Colfax off to Mat Classic

REARDAN — On Feb. 11, several wrestlers from Whitman County and the greater Eastern Washington area competed for an opportunity to go to the Mat Wrestling Classic state wrestling tournament in Tacoma.

Colfax’s Cooper Phillips had the most dominant showing of the Whitman County representatives, winning his first two matches in the 120-lb. bracket to advance to the first place match against Sam Drake of Kettle Falls.

Phillips beat Drake via fall in 1:32, earning the only first-place finish for Whitman County and punching his ticket to Tacoma.

Tristen Burd earned a fifth-place finish in the 285-lb. weight class after pinning Jenkins’ (Chewelah) Fred Morris in 36 seconds in the fifth-place match. The placing makes him an alternative to state and, potentially, gives the Bulldogs two representatives at the Classic.

Colfax’s last male wrestler competing, Wyatt Southern, lost via first-round fall to Selkirk’s Jameson Davis. Southern’s season would end in his next match, losing via second-round fall to Wilbur-Creston-Keller’s Everett Jolley.

Walker Montgomery of Garfield-Palouse wrestled in the 126-lb. weight class and lost his opening match to Andrew Worden of Kettle Falls. Montgomery lost his next match to Almira-Coulee-Hartline’s Harvest Parrish via pinfall to end his season, despite outscoring Parrish throughout the match.

The two female representatives of Whitman County, Garfield-Palouse’s Laynie Southern and Tekoa-Rosalia’s Alexis Taylor, had their regional competition at Rogers High School in Spokane.

Taylor took fifth place for the girls 145-lb. weight class, being named an alternative to state after beating Tonasket’s Emiley Shiles by fall in 4:58.

Southern outscored her opponent, Quincy’s Michelle Acevedo, 12-1 in her opening match, but fell to a second-round pin. Acevedo would go on to win the girls 130-lb. class.

In her second match, Southern and Chelan’s Amiee Gordon went to three rounds, but Southern ultimately took the loss via 6-1 decision, ending her season in the process.

The Mat Classic Wrestling State Tournament will take place in Tacoma starting at 9 a.m. on Feb. 17.