Toppenish at Ephrata

EPHRATA — In their Senior Night showdown, the Ephrata girls wrestling team, ranked No. 3 in the Class 2A by the Washington Wrestling Network, dropped a Central Washington Athletic Conference dual meet to No. 2 Toppenish, 56-18, on Thursday, Jan. 22.

The Lady Tigers then traveled to Othello on Friday and Saturday for the Lady Huskie Invitational, tallying 120.5 points and finishing 11th among 46 teams.

The CWAC continues to dominate Washington state girls wrestling. This week, Othello and Toppenish swapped places in the WWN rankings, with Othello now No. 1, Toppenish No. 2, Ephrata No. 3 and Grandview No. 4. Not to be left out, Quincy checks in at No. 6.

In an opening ceremony at Thursday's dual, Ephrata honored a talented group of Tiger seniors: Alejandra Barajas-Guzman, Alexiyana MacNeil, Ginger Santos, Beyonce Hernandez Soltero, Natalin Abundiz, Dawnie Hobrecht, Alexandra Estrada Rangel, Kashlynn Cobb, Rayn Castillo, Adylene Sanchez, Tessa Hausken and Carolina Monico.

Head coach Raul Tejeda said this senior class holds a special place in program history.

"They're the first seniors to go all four years since we split the programs from the boys," Tejeda said. "[It's] a team led by a group of hard-working captains, always looking to get better on and off the mat. They will be missed."

Senior Night carried extra meaning for Sanchez and Estrada Rangel against the Wildcats, with both achieving 100 career wins. Sanchez (155) hit the milestone with a 7-1 decision over Toppenish's Islah Alcala. Estrada Rangel earned hers with a second-period fall over Tayen Grover at 130 pounds.

Seniors Castillo (145) won by decision and Monico pinned Charlene Underwood at 1:30 to close out the dual at 235 pounds.

Ephrata at Lady Huskie Invitational

At Saturday's Lady Huskie Invitational hosted by top-ranked Othello, Royal took the team title with 242 points, followed by Sandpoint, Idaho (229), Kamiakin of Mukilteo (204) and Post Falls, Idaho (186.5).

The Lady Tigers placed two wrestlers on the podium.

Tessa Hausken went 3-2 at 190 pounds to claim fifth place. She opened the tournament with a 32-second pin over Prosser's Zahira Rivera and followed with a second-period fall over Lake Roosevelt's Addison Cannon after building a 14-7 lead. Losses to Avery Vega Padilla of Camas High School and Post Falls' Maria Thompson dropped her to the consolation bracket. But Hausken bounced back in the fifth-place round with a rematch against LR’s Cannon, pinning her in 1:53.

Carolina Monico finished sixth at 235 pounds with a 2-3 record on the day. Monico opened the tournament with 2 quick pins: Selah's Gabrielle Burkett at 55 seconds and Post Falls' Kassie Voss at 1:20. But in her next match, Monico fell to Kiona Benton's Aubrey Newberry by fall, then medical forfeited her final two matches to wrap up the two-day tournament.

Dee Bazan led Ephrata in wins at the tournament, going 4-2 at 120 pounds. Bazan opened with a 49-second pin over Othello's Crystal Velasquez, then fell to Emma Younger of Post Falls by fall in the first period. She recovered with three straight wins over opponents from Warden, Tonasket and Prosser. Her second loss came against Crystal Olivares of Southridge (Kennewick) by fall in 1:04, but scored on a takedown.

Also competing for the Lady Tigers were Chenille Garcia (105), Natalin Abundiz (115), Rayn Castillo (140), Kashlynn Cobb (140), Emily Estrada Rangel (145), Adylene Sanchez (155) and Gabbie Grace Bafus (170) – each finished 2-2. Also, Peighton Black (100) and Addison Vasquez (135) went 1-2 while Iris Downs (125) finished 0-2.

The Lady Tigers return to CWAC action Thursday, Jan. 29 at East Valley (Yakima) before heading back to Othello on Saturday for the Small Schools Washington State Duals Championship tournament.