A month after defeating Juanita’s Jeremiah Laufasa on an injury-default, Mount Si wrestler Josh Mitchell beat the Rebel standout 7-3 to earn the state 3A title at 285 pounds.

“It’s amazing to win,” Mitchell said. “I worked so hard in the offseason, now all my hard work is paying off.”

Laufasa and Mitchell had met at the KingCo Conference finals but Laufasa had not wrestled due to injury.

On his way to the title, Mitchell defeated Decatur’s Kyle Gleed by technical fall (17-2), Hudson Bay’s Tyler Rangel by pin in the second round, and Sunnyside’s Adam Peters 2-1 in the semifinals.

The semifinal match was tied until the last two seconds when Peters got hit with a stalling call that gave Mitchell the lead and gave Sunnyside coaches fits.

“A win’s a win,” Mitchell said after the match, “As long as I get it done, I’m fine.” Peters went on to finish third.

Against Laufasa, Mitchell showed off great stamina, thoroughly dominating the third period.

“I just wanted to extend my lead,” he said. “He was coming in hard.”

Mitchell started the match with a takedown at the end of the first period.

Laufasa scored on an escape in the second, but Mitchell responded with a second takedown and an escape to leave matters 5-1 in his favor.

The win not only gave Mitchell a state crown but left him with a winning record for 2011 against Laufasa, who had defeated him 7-6 earlier this season.

Mitchell said he was in much better shape at the Dome than when he lost to Laufasa.

Coach Tony Schlotfeldt said Mitchell worked hard to get to the top.

“You could just tell he wanted it,” he said. “He earned that on his own accord.”

Mitchell was one of two Mount Si Wildcats wrestling at the Tacoma Dome.

A.J. Brevick wrestled at 160 lbs, losing in the first round of the consolation bracket to Shadle Park’s Luke Miller.

Brevick and Mitchell’s teammates watched as Mitchell pointed a finger skyward after each win, in memory of a Wildcat wrestler who took his own life last year.

“He’s watching me up in heaven,” Mitchell said of the 11th-grader. “So I was pointing to him and winning these matches for him.”

Sebastian Moraga:392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

Last year, Josh Mitchell earned the equivalent of a stand-by spot at the Mat Classic, qualifying as an alternate.

This year, Mitchell earned the equivalent of a first-class ticket, winning first place in the 285-pound division of the 3A Regionals at Glacier Peak.

Mitchell defeated Shorecrest’s Ian Bolstad, 8-5.

Contributed Josh Mitchell has a good reason to smile after being crowned regional champion wrestler in the 285-pound category. The Mount Si High wrestler will participate in the Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 18-19.

“I finally get to wrestle,” he said.

Alternates at State only wrestle if someone who qualifies outright can’t perform.

Mitchell is one of two Wildcat wrestlers who will wrestle at least once at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 18 and 19. A.J. Brevick finished fourth at 160 pounds.

A third wrestler, 103-pounder Ryley Absher, finished fifth and will travel as an alternate.

Brian Copeland and Aaron Peterson finished sixth. John Farmer and Tye Rodne did not place.

“Our region has realigned with the Northwest and WesCo 9 leagues, loading it with talented tough wrestlers,” head coach Tony Schlotfeldt wrote in an e-mail, “making it an action-packed, intense day.”

Mitchell agreed.

“We went up against the toughest region in the state, probably,” he said.

Mount Si finished 12th in team scores with 52 points. Mercer Island won regionals with 130 points.

With the big dance a week away, Schlotfeldt said his boys have a shot.

Mitchell’s first round match is against Decatur’s Kyle Gleed. Brevick’s first-round match is against O’Dea’s Mitch Englehart.

“Josh has a realistic chance at the podium this year,” Schlotfeldt wrote. “With the way he is wrestling, I think he could take himself to the championship round. State is a different kind of beast, however, and wrestlers respond to it in different ways.”

Mental focus and confidence will be important if Mitchell is to return to the Valley with a medal around his neck.

Brevick will have a tough road, but that’s nothing new to him, Schlotfeldt wrote.

“I really don’t think many people give him the credit he deserves,” he added. “I think his tenacity and never-quit attitude could get him a top-eight finish.

“We’ll have to see how it plays out.”

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

It’s the four-team meet to close the regular season when your wrestlers are a battered and bruised bunch.

Question: What are things that make you say, “Really, we don’t need this right now.”

At the end of a tough campaign, the Mount Si High School Wildcat wrestlers stretched their already thin lineup Jan. 27, to grapple Issaquah and Mercer Island at home.

The Eagles beat Mount Si, 41-35, and the Islanders won 48-28. Liberty was the event’s fourth team.

Still, despite the forfeits and the injuries, the Wildcats battled and then some.

“Given the small lineup yesterday, I think we put up a pretty good fight,” head coach Tony Schlotfeldt wrote in an e-mail.

In what Schlotfeldt called “the match of the evening,” Ryley Absher turned in a stout effort against Mercer Island’s Jacob Pruchno at 103 pounds.

The Washington Wrestling Report website considers Pruchno one of the 10 best wrestlers in the state at 103 and Absher went the distance, losing 10-7.

“Even though he didn’t pull it off,” Schlotfeldt said, “I was excited with his performance.”

Another wrestler who almost had a big upset was Shane Dixon, who lost to Mercer Island’s Phil Frazier 8-6. The report’s ranking has Frazier as the state’s No. 6 wrestler at 171 pounds. Dixon is in a four-way tie for 12th.

“Even though he lost his match with Frazier,” Schlotfeldt said, “we are confident now he can compete with the top contenders in his weight class.”

At 140 pounds, Aaron Peterson pinned the Islanders’ Cameron Manzano in the first round. At 160 pounds, Mount Si’s A.J. Brevick defeated Christopher Richards 10-0. At 285 pounds, the Wildcats’ Joshua Mitchell pinned Benjamin O’Connell in the second round.

Wildcats Timothy Corrie, Max Kenagy and Mitch Rorem all lost by pin.

The Wildcats shook off the wear and tear to clash against Issaquah.

Mount Si forfeited four matches to the Eagles’ two.

The Wildcats’ Billy Beach defeated Louden Ivey at 103 pounds, 8-3, a week after losing to him.

Peterson beat Sean Novak 10-1, Brevick blanked Andrew Ramirez 10-0.

At 215 pounds, Rorem pinned the Eagles’ Matt Solusod, and at 285 pounds, Mitchell pinned Sean Novak, both in the first period.

The report has Mitchell as the fourth-best heavyweight in the state.

“Peterson had some nice matches,” Schlotfeldt wrote, “as well as the meat of the lineup: A.J. Brevick, Josh Mitchell and Shane Dixon.”

Next up for the Wildcats is the league tournament, 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at Liberty High School.

The upcoming 2010-11 season will be considered a success if the wrestlers improve, but that improvement has to spill over to the outside world, too.

“We want every wrestler to improve his skill, conditioning and self-confidence with every practice,” Schlotfeldt wrote in an e-mail. “This will carry over to competition as well as confidence in school and community life outside of wrestling.”

Some might say it’s a good thing Schlotfeldt has a broad definition of success this year, given his team’s youth and inexperience. Only three seniors and two juniors appear on the roster.

This, however, is hardly news to Schlotfeldt. He knows the meat of his squad is freshmen and sophomores.

“We still have our sights on being a competitive team,” he wrote.

The weather has conspired against the team a bit, forcing wrestlers to miss some practices. The team cancelled only one team practice due to the icy streets on Thanksgiving week, though. Those who show up take things seriously.

“The guys are positive and the tone of practices is intense,” he wrote. “They have a winning attitude this season.”

That’s a good thing, because the league looks as loaded as ever, with Mercer Island, Bellevue and Liberty being the teams to beat, Schlotfeldt wrote. Plus, KingCo wrestling welcomes Lake Washington to the mat, which Schlotfeldt predicted will be another tough opponent.

Last year, Schlotfeldt’s first as a high school wrestling head coach, six wrestlers made it to the Mat Classic. Nobody placed.

“I would say we didn’t place people in state because of inexperience on my end,” he wrote.

Even those who have yet to wrestle for Mount Si are learning the ins and outs of the sport, Wildcat style.

“We’re holding a middle school wrestling camp, Dec. 17 and 18,” Schlotfeldt wrote, adding that varsity coaches and wrestlers will teach at camp.

Some of the camp’s young teachers, and some of their teammates, are poised for a good season on the mat this year, Schlotfeldt wrote.

Josh Mitchell, a junior, has “all the tools” to stand on the podium at state, Schlotfeldt wrote. Junior Connor Deutsch is a “true workhorse of Wildcat wrestling,” sophomore Max Kenagy will be “a constant force throughout the season,” and freshman Tye Rodne, “has a lot of potential and an opportunity for a ton of experience at the varsity level this season.”

Ever the coach, Schlotfeldt exudes hope in his assessment of every wrestler. With football season over, the roster is filling up and now it’s just a matter of getting into wrestling shape, let the matches begin and not stop until the team bus is parked near a white dome in Tacoma.

“The plan is for the guys to peak at post-season time, as our ultimate goal is to get guys into the state tournament,” Schlotfeldt wrote.

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext.221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

It was a season of highs and lows. And no shortage of excitement. Every Mount Si team went to postseason play, and two Wildcats — gymnast Georgia Reynolds and swimmer Chase Goulart — became state champions. Some records fell, such as career points in boys basketball, which Tanner Riley broke this season.

Two teams — girls basketball and wrestling — went to the postseason despite having first year coaches.

Seniors played big roles in several teams successes. Their departure will leave gaping holes for underclassmen to fill.

Wrestling and gymnastics saw big turnouts by underclassmen, pointing to a future with depth and rich in talent.

Fans were treated to a season of drama and action. The athletes had an opportunity to show the world their potential and have fun.

Here is a look back at the 2009-2010 season.

Mount Si's Tanner Riley breaks away from Mercer Island defenders for a lay up during the Wildcats' win over the Islanders in the KingCo 3A/2A Conference Tournament's semifinals. (Photo by Dan Catchpole)

Boys basketball

1.The upset

Beating Bellevue, 63-50, Feb. 9

It was already a special night when conference-leader Bellevue came to Mount Si, Feb. 9. The Wildcats seniors were being honored in the season’s final home game. But within seconds of tipoff, it was clear Mount Si had brought something extra to the floor, leaping out to take the lead in the first quarter – a lead they never relinquished.

Led by Tanner Riley’s 22 points, the Wildcats attacked the Wolverines, moving the ball quickly and playing focused defense. It was a true team effort, with four players scoring 10 points or more. It was Bellevue’s only conference loss.

2. A full arsenal

Zander Nelson, Dallas Smith, Lucas Zupan

The Wildcats had four potent weapons behind lead scorer Tanner Riley this season– Zander Nelson, Dallas Smith and Lucas Zupan.

Nelson’s offense gave the Wildcats a solid second threat this year. The senior averaged 11.7 points per game, including scoring 20 or more points four times.

Smith, a junior, was one of the team’s chief playmakers all season.

As one of the Wildcats starting posts, the 6-foot, 5-inch Zupan helped fuel the team’s offense by pulling down rebounds.

3. The go-to kid

Tanner Riley

Senior Tanner Riley provided another season of brilliant play and accurate shooting for Mount Si. Teams adjusted more for him this year, which cut his average points per game from 23.8 last season to 17.6 this one. That was still good enough for third highest PPG in the conference and second most points overall.

Even with the increased attention, Riley showed he can play under pressure. He’ll need that coolness next season playing at Division 1 University of Portland.

4. The newcomer

Justin Downer

In his first varsity season, senior Justin Downer averaged 7.9 points per game in 17 games, including 13 points in the Wildcats Feb. 9 win against Bellevue. He scored a season-high 23 points in Mount Si’s Jan. 5 loss to O’Dea.

The 6-foot, 1-inch guard’s play was good enough to earn him an honorable mention on The Seattle Times’ all-league boys basketball team.

Hailey Eddings, Mount Si junior forward, tries to get around Liberty's Kanni Sjolander to take a shot during the teams' Jan. 22 game. (Photo by Greg Farrar)

Girls basketball

1. The most amazing win

Mount Si beats Liberty at the buzzer

As the last few seconds ticked away in a game deciding whether Mount Si went to the playoffs or went home, the Wildcats tried to protect their one-point lead. A pass found Liberty’s Maddie Birdsall, who hit an outside shot to put the Patriots ahead 40-39. With 4.2 seconds left on the clock, the Wildcats’ season seemed to be over.

Hailey Eddings inbounded to Stevie Riley, who passed to Hailey Chase just past half court. The junior launched an outside shot. The buzzer sounded as the ball went into the basket for the win, 42-40.

The shot sent Mount Si to the playoffs and Liberty home for the offseason.

Coach Megan Botulinski simply called it “the most amazing win of the season.”

2. The turning point

Jan. 20 loss to Mercer Island

Rarely do losses change the course of a season for the better. Mount Si’s 51-50 loss to No. 3-ranked Mercer Island on Jan. 20 gave the Wildcats the focus and determination they’d been lacking before.

“It showed the girls that we deserved to play with great, state-ranked teams,” coach Megan Botulinski said. “This really sparked a desire in the girls to win the remaining of their games.”

They nearly did, going 5-1 the rest of the season.

3. And away they go

Five-game win streak, Jan. 22 – Feb. 9

Mount Si reached postseason play thanks to five straight wins in late January and early February.

The Wildcats went into their Jan. 22 game against Liberty with a losing conference record of 2-4. The month before the Patriots had easily dispatched them 60-45 at Mount Si. But the Wildcats played with focus and passion, beating Liberty, 57-46.

Mount Si followed with four more wins, before losing the last regular season game to Mercer Island.

4. Last-second heroics, part 2

Feb. 3 win over Juanita

With less than 15 seconds left in a tie game, the Wildcats quickly moved the ball down court.

Stevie Riley got the ball at the top of the key at the 3-point line and shot with two seconds on the clock. The ball swished through the net, putting the Wildcats ahead, 49-46.

Mount Si's Georgia Reynolds flys away at the district tournament. (Photo by Christy Trotto)

Gymnastics

1. State champion

Georgia Reynolds

Senior Georgia Reynolds won the state title for the uneven parallel bars in individual event competition this year. She also finished third in the state all-around competition.

Her performances at state capped a season of successes, including taking the all-around title at the KingCo 3A Championship and second place in the all-around at the district tournament.

Aside from being the team’s top gymnast, Reynolds provided constant leadership and encouragement for her teammates.

2. District champs, 4th at state

Mount Si’s gymnasts turned in some of their biggest performances of the season at the Feb. 13 district championship meet to take the 3A/2A title.

Going into the meet, they’d been concerned about Holy Names.

“They’re posting some pretty fantastic scores, so we’re going to have to be right there to compete with them,” coach Jessica Easthope said.

In the end, the Wildcats were 4.5 points ahead.

The team went to the state championship in Tacoma undefeated. But they ran into trouble there.

“We had some highlights and definitely some low points,” Easthope said.

The Wildcats started strong on vault and uneven parallel bars, but ran into problems on the balance beam and in their floor routines.

Despite the problems, Mount Si still managed to match last year’s fourth place finish at state.

3. Undefeated season

The Wildcats rolled over their competition to an undefeated season. While they made it look easy, it came down to countless hours of work.

Leading the charge were Mount Si’s trio of Reynolds, Rachel Karavias and Kennedy Richmond. Together, they gave their team a chance to win every event.

4. Freshmen turnout

The gymnastics team had a bumper crop of freshmen turnout this year. It didn’t take long for them to contribute at the varsity level. Jessica Trotto, Hannah Richmond and Elizabeth Holmes competed all season at the varsity level.

Wildcat wrestler Ben Larson (left) pins his Mercer Island opponent. (Photo by Dan Catchpole)

Wrestling

1. The youth returns

With only four seniors on varsity, Mount Si’s wrestling program is dominated by youth. At times, that inexperience hurt the team, but it will pay dividends in the years to come.

After going 6-5 in coach Tony Schlotfeldt’s first season as head coach, the team expects to have 10 of its 14 varsity wrestlers returning next year. That group includes two sophomores, Cody Botten and Josh Mitchell, who went to the state tournament.

Schlotfeldt intends to use the 10 as the foundation of a renewed wrestling program. “We plan on scaffolding our learning from every season, with the goal of making Mount Si wrestling a valley highlight,” he said.

2. League champ

Andrew Sypher wins KingCo 3A Conference

As one of the team’s four seniors, Andrew Sypher, a 119-pounder, has been a leader all season long. He helped lead the team in the postseason, winning his weight class at the KingCo 3A Conference Tournament.

Sypher, who finished fourth last season, took the title with a 5-0 win over Danny Baba, a senior from Juanita High School.

3. Six to state

Despite the team’s youth, the Wildcats sent six wrestlers to state this year. They were Sypher, Botten (125 pounds), Ben Larson (135 pounds), Trey Botten (140 pounds), Lee Amador (160 pounds) and Mitchell (285 pounds).

The group included two sophomores, Botten and Mitchell, who replaced KingCo champ Ryan Ransavage, who graduated last year.

“Having two sophomores going to state will be a benefit to our team next year,” Schlotfeldt said.

4. First female wrestler

Mount Si saw its first ever female wrestler, Mackenzie Will, come out this year.

Will competed in the 112-pound weight class.

Chase Goulart, Mount Si senior, swims the breaststroke en route to winning the 200-meter individual medley race in 1 minute, 57.39 seconds, Feb. 13 during the 3A SeaKing District Tournament. (Photo by Greg Farrar)

Swimming

1. The solo champion

The biggest race of Chase Goulart’s high school career — the 200-meter individual medley at the 3A state championship — came down to the last 10 yards.

“After the last flip, I saw the guy in first place, and thought, ‘Oh, man, I can catch him,’” said Goulart, the only swimmer for Mount Si.

It came down to the last 10 yards. Goulart overtook the second-place swimmer, touching the wall just barely ahead of him, finishing in 1 minute, 56.49 seconds.

But Kennedy Catholic freshman Thane Maudslien had finished half a second ahead in 1:55.85.

Then he heard that he was the state champion. Maudslien had been disqualified for illegal movement on the starting block.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.

Trey Botten (left), Mount Si senior, and Liberty senior Wright Noel upend each other during their 140-pound KingCo 3A championship bout, won by Noel 14-2. (Photo by Tim Pfarr)

The Mount Si Wildcats finished fourth at the KingCo 3A Tournament at Liberty High School Feb. 6 with a score of 130. Mercer Island, Bellevue and Liberty defeated Mount Si with scores of 202, 157 and 148, respectively.

Andrew Sypher, a senior, took first place in the 119-pound weight class with a 5-0 victory against Danny Baba, a senior from Juanita High School.

Baba suffered a nosebleed during the match that continually became re-aggravated.

By the end of the match, Baba was heavily wrapped in tape, and he had used nearly all his blood time.

“I couldn’t get in the zone because his nose kept getting hurt,” Sypher said. “I wasn’t going to let him win though.”

Ben Larson, a senior, took second place in the 135-pound weight class, and Trey Botten, a senior, took second place in the 140-pound weight class.

Also, Lee Amador took second place in the 160-pound weight class, nearly taking first place but losing 4-2 in the finals to Liberty’s Jay Chakravarty in overtime.

Cody Botten, a sophomore, took third place in the 125-pound weight class defeating his teammate Bruce Stewart, a freshman, 12-0 in the consolation finals. Aaron Peterson, a sophomore, took third in the 135-pound weight class, and Conor Deutsch, a sophomore, took third in the 152-pound weight class. Josh Mitchell, a sophomore, took third in the 285-pound weight class, pinning his teammate Brian Copeland, a sophomore, in the consolation finals.

Shane Dixon, a junior, took fourth in the 171-pound weight class, while Zach Storm, a junior, took fourth in the 189-pound weight class and Erik Sorvik, a junior, took fourth place in the 215-pound weight class.

“We did pretty well,” Mount Si wrestling head coach Tony Schlotfeldt, noting that six wrestlers on the team will compete in the regional tournament.

He said the team will prepare for the regional tournament by continuing to focus on wrestling fundamentals.

“At this point, they’re going to focus on the moves they have,” Schlotfeldt said about the wrestlers who are advancing.

Liberty will host the regional tournament at 10 a.m. Feb 13.

Tim Pfarr: 392-6434, ext. 239, or newcas@isspress.com.

Zach Storm, of Mount Si (top), prepares to pin Skyline’s Sean McAlhany in their 189-pound bout Jan. 28

The Mount Si wrestling team lost to Skyline 45-33 and Issaquah 48-33 at a dual meet Jan. 28.

The Wildcats were missing two of their top wrestlers. Both Andrew Sypher and Cody Botten were out due to illnesses.

“Our go-to guys were out of the lineup,” coach Tony Schlotfeldt said.

Nonetheless, the match was close.

“Our big guys kept us close in the match,” he said.

Against Skyline, Mount Si’s Ben Larson pinned Skyline’s Ryan Anderson, and Mount Si’s Trey Botten pinned Skyline’s Ben Reh.

Also, Mount Si’s Zach Storm pinned Sean McAlhaney in just 22 seconds. Furthermore, Mount Si’s Shane Dixon defeated Skyline’s Ryan Adamson 4-3.

However, Skyline wrestlers defeated Mount Si wrestlers Cody Bizzell, McKenzie Will, Bruce Stuart and Conor Klupar, securing the win for the Spartans.

Against Issaquah, Mount Si’s Cody Botten pinned Issaquah’s Almen Thorpe, and Mount Si’s Erik Sorvik pinned Issaquah’s Matt Solusod.

Also, Mount Si’s Conner Deutsch defeated Issaquah’s Taylor Evans 16-15, and Zach Storm defeated Issaquah’s Alex Stevens, 8-2.

However, Issaquah wrestlers defeated Mount Si wrestlers Botten, Larson, Klupar, Dixon, William Beach and McKinley Cook to secure the win for the Eagles.

Schlotfeldt said he expects six or seven wrestlers to advance to the postseason regional tournament in February.

Editor Dan Catchpole contributed to this story.

Mount Si’s wrestling team came up short against Issaquah and Skyline, Jan. 28. The team’s record is 6-5 after the two losses.

The Wildcats were missing two of their top wrestlers. Both Andrew Sypher and Cody Botten were out due to illnesses.

“Our go-to guys were out of the lineup,” coach Tony Schlotfeldt said.

Nonetheless, the match was close.

“Our big guys kept us close in the match,” he said.

Schotfeldt said he expects six or seven wrestlers to advance to the postseason regional tournament in February.

Mount Si’s Cody and Trey Botten each finished second in their weight classes at the Renton Invitational Varsity Tournament.

In the 125-pound class, sophomore Cody Botten faced Nick Aliment from Kent-Ridge. Aliment finished eighth last year at state.

After starting off with a takedown and reversal in the first round, Aliment got the best of Botten with a late second-round pin. Despite the loss, the Wildcat wrestler finished second in his weight class.

His older brother, Trey Botten, beat Issaquah’s varsity wrestler in the 140-pound class to face Issaquah’s junior varsity wrestler in the final. Botten was up in the first and second round, but a failed run at an outside cradle gave his opponent a five-point hold, good enough to win the match.

In the 285-pound class, Josh Mitchell continues to improve. Despite weighing only 225 pounds, he has capitalized on his technical prowess and speed to control larger and stronger opponents. He finished in third place at the Renton tournament.

Andrew Sypher took third place in the 119-pound class. Ben Larson took fourth in the 135-pound class. Shane Dixon also took fourth in the 171-pound class. Zach Storm finished in sixth place in the 189-pound class.

The Mount Si wrestling team finished 11th in a 20-team tournament in Everett Jan. 9. The Wildcats scored 67 points on the day.

Standout performances came from Ben Larson, who finished third at 135 pounds, Trey Botten was fifth at 140 and Lee Amador was sixth at 160. Josh Mitchell and Brian Copeland tied for third at heavyweight.

Mount Si's Trey Botten grabs Eastlake's Shay Fuentes during their 140-pound bout Jan. 7. Botten won by technical fall, 22-5. (Photo by Christopher Huber)

When Eastlake’s Max Boucher stepped onto the mat to face Cody Botten, of Mount Si, Jan. 7, he knew a pin would win it for the team, and a points decision would at least tie the match at 26.

What he didn’t know was that Botten had come off a particularly confident week of practice and was ready to get a personal best.

Botten did, pinning Boucher in 1 minute, 50 seconds in the 125-pound bout to seal the dual-meet victory for the Wildcats.

“That kid’s a lot stronger than me,” Boucher said as he waited to face Issaquah in the Eastlake gym. “He basically just had a strong grip.”

It was Botten’s fastest pin of the season, Botten said after the match.

“I felt like I came out strong and just wanted it more,” he said. “I felt some pressure.”

Mount Si beat Eastlake 32-24 in the Wildcats’ only match of the night.

The Wolves fell to Issaquah in its second dual meet of the evening, 69-18. Issaquah also beat Skyline 44-33 in its first match at Eastlake.

Eastlake coach Riley Cornet was a little disappointed with the close loss.

“The little things come up big there,” he said after the Mount Si match.

Eastlake held its own throughout the match, though. In the 103-pound bout, Eastlake’s Chris Dallas beat Billy Beach 12-10 and Jordan Wiley beat Bruce Stuart 4-1 in the 130-pound match.

At 145, Eastlake’s Cole Neves topped Conor Klupar 6-3; at 152, Ryan Green beat Connor Deutsch 12-9; Trevor McKinnon beat Mount Si’s Lee Amador 17-10 at the 160-pound level; and Cameron Coyer outscored Zack Storm 6-3 in the 189-pound bout.

But the Wildcats pushed back just enough with crucial pins in the 135- and 171-pound matches, adding to Botten’s match-ending pin. At 135, Ben Larson pinned Kyle Smith, of Eastlake, in 1:05 and Shane Dixon pinned Eastlake’s Clay Monahan in 2:45.

“We executed the moves we went over,” Botten said after the match.

Trey Botten (140) beat Eastlake’s Shay Fuentes by technical fall, 22-5 in three rounds.

“It was definitely exciting to finish with a pin. It boiled down to the last two weight classes,” said Mount Si coach Tony Schlotfeldt. “We had to dig deep to pull the win off.”

Christopher Huber: 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

Mt. Si Wrester

“I want every kid on the team to learn to love wrestling, and I want them to grow to be good citizens outside of wrestling,” he said.

Schlotfeldt, an assistant coach for Mount Si last year, gets his first shot at being a high-school head coach. He replaces Jeff Newcomer, who stepped down to operate a restaurant in Fall City. Schlotfeldt has been a teacher and coach at Chief Kanim the last seven years. Becoming a head coach is a longtime dream for him.

“It’s been something I’ve thought about. I’ve enjoyed the middle school thing, but I kind of wanted to take a shot at the high school level as a head coach. I enjoyed working with Jeff, too. This thing at Mount Si just kind of happened. I’m happy to be the head coach,” he said.

Schlotfeldt takes over a team that has a mix of seniors, who will provide leadership, and some promising underclassmen. He’s also excited about a freshmen class that will challenge for varsity starting positions this season.

The seniors include Ben Larson, a 135-pounder; Andrew Sypher, a 119-pounder; Chris Hindmarch, a 152-pounder; Lee Amador, a 160-pounder; and Tre Botten, a 140-pounder.

Larson took third at 130 pounds at last year’s 3A KingCo Conference Tournament. Sypher was fourth at 119 pounds. Botten turns out this year after missing last season with a broken wrist.

Underclassmen include Cody Botten, a sophomore 125-pounder; Brad Reeves, a junior 171-pounder; Shane Dixon, a junior 171-pounder; and Josh Mitchell, a junior unlimited. Botten took third at 112 pounds at last year’s Kingco Tournament. Reeves placed sixth at 171, and Dixon was fifth at 152 pounds. Mitchell might have the toughest job of all. He’s trying to replace KingCo champion Ryan Ransavage, who graduated last June. The Wildcats also lost another KingCo champ in Ryan Makela, a 140-pounder who graduated.

“We have some good wrestlers returning, and some freshmen who will take varsity jobs,” Schlotfeldt said. “I think we will have a good, competitive team. The seniors are going to provide leadership. The younger wrestlers show a lot of promise. There has been a lot of positive talk in the mat room, which is a good sign.”

Mount Si opens its league season Dec. 3 against Mercer Island, another 3A KingCo perennial power.

“That will be a good test. Mercer Island is always tough,” Schlotfeldt said.

“I think it will shape up to be a pretty competitive league. There are some pretty good teams,“ he said, “ I’m pretty confident about our team.”

Bob Taylor: 392-6434 ext. 236 or btaylor@isspress.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

Ryan Ransavage dominated everyone but the state champion. In the end, that might have been as good a finish as anyone could have expected.

The Mount Si senior finished state runner-up at the Class 3A state wrestling championships Feb. 21 at the Tacoma Dome, losing only to top-ranked and favorite John Camp of Port Angeles in the 285-pound finals. Camp pinned Ransavage in 38 seconds to win gold.

The match followed a dominant run by Ransavage, in which he won one match by a 13-0 decision and two others by way of fall.

Mount Si's Ryan Ransavage competes in the Class 3A state heavyweight championship match.

“It was good, but being a state champion would’ve been a lot better. I can be happy with second. It’s just frustrating, getting so close,” he said. “The first two matches, I wrestled great. Pinning to get into the state finals was really fun.”

Ransavage began his part of the bracket with a fall of Levi Carroll from Everett in 2:57. That was followed by a 13-0 beating of Seth Johnson from Capital, a win that propelled Mount Si’s heavyweight into the semifinals. Ransavage then pinned Steve Taylor of North Central in 3:27 to meet Camp in the championship match.

Ransavage had lost to Camp earlier in the season. Still, even with that experience advantage, the match was over quickly.

“John is just so much bigger than me, he just kind of dominated me,” said Ransavage, who was outweighed by 35 pounds in the match. “The key to not getting pinned by him is to stay away, but that only works so well for so long. There’s really nothing you can do about it.”

Camp wrestled less than four minutes the entire tournament, pinning his four opponents in the first round each time. No one was even able to last one minute against him.

Mount Si’s Ryan Makela managed a seventh-place finish at 140 pounds. He started off the tournament with an 8-0 victory against Jacob Virtue of Union, before falling in a heartbreaking 7-6 decision to Alec Williams from White River. Makela then dropped to the loser’s portion of the bracket, where he defeated Noel Wright from Liberty 5-3. 

Makela lost to Josh Musick from Enumclaw by a technical fall score of 20-4, before capturing seventh place with a 7-5 victory against Bonney Lake’s Josh Peart.

Wrestling at 112 pounds, Mount Si freshman Cody Botten was defeated in the first round by Sunnyside’s Steven Romero by way of fall and failed to place. Botten was eliminated in his next match by Luke Garcia of Lindbergh by way of fall.

Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.

The Mount Si wrestling team crowned two individual champions and placed fifth as a team at the KingCo 3A/2A championships at Liberty High School Feb. 7.

The Wildcats had 11 placers in all, as they finished with 129 team points. Bellevue ran away with the team title with 246 points.

Ryan Ransavage continued to dominate at 285, as he earned a bye in the first round, then posted back-to-back falls to win his division. He pinned Jory Hamilton of Juanita in 1:08 in the championship match.

Mount Si’s other first-place finisher was Ryan Makela at 140, who also received a bye, then won 7-0 in the semifinals and defeated David Bowman of Mercer Island 7-1 in the championship match.

Cody Botten took third in the 112-pound match, losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion. He bounced back to take third by way of a fall.

Ben Larson also took third at 130. He lost his semifinal match, 9-7, in overtime, before winning the third-place bout 12-0.

Joe Milks went the long way to place third at 160. After losing his opening match, he won his next three by way of fall.

Andrew Sypher nearly pulled off the same feat at 119, losing his first match and then winning his next two, before falling in the third-place match and taking fourth.

Cody Hookland at 135, Dylan Cochran at 145 and Shane Dixon at 152 were each fifth.

The Mount Si wrestling team honored its seniors in between a pair of home duals Jan. 29.

Some of those seniors then returned the favor with impressive mat wins.

The Wildcats lost to former league rivals Skyline, 44-34, and Issaquah, 48-19. But senior standouts Ryan Makela and Ryan Ransavage combined to go 3-0 on the night with a fall, a technical fall and a decision victory.

Ryan Ransavage goes for a pin during Mount Si's match with Issaquah.

Six Mount Si seniors in all were honored during their final home matches.

“It’s a small group,” Ransavage said. “There’s six of us, and only two of us have wrestled the entire four years. Ryan (Makela) and I have been through all of the good times and bad times together.”

Senior Michael Nelson also picked up a win for Mount Si by way of forfeit at 285.

After watching Mount Si lose both duals, Makela said the team’s inexperience is showing.

“We just have a really young team and a bunch of new people trying out,” he said. “We should get better next year.”

Mount Si started off in a 12-0 hole against Skyline, but a pair of forfeits and a fall by Cody Botten at 112, helped even the score at 18-18. The Wildcats then got a 9-1 major-decision victory from Andrew Sypher to go ahead.

Another forfeit at 135 and a fall by Makela at 140 kept Mount Si in the lead, 34-27. But the Spartans won the final three matches — two by way of falls and one in a technical fall — to pull out the dual win.

Against Issaquah, the Wildcats led only for a brief period. Josh Mitchell picked up a win by way of fall at 215 to tie the score at 6-6, then Ransavage earned a 5-3 victory at 285 to make it 9-6.

The Eagles, however, won the next four matches to take over. Mount Si wasn’t able to break the string until 130-pounder Ben Larson picked up a 6-3 decision win. By that time, it was 27-12.

Makela added a 21-9 major-decision victory at 140 and the Wildcats’ final win came at 152 with a 10-6 decision victory by Shane Dixon.

“We need to wrestle smart,” Ransavage said of the double-dual. “We have a lot of inexperienced wrestlers out there. There were some true freshman starting tonight, so we should be pretty good in the future.”

Two days earlier, Mount Si fell to league rival Liberty, 48-30.

The Wildcats picked up wins by way of fall from 119-pounder Andrew Sypher, 130-pounder Larson, 145-pounder Connor Deutch and 285-pounder Ransavage, who took down Liberty standout Coleton Langdon in just 1:54. Makela, at 140, also got an impressive 14-10 decision against Wright Noel, while Shane Dixon earned an 11-9 decision win at 152.

Liberty managed the dual win, though, by one forfeit and seven falls. The Patriots earned four straight pins from 160 to 215.

Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.

Seven wins, including four by way of fall, were just enough for the Mount Si wrestling team at Eastlake Jan. 22.

The Wildcats picked up falls from Dan Peterson, Ben Larson, Shane Dixon and Doc Derwin, before holding off a late surge by the Wolves to post a 36-33 dual victory. Even though it was close, Mount Si still wasn’t feeling too fortunate — not after losing by a single point just one day earlier.

The Wildcats were, however, feeling grateful about getting a win.

Doc Derwin goes for the pin in the 189-pound match against Eastlake on Jan. 22. Derwin earned his pin and the Wildcats defeated the Wolves, 36-33.

“We were definitely in need of a win,” head coach Jeff Newcomer said. “We’re kind of in a down time right now. We’re still seeing a lot of inconsistencies with our lineup.”

The best match of the night came at 171 pounds, where Shelby Williams pulled out a 19-16 decision in a match that went back and forth. It was tied, 12-12, after the first two periods.

Other important wins for Mount Si came at 189, where Derwin pinned his opponent in 4:19, and at 119, where Peterson started off the dual with a pin in 2:44.

“The matches at 189, 171 and 119 were all key. All of those helped us, for sure,” Newcomer said. “But we still have a lot of work to do.

“We’re not really all that focused on our duals right now. We’ve thrown quite a few freshmen and new guys out there, so that makes it tough. We’re just trying to get our guys good enough to get some of them into the state tournament.”

Larson’s pin came at 135 pounds, while Dixon’s was at 152 pounds. Mount Si also picked up an 8-2 win by Ryan Makela at 145 and a forfeit for Ryan Ransavage at 285.

A day earlier, the Wildcats fell to Newport, 39-38. Mount Si’s key wins came from Andrew Sypher in a 15-0 technical fall at 119, Larson by way of fall at 135, Frank Tassara by a 6-0 decision at 152 and Michael Nelson with a pin at 285. The Wildcats also received wins by way of fall at 145 and 189.

Both Newport and Mount Si were forced to forfeit one match. They each won seven matches. The difference in the dual came in the fact that Newport won five matches by way of fall, while the Wildcats picked up only four.

Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.

When Ryan Ransavage runs out on the wrestling mat, he doesn’t look all that intimidating. He doesn’t look that strong. He doesn’t even look that quick.

Then again, he doesn’t much look like a pioneer either.

Nevertheless, the Mount Si senior is playing all four parts quite well this winter. Using a rare combination of strength and speed, the heavyweight has launched himself to a No. 2 state ranking in his weight class.

Mount Si senior Ryan Ransavage throws around 285-pound wrestlers like overmatched weights.

It’s unusual territory for a Wildcat. Mount Si has never had a heavyweight in legitimate position to win a state championship, much less actually accomplish the feat. But here Ransavage is — strong, fast and in position to make history.

“It would be pretty neat if I could win (state) and be the first,” he said. “It would be amazing, probably the best thing to happen to me in high school.”

Too often, however, when Ransavage thinks about wrestling, he doesn’t recall the number one, but the number four. That’s how many inches he says he was from advancing to the Class 3A state finals a year ago.

Ransavage lost in the semifinals to Jake Anstett of Everett in overtime. Before that match went to an extra period, Ransavage managed what would have been a match-winning take down, but was just barely out of bounds.

Following that defeat, Ransavage dropped two more matches that day and ended up sixth.

He’s used that disappointing finish as fuel this season, having already won first at the Sedro-Wooley Invitational. He defeated some of the best heavyweights in the state during that tournament and, being the true trailblazer that he is, became the first-ever Wildcat to win a championship there.

“He’s wrestling really well,” Mount Si head coach Jeff Newcomer said. “I think he’s got a really good shot (to win state). I think the biggest thing for him is that he stays focused and stays hungry. If he does end up losing, it will probably only be because he’s complacent.”

Newcomer said Ransavage is a tough match for opponents, because he does so many things well. At 255 pounds, he’s smaller than most of his opponents and, as a result, quicker. He’s also unusually strong, having posted top marks on the football team last spring with a bench press of 325, a squat at 480 and a clean of 265.

“He has incredible strength and he also has a lot of speed. That speed is really rare for a heavyweight. And he’s really good at his techniques, which is something he’s worked really hard at,” Newcomer said.

“I think a lot of people go in underestimating what he can actually do. Because, while he’s really strong and really fast, he doesn’t look like he’s either.”

Ransavage should get a great idea of how he stacks up with the rest of the state this weekend when Mount Si travels to Sequim. Port Angeles heavyweight John Camp, who is the only 285-pounder in Washington ranked ahead of Ransavage, is scheduled to be there. The two could also meet up again later in the season when the Wildcats travel to Port Angeles.

Ransavage should also get a chance to see the state’s No. 3-ranked heavyweight at some point this season since Cody Treddenbarger wrestles for league foe Juanita.

Not that Ransavage is aware of his potential. This summer, while attending a camp at Oregon State University, he faced Beavers 197-pound All-American Kyle Bressler. Battling to the best-of-five in takedowns, Ransavage at one point had a 2-1 lead. With the score evened at 2-2, though, Mount Si’s big man chipped five of his teeth on Bressler’s forearm.

The experience might have been painful, but it was still valuable.

“It was different wrestling him,” Ransavage said. “He was just so much quicker and stronger for his size than most guys I see.”

Soon, Ransavage is scheduled to make an official recruiting visit to Western Washington University in Bellingham. He’ll be going as a football recruit, but certainly hasn’t dismissed the idea of wrestling in college, as well.

“There aren’t as many opportunities to wrestle in college as there are in football, but I’m just hoping I don’t have to make that choice,” he said. “Wrestling in college is so much more intense and you have to be so committed. But I don’t know. I still might rather do wrestling, just because I like it more.”

Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434. 

So far, so good for the Mount Si wrestling team in duals — and for listening to what coach Jeff Newcomer says.

The Wildcats opened up the dual portion of the season with a convincing 46-25 beating of Interlake Thursday night. The performance followed what Newcomer categorized as “disappointing” in a season-opening visit to the Auburn Invitational days earlier.

Mount Si's Ben Larson, bottom, tries to get out of a hold against Interlake.

Against Interlake, Mount Si picked up four falls and one major decision, as the Wildcats took 10 of the 14 matches on the night.

“We kind of had a rough outing last weekend in Auburn, so it was good to see them go out and pick it up,” Newcomer said. “A lot of it was just intensity. I kind of got on them after last weekend, and the intensity level and the focus was different tonight.”

The Wildcats started quickly, getting a 10-3 victory at 160 by Lee Amadur. Shelby Williams followed that up at 171 with a fall in 2:20 to make it 9-0.

After a 4-2 decision at 189 got the Saints on the board, Mount Si picked up another fall at 215 when Tony Hana pinned his opponent in just 2:50. Back-to-back forfeits at 285 and 103 moved the match to 113, where Wildcat Cody Botten picked up the night’s quickest fall — in just 13 seconds — to make the score 27-9.

Andrew Sypher followed with a fall in 4:28 at 119 and Mount Si wrapped up the victory with a 6-4 win by Ben Larson (130), a 12-10 win by Cody Hookstand (135), a 13-2 major-decision win by Ryan Makela (140) and an 11-9 win by Shane Dixon (152). Dixon’s victory came in the most dramatic fashion of all the matches, as he scored an overtime reversal to win.

At the Auburn Invitational, the Wildcats placed eighth out of eight teams with 35 points. Auburn won the meet with 203.

Mount Si has been one of the most dominant teams in KingCo 3A over the past 10 seasons, yet finds itself in a revamped league this winter. The Wildcats are in the East division of the Crest League, alongside Liberty, Eastlake, Skyline and Redmond. The South division of the Crest league includes Garfield, Newport, Issaquah, Interlake and Sammamish.

“If we can keep up the same intensity in practice, we’ll have a chance to finish in the top three in the league,” Newcomer said. “But it’s a new league, so it’s kind of hard to say.”

Mount Si has a few wrestlers who are not only ranked as some of the best in the league at their weight class, they’re also considered among the tops in the state. Leading the way is Ryan Ransavage at 285. Coming off a successful season playing each side of the line for the Wildcat football team, Ransavage is ranked No. 2 in his weight class by Washington Wrestling Report.

Ransavage won by way of forfeit against Interlake, but showed what he was capable of at the Auburn Invitational by taking first. He defeated Nick Conlan of Auburn in the finals.

“He’s looking great,” Newcomer said. “He won the Auburn tournament and has beaten some good wrestlers already.”

At 140, Mount Si has a returning state qualifier in Makela. After placing eighth at state at 119 last season, he is ranked sixth at 140.

The Wildcats could start up to three freshman throughout this season, which could make for some trying times early on.

“Our lineup is intermingled with youth and experience. We have a few ninth-graders starting for us, which is a tough way to go,” Newcomer said. “But it will be good for them. It’ll make them a lot better in the long run.”

Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.