now wrestling at 113, showed off some acrobatic moves in picking up a win by pin at 1:48 of his match with Port Townsend’s Carter Swartout and a 17-2 technical fall victory against Port Angeles’ Scott Hedin. He also won by forfeit against Sequim.
Wheeler worried that Lucas’ leaps may hurt him against tougher competition down the road.
“It didn’t help him in one match, he overdid that a little bit [leaving his feet] and it didn’t work out well for him,” Wheeler said.
Eden Ciseneros toughed out a 2-1 win over Port Townsend’s Kyle Caldwell and pinned Port Angeles’ Dom Timperio at 1:32.
“Eden is getting used to 195, he’s only wrestled that weight this week and last week,” Wheeler said. “He cut down from 220 to 195. That lets us have Luke [Dahlgren] and Tristan [Pisani] wrestle at 220 at state.”
Wheeler also said Colby Demorest bounced back well after a getting pinned with two seconds left in his 160-pound match against Port Townsend’s Gabe Petrick.
Demorest pinned Sequim’s Chris Puksta at 1:23 and outpointed the Roughriders’ Riley Gale for a 16-0 win by technical fall.
Port Angeles head coach Rob Gale was impressed by Forks’ showing.
“Are you kidding me? Honestly, I think they can go to Spokane [Dream Duals] and beat Freeman and come back with the title.”
He also was pleased to see his team pick up a 62-12 win over Sequim and come-from-behind to beat Port Townsend 45-25.
“We came out fighting right from the beginning and that’s the way it came up with Sequim and we battled back against Port Townsend,” Gale said.
“Jackson Larson our 152-pounder stepped up because Kenny Soule is hurt. They are battling for the starting position, we have two great 152-pounders. I’m excited for Kenny to get back.”
Gale also liked what he saw from Daniel Basden at 126-pounds.
“Daniel Basden wanted to wrestle Forks’ state champ but Forks had to put their best lineup out there,” Gale said. “Dan won last week at Hoquiam and has been coming on strong.
Carson Jackson and Bailey White also are doing well. I see improvement. We are showing great things in practice and I think it will carryover moving ahead.
Petrick wrestled well for Port Townsend, going 2-1. Jesus Duran went 2-0 for the Redhawks with two pins.
Sequim’s Ben Newell went 2-1 for the Wolves and Kiara Pierson wrestled a tough match against Forks’ Keith Thompson before falling 10-0 and later pinned a Port Townsend wrestler.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Forks’ Nate Flores works to pin Port Townsend’s Tucker Booth in the 285 lb. class at the “Battle for the Axe” on Thursday at Port Angeles High School.
