South Whidbey tops Darrington, Friday Harbor
With only one chance to impress its home crowd, the South Whidbey High School wrestling team made the most of the opportunity and walloped Friday Harbor 60-6 and Darrington 47-18 Thursday in Langley.
The double-dual meet was the only home event of the year for the Falcons.
South Whidbey joins Granite Falls at Sultan for a 5:30 p.m. double-dual meet Thursday, Jan. 24, in the final North Sound Conference contest of the season.
Coach Robbie Bozin was pleased with his team’s effort in the wins over Friday Harbor and Darrington.
“I’m very proud of the kids,” he said. “They came out with a fire under their tails and wrestled their hearts out.”
“I am also proud of the community support,” he added, acknowledging the large crowd that came out to back the Falcons.
Bozin said his young team is growing but still has “a lot to improve on.”
The team features only two seniors, Clay O’Brien and Jonathan Price, who were honored before the match.
Even the seniors are inexperienced, Bozin noted. O’Brien is in his second year of wrestling and Price his first. Price picked up his second win of the season in the match.
The coaching staff is trying to get all the young wrestlers up to speed “in a super short time frame,” Bozin said.
“It’s challenging, but we do our best,” he added. “I always tell the team, ‘What you lack in knowledge, you make up in hard work and determination.’”
He liked the work of freshmen Eden Batiste and Sequaia Durham Thursday.
“Eden showed up and wrestled hard,” he said. “Sequaia has the mental and physical ability, he just lacks experience, which is like most of our team.”
Bozin also noted that Drew Aposhyan dropped down a weight and “is working through that.”
The Falcons won four of the five weight classes contested against Friday Harbor, all by falls.
Dayton Birchfield (152 pounds) pinned his man in 1:18; O’Brien (182) in 1:12; Kobe Balora (220) in :33 and Dylan Davis (285) in 1:40.
Aposhyan (120), Price (132), Caleb McArthur (138), Wayne Wahl (160), Aiden Coleman (170) and Durham (195) all won by forfeit.
Batiste (145) lost by a fall (1:54).
Price (1:42) and Batiste (3:10) pinned their Darrington opponents, and Aposhyan won 15-5.
Birchfield, Wahl, Coleman, Balora and Davis all received forfeits.
McArthur (4:51), O’Brien (5:12) and Durham (1:48) were fall victims.
Eden Batiste comes from behind to pin his Darrington foe. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Dayton Birchfield, top, turns Friday Harbor’s Keagan Bailey. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Dylan Davis, right, sets up Friday Harbor’s Weston Swertz for a fall. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Sequaia Dunham, right, looks for an opening against Darrington. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Nicole Helseth, right, sizes up her Darrington opponent. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
The official is about to slap the mat, signifying a fall for South Whidbey’s Kobe Balora, top. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Caleb McArthur, left, prepares to attack his Darrington opponent. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Clay O’Brien, right, flips Friday Harbor’s Isaac Blumsickle. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
Jonathan Price, top, takes control in the Darrington match. (Photo by Jim Waller/South Whidbey Record)
