Since 1990, when Coach Brian Higa started the ball rolling at Tahoma, the Bears have finished in the top ten at state in 26 of 29 years. Since Coach Feist began his Coaching career at Tahoma (2002) the bears have finished in the top ten at state every single season except for one. This year was no different, with a solid effort by our 9 member state team. The Bears finished in 8th place, ahead of all teams from our league and region.

Our six 2019 State Placers pictured below, wrestled with heart and determination. An incredible group of young men who are not just teammates but family. They supported each other regardless of outcome time and time again all season.

2019 Tahoma Wrestling State Placers

At 120 pounds, Freshman Braydon Hanson placed 8th. Placing as a freshman in the state tournament is a very difficult task, but with Braydon’s determined wrestling style, he found a way to knock off a former state placer to get into the placing rounds on Friday night.

Braydon Hanson - 8th Place

At 126 Pounds, Senior Austin Michalski capped off an impressive career becoming Tahoma’s 6th ever 4-time state placer (3rd in 2016, 2nd in 2017, 3rd in 2018, 4th in 2019). Austin’s overtime semi final match was one of the best matches of the entire tournament with half of the Tacoma Dome focused on the action.

Austin Michalski - 5th Place

At 138 Pounds, returning Sophomore State Champion Steele Starren battled through one of the toughest brackets at state that Coaches can remember. Steele finished the day in 5th place. One of our most skilled hard nosed wrestlers, there is no doubt he will be back with a vengeance next season.

Steele Starren - 5th Place

At 182 Pounds, junior Michael Gasper, in just his third year of wrestling, also took 5th place. Michael has put in an incredible amount of time an effort and it is paying off for him on the mat. He gets better every single time he is competing.

Michael Gasper - 5th Place

At 195, Senior Gage Dress-Moran took 4th place. Gage, a two time past state participant wrestled his best tournament of the season just at the right time scoring big points in the back door.

Gage Dress-Moran 4th Place

At 220 Pounds, Sophomore Levi Kovacs took 4th place. Levi who was a state participant as a sophomore had a phenomenal year. Weighing just around 200 pounds, he battled and beat many top wrestlers in the weight class during the regular season including both state finalists.

Levi Kovacs - 4th Place

This ends this years cycle of Tahoma Wrestling. Thank you to all of our seniors for your dedication to our team and program. Also, thank you to our parents and alumni, without your support we couldn’t do what we do year in and year out on the wrestling mat. #GoBears

Tahoma Wrestling Families and Athletes -

We have updated the Tahoma Wrestling Calendar and have added our planned summer camp opportunities. We are planning an awesome summer for the team and wanted to get the dates out to everyone so that you can plan accordingly.

TEAM EVENTS - We are hoping all team members will be able to attend these camps.

Camp 1 - THS Summer Kick Off Duals - June 24th and 25th

• Location - Tahoma High School

• Cost - $25

• Clinicians - All-American Scott Norton, Tahoma Coach Chris Feist and Coach Joey Palmer

Camp 2 - Oregon State University Northwest Dual Championships - June 27th and June 30th

Camp 3 - Pasco Dual Camp - July 8th - July 10th

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS - Optional events for those seeking additional wrestling opportunities

Camp 4 - Center Circle Wrestling Camp - July 21st to July 26th

This is a great camp for those interested in getting more wrestling opportunity. They typically have multiple high level clinicians including multiple NCAA Champs the past couple of years.

• Location - TBD

• Cost around $350-$400

Camp 5 - American All-Star Camp - August 7th to August 8th

• Location - Tahoma High School

• Cost - TBD

• Clinicians - All-American David Terao, 2X NCAA Qualifier and Tahoma State Champion Kevin Tao

The Tahoma Bears have had a great season thus far. Soon we will be making the push towards the State Tournament! We first want to say thank you to all of our parents and fans for their support, we love seeing the stands full of Tahoma Wrestling fans wherever we are competing.

Long Time Bear Supporters and Fathers of Two Tahoma State Champions - Kevin Bayer and Randy Lamb

Our team has been competing well over the past three weeks and our team is primed to have a great post season. This past weekend the Varsity team headed to Lake Stevens for the Viking Invite and competed with some of the top 3A and 4A teams in the state. We crowned champions at 138 with Steele Starren defeating a returning State Champion from Camas and at 182 with Michael Gasper also defeating a two-time State Finalist from White River. Gage Dress-Moran also made the finals but came up short against the returning 3A State Champion. Both Austin Michalski (132) and Levi Kovacs (220) had great performances and placed 3rd. Devin Martin (126) had his best tournament of the year finishing 5th in a very competitive bracket.

This week, the Bears will wrestle in a triple dual tomorrow night (1/16/2019) at Mt. Rainier High School. The team will compete against Mt. Rainier, Kennedy Catholic and Hazen.

This weekend the team will head over the pass to Spokane for Dream Duals, held at the Spokane Convention Center. Details for this tournament can be found at http://www.winterwarriorwrestling.com/

2019 Gut Check

Tahoma Wrestling is excited to announce a major addition to our Coaching Staff!  Next season, former Tahoma State Champion and Oregon State University starter, Joey Palmer, will return home to the Bears as an Assistant Coach and teacher at Tahoma High School. "We are very excited for what Joey will bring to our practice room," said Coach Feist.  "With Coach Palmer and Coach Evans... we now have two of the best young coaches in our state working with our kids. I couldn't be more excited for the future of our program." 

Coach Palmer - 2012 Tahoma State Champion

For the 10th consecutive year, the Tahoma Bears Wrestling Team are League Champions! During that time, the Bears have not lost a single league dual. Last night, the Bears took down the Kentwood Conquerors by a score of 55-3 on senior night. The last time Tahoma lost was during the 2006-2007 season when the Bears finished in 2nd place.

This year’s league dual team scores:

Tahoma 71 – Kent Meridian 3

Tahoma 74 – Kentlake 0

Tahoma 77 – Mt. Rainier 0

Tahoma 51 – Kentridge 21

Tahoma 72 – Kennedy Catholic 12

Tahoma 65 – Hazen 6

Tahoma 55 – Kentwood 3

We want to thank all of our fans for their many years of support to our program. The varsity will next be prepping for the league tournament on the road to state. #GoBears

ongratulations to the Bears for having a strong showing at the annual Tri-State tournament at North Idaho College this past weekend. The team place 17 out of 67 teams from all over the Northwest.

Kione Gill was the 220 pound champion going 5-0 on the weekend. Gill had a dominant performance with four pins and one technical fall (15-0). Kione has improved to 12-0 on the season and is the number 1 ranked 220lb wrestler in the state in all classifications.

Gunner “Gun Show” Starren was the iron man of the week by going 8-2 at the tournament and placing 4th overall at 160 pounds. Gunner lost in the second round to the eventual tournament champion, but wrestled tough in the backdoor showing toughness and grit as he fought his way to the podium.

Our Junior Varsity team competed in the he Barry Knot Varsity tournament at Nathan Hale High School. The JV had a great showing and placed fourth behind the strength of freshman Levi Kovacs, the tournament 182 pound champion.

Next up for the Bears is "The Who’s #1 duals" the Battle of the Bone and All State All Star dual at THS on 12-27. Our boys have a solid week of practice Monday through Saturday this upcoming week to prepare for their upcoming duals and also to make preparations for a postseason push to win the district dual meet tournament for the 10th consecutive year.

Barry Knot Classic

Freshman Levi Kovacs - 182 Pound Champion

Team 4th place

Individual Placers:

113- Andrew Asch 5th

120- Adrian Enciso 3rd

138- Rylan Korpi 4th

145- Danny Reive 5th

152- Carter Boynton 3rd

182- Levi Kovacs 1st

285- JP Phelps 4th

Tri State:

98

Brayden Swank (4-8) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Isaiah Bodhaine (Orting) 8-7 won by fall over Brayden Swank (Tahoma) 4-8 (Fall 0:42)

• Cons. Round 1 - Brayden Swank (Tahoma) 4-8 received a bye () (Bye)

• Cons. Round 2 - Josiah Barrera (Othello) 7-4 won by fall over Brayden Swank (Tahoma) 4-8 (Fall 2:35)

113

Parker Boynton (4-8) place is unknown and scored 1.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Parker Boynton (Tahoma) 4-8 received a bye () (Bye)

• Champ. Round 2 - Sam Edelblute (Lakeland High School) 9-3 won by fall over Parker Boynton (Tahoma) 4-8 (Fall 1:23)

• Cons. Round 2 - Parker Boynton (Tahoma) 4-8 won by decision over Owen Hemphill (Lewiston High School) 0-2 (Dec 4-2)

• Cons. Round 3 - Justyce Acosta (Jenkins High School (Chewelah)) 9-5 won by major decision over Parker Boynton (Tahoma) 4-8 (MD 10-0)

126

Austin Michalski (11-3) place is unknown and scored 7.50 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Austin Michalski (Tahoma) 11-3 received a bye () (Bye)

• Champ. Round 2 - Austin Michalski (Tahoma) 11-3 won by tech fall over Josh Anastasi (Ferris) 3-2 (TF-1.5 5:28 (19-4))

• Champ. Round 3 - Austin Michalski (Tahoma) 11-3 won by decision over Chris Rivera (Tonasket) 2-2 (Dec 7-4)

• Quarterfinal - Ridge Lovett (Post Falls) 13-0 won by major decision over Austin Michalski (Tahoma) 11-3 (MD 11-2)

• Cons. Round 6 - Jack Latimer (Camas) 14-5 won by fall over Austin Michalski (Tahoma) 11-3 (Fall 1:57)

132

Steele Starren (11-2) place is unknown and scored 2.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Steele Starren (Tahoma) 11-2 received a bye () (Bye)

• Champ. Round 2 - Tanner Craig (Camas) 14-1 won by fall over Steele Starren (Tahoma) 11-2 (Fall 3:34)

• Cons. Round 2 - Steele Starren (Tahoma) 11-2 received a bye () (Bye)

• Cons. Round 3 - Steele Starren (Tahoma) 11-2 won by decision over Clayton Brush (Lake Stevens) 2-2 (Dec 8-1)

• Cons. Round 4 - Bridger Wenzel (Polson) 15-5 won by decision over Steele Starren (Tahoma) 11-2 (Dec 2-0)

138

Cameron Hanson (9-5) place is unknown and scored 8.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Cameron Hanson (Tahoma) 9-5 won by major decision over Jared Rodarte (White River) 6-3 (MD 9-1)

• Champ. Round 2 - Cameron Hanson (Tahoma) 9-5 won by fall over Rece Quintana (Kamiakin) 4-5 (Fall 3:03)

• Champ. Round 3 - Alexander Cruz (Orting) 13-0 won by fall over Cameron Hanson (Tahoma) 9-5 (Fall 1:07)

• Cons. Round 4 - Cameron Hanson (Tahoma) 9-5 won in sudden victory - 1 over Garrett Ashby (Coeur d`Alene High School) 6-4 (SV-1 4-2)

• Cons. Round 5 - Kaden Mackowiak (Jenkins High School (Chewelah)) 9-4 won by decision over Cameron Hanson (Tahoma) 9-5 (Dec 4-3)

145

Michael Palandri (0-2) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Porter Howard (Lake City High School) 6-8 won by fall over Michael Palandri (Tahoma) 0-2 (Fall 1:56)

• Cons. Round 1 - Michael Palandri (Tahoma) 0-2 received a bye () (Bye)

• Cons. Round 2 - Kevin Cornejo (Kamiakin) 5-4 won by fall over Michael Palandri (Tahoma) 0-2 (Fall 1:21)

145

Jacob Vanderwaal (7-7) place is unknown and scored 2.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Jacob Vanderwaal (Tahoma) 7-7 won by decision over Karter Leifsen (Camas) 1-2 (Dec 1-0)

• Champ. Round 2 - Luke Joy (Sentinel) 9-5 won by decision over Jacob Vanderwaal (Tahoma) 7-7 (Dec 5-0)

• Cons. Round 2 - Nolan Doloughan (Freeman) 8-6 won by decision over Jacob Vanderwaal (Tahoma) 7-7 (Dec 8-2)

160

Jake Bir (10-3) place is unknown and scored 6.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Jake Bir (Tahoma) 10-3 won by fall over Jimmy Howells (Shadle Park) 8-7 (Fall 3:00)

• Champ. Round 2 - Cameron Crawford (Mead) 15-3 won by decision over Jake Bir (Tahoma) 10-3 (Dec 5-1)

• Cons. Round 2 - Jake Bir (Tahoma) 10-3 won by decision over Lorenzo Myrick (Royal) 0-2 (Dec 5-1)

• Cons. Round 3 - Jake Bir (Tahoma) 10-3 won by decision over Weston Dean (Deer Park) 2-2 (Dec 3-1)

• Cons. Round 4 - Josh Walker (Bethel) 13-4 won by fall over Jake Bir (Tahoma) 10-3 (Fall 1:42)

160

Gunner Starren (17-3) placed 4th and scored 25.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 won by fall over Kordell Kinswa (Gonzaga Prep) 0-2 (Fall 0:54)

• Champ. Round 2 - Hunter Cruz (Moses Lake) 10-0 won by major decision over Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 (MD 11-2)

• Cons. Round 2 - Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 won by fall over Nahum Dass (Capital) 2-8 (Fall 1:44)

• Cons. Round 3 - Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 won by major decision over Klayton Hindberg (Coeur d`Alene High School) 2-5 (MD 10-0)

• Cons. Round 4 - Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 won by fall over Max Hill (Lewiston High School) 1-2 (Fall 3:33)

• Cons. Round 5 - Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 won by fall over Payton Smith (Hermiston) 2-2 (Fall 1:30)

• Cons. Round 6 - Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 won by decision over Angelo Loera (Lake Stevens) 8-6 (Dec 7-0)

• Cons. Round 7 - Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 won by decision over mason dionne (Havre) 18-5 (Dec 5-0)

• Cons. Semi - Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 won by decision over JOSH JOHNSON (North Central) 10-3 (Dec 5-1)

• 3rd Place Match - Gideon Malychewski (Camas) 15-3 won by decision over Gunner Starren (Tahoma) 17-3 (Dec 7-5)

170

Max Repenn (5-7) place is unknown and scored 4.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Max Repenn (Tahoma) 5-7 received a bye () (Bye)

• Champ. Round 2 - Nathan Reed (LaGrande) 11-3 won by fall over Max Repenn (Tahoma) 5-7 (Fall 0:55)

• Cons. Round 2 - Max Repenn (Tahoma) 5-7 received a bye () (Bye)

• Cons. Round 3 - Max Repenn (Tahoma) 5-7 won by fall over Jacob Oaks (Auburn Riverside) 9-4 (Fall 1:26)

• Cons. Round 4 - isaac gust (Lake Stevens) 10-5 won by decision over Max Repenn (Tahoma) 5-7 (Dec 3-0)

170

Spencer Bergsma (1-4) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Spencer Bergsma (Tahoma) 1-4 received a bye () (Bye)

• Champ. Round 2 - Kaden Krouse (Jenkins High School (Chewelah)) 13-4 won by fall over Spencer Bergsma (Tahoma) 1-4 (Fall 1:31)

• Cons. Round 2 - Victor Silva (Chiawana) 5-5 won by fall over Spencer Bergsma (Tahoma) 1-4 (Fall 3:23)

195

Gage Dress Moran (3-2) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Gage Dress Moran (Tahoma) 3-2 received a bye () (Bye)

• Champ. Round 2 - Dalton Swayze (Okanogan) 4-3 won by decision over Gage Dress Moran (Tahoma) 3-2 (Dec 6-4)

• Cons. Round 2 - Gage Dress Moran (Tahoma) 3-2 received a bye () (Bye)

• Cons. Round 3 - Tanner Stack (Sentinel) 10-5 won by fall over Gage Dress Moran (Tahoma) 3-2 (Fall 2:33)

220

Kione Gill (12-0) placed 1st and scored 33.50 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Kione Gill (Tahoma) 12-0 won by fall over Grant Engles (Mead) 0-2 (Fall 0:47)

• Champ. Round 2 - Kione Gill (Tahoma) 12-0 won by tech fall over Chris Sparks (Graham-Kapowsin) 12-4 (TF-1.5 5:43 (17-2))

• Quarterfinal - Kione Gill (Tahoma) 12-0 won by fall over Caleb Thomas (University) 10-4 (Fall 3:29)

• Semifinal - Kione Gill (Tahoma) 12-0 won by fall over Adam Wallace (Moscow) 10-3 (Fall 0:49)

• 1st Place Match - Kione Gill (Tahoma) 12-0 won by fall over Payton Castro (Moses Lake) 9-2 (Fall 1:57)

285

Noah Sturgill (7-5) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 - Alex Paul (Flathead) 17-2 won by fall over Noah Sturgill (Tahoma) 7-5 (Fall 2:30)

• Cons. Round 1 - Dietrik Mueller (Pullman) 13-4 won by decision over Noah Sturgill (Tahoma) 7-5 (Dec 1-0)

Tahoma Wrestling had a great weekend of competition. With three teams competing in thre different locations, we got a lot of wrestling in. The varsity did a great job at the Olympic Duals going three and one on the day. We opened with a win over Bremerton High School and then knocked off AC Davis High School of Yakima. In the semifinals we wrestled the number one team in  3A team.  Kelso came out on top with a tight 40-30 win. Our boys competed great and but we were wrestling up a weight class from 160-195 in order to cover a gap in our line up due to injury. One of the exciting matches of the day came at 126 where Austin Michalski took on the number 1 3A 126lb wrestler and got a takedown in overtime to secure the win! We rolled right into the 3rd place match against another thought team form Yelm. The Tornados are ranked #2 in 3A this year and we got to see why. We won a tight dual 33-31 behind the strength of three pins by Gunner Starren, Kione Gill and Noah Sturgill. Noah has been on a mission this season and has pinned 5 of his last 6 opponents! Currently Gunner Starren leads the team with 6 pins and Steal Starren is out front with the most wins at 11-0!

The JV also had a great weekend. The JV team that went to the Larry Brown Classic ( varsity level tournament) in Fife and took 10th out of 16 teams and won multiple matches with Devin Martin, Rylan Korpi, Dan Reeves, Spencer Bergsma all placing 5th! Additionally, our Gold team stayed home for JV Duals and every wrestlers that attended got to wrestle at least one match.

Next up for the team is the Kennedy HS dual at Kenndedy this coming Wednesday 12/13 and then a select group with head to Idaho on Thursday for Tri State. Our 2nd team will attend the Barry Knot Classic at Nathan Hale High School.

Go Bears!

The Tahoma Bears won the first ever home dual in our new high school in front of an electric wrestling crowd! Tonight was Junior Bears night, an awesome night to celebrate our 12 year old Junior Bears who got to take the mat prior to the dual to show off their skills. After the match, Junior Bear fans were able to get signed copies of this years team poster. Thank you to all of our fans that come out and support us.

BOX SCORE

TAHOMA 71 - KENT MERIDIAN 3

106 Swank, Braden (Tahoma High School) defeated Xayasay, Travis (Kent Meridian) === {Maj Dec 16-4} (Score: 4-0) 113 Boynton, Parker (Tahoma High School) defeated Ayers, Jasper (Kent Meridian) === {Fall 3:57} (Score: 10-0) 120 Enciso, Adrian (Tahoma High School) defeated Lucatero, Alexis (Kent Meridian) === {Fall 4:16} (Score: 16-0) 126 Michalski, Austin (Tahoma High School) defeated Purdy, Dre`shawn (Kent Meridian) === {Tech Fall 20-4} (Score: 21-0) 132 Starren, Steele (Tahoma High School) defeated Son, Sohkan (Kent Meridian) === {Fall 0:58} (Score: 27-0) 138 Hanson, Cameron (Tahoma High School) defeated Nguyed, Bryan (Kent Meridian) === {Fall 1:06} (Score: 33-0) 145 Carlton, Reid (Tahoma High School) defeated Teixeira, Rodrigo (Kent Meridian) === {Tech Fall 16-1} (Score: 38-0) 152 Long, Alex (Kent Meridian) defeated Vanderwaal, Jacob (Tahoma High School) === {Dec 10 - 9} (Score: 38-3) 160 Starren, Gunner (Tahoma High School) defeated Bennett-jones, Nate (Kent Meridian) === {Fall 0:55} (Score: 44-3) 170 Bir, Jake (Tahoma High School) defeated Forfeit (Kent Meridian) === {Forfeit} (Score: 50-3) 182 Repenn, Max (Tahoma High School) defeated Forfeit (Kent Meridian) === {Forfeit} (Score: 56-3) 195 Dress Moran, Gage (Tahoma High School) defeated Garcia, Kenny (Kent Meridian) === {Maj Dec 19-6} (Score: 60-3) 220 Gill, Kione (Tahoma High School) defeated Hernandez, Daniel (Kent Meridian) === {Tech Fall 16-1} (Score: 65-3) 285 Sturgill, Noah (Tahoma High School) defeated Maceda, Jose (Kent Meridian) === {Fall 2:59} (Score: 71-3) 

Last night, the Bears competed in two early season non-league duals against last year’s 3A State Champions, Bonney Lake and perennial wrestling powerhouse Lake Stevens. The night started off with the Bears dismantling the Panthers of Bonney Lake. The Bears won 11 of 14 matches, pinning the majority of their opponents. The best match up of the night happened at 220 pounds, where two returning State Champions faced off. Tahoma’s Kione Gill took care of Bonney Lakes returning champion with a major decision. In the more exciting dual of the night, Tahoma won over Lake Stevens by a score of 32-30. The outcome of the dual all hinged on the final match of the night at 160 pounds between Gunner Starren and Lake Stevens wrestler. There was no doubt from the get go of the match that Tahoma would end up winning the dual. Gunner won easily with a major decision 11-0. The Bears will compete again tonight in their first league dual and first dual ever in the new high school. Tonight is Junior Bears night! Wrestlers from the Junior Bears will be putting on a show of their own prior to our match tonight. We look forward to packing the house with Bear fans! #GoBears

The Bears had their first official outing this Saturday competing at the Auburn Invite. This is a great opening tournament for our team as we see some tough competition right from the start. The number one ranked team in the state, South Kitsap was in attendance along with some other solid teams like Auburn Riverside. This type of tournament gives everyone on our team some tough matches at their ability level. Seven Bears made it to the finals of the tournament and the Bears were able to come away with four champions. Austin Michalski (126), Steele Starren (132) Reid Carlton (145) and Gunner Starren (160) all came away first place ribbons while Cameron Hanson (138), Jake Bir (170) and Michael Gasper (195) all took second place. 

The Bears have some big upcoming matches this week. On Wednesday, December 6th, the Bears will take on Lake Stevens and Bonney Lake at White River High School. On December 7th, the Bears will hold their first home dual of the year! The first home dual is Junior Bears Night! We cant wait to see all of the Junior Bears in attendance! Our varsity will signing posters after the dual. #GoBears