A battle for bragging rights between schools separated by a mere six miles went to the Bellevue Wolverines wrestling team.
The Wolverines, who had five grapplers capture victories with pinning combinations, grinded out a 42-36 win against the Interlake Saints in a Class 3A KingCo wrestling match on Jan. 8 at Interlake High School. Bellevue improved its overall record to 2-0 in dual matches this year. Bellevue head coach Kyle Smith was glad to see his team capture a dual match victory despite having a few of its regular varsity wrestlers out of the lineup.
“We have some wrestlers out with injuries right now and a few were out of town the holiday break so we had some freshman wrestlers in the varsity lineup. We started fast and started strong and were able to get the pins. When you have a chance to pin guy you have to do it. Those six points (amount of team points for a pin) start to add up,” Smith said. “It was important to have some our young guys get some confidence.”
Smith was particularly impressed with the performance of John Mancuso, who pinned Interlake’s Vamsi Anam just one minute into the first round of their matchup in the 170-pound weight class.
“John just recently dropped down to 170 (previously competed in the 182-pound weight class) and he wrestled really tough,” Smith said.
On the opposite end of the spectrum was freshman Cameron Peloquin, who tips the scales at just 141 pounds, wrestled up to the 152-pound weight class for the dual match and registered a pin against Interlake’s Lucas Varela in one minute, 48 seconds.
“That was his first varsity win and was a much needed win for our team. Cameron is a lacrosse player but he is starting to really enjoy wrestling. He said winning his first match felt better than scoring his first goal in lacrosse,” Smith said.
Things will get tougher for the Wolverines over the next few weeks. Mercer Island and Juanita are typically the top teams in the Class 2A/3A KingCo Division and are looming on Bellevue’s schedule.
“In dual meets its important to not give up pins and not give up those major decisions. We have a lot of confidence right now and will be ready for the challenge. Early in the year we got our butt kicked at some tough tournaments. It was a quality experience for us and is going to pay off in the long run,” he said. “I know the seniors on this team want to go out with a dual meet league title.”
Bellevue wrestlers picking up victories via pins included Aidan Robinson (126), Garrett Williams (145), Cameron Peloquin (152) John Mancuso (170) and Alec Palander (220). Brennan Holmes (106) and Gabe Buccino (182) won by forfeit.
Interlake grapplers capturing wins from pins were Albert Chen (113), Brandon Gim (132), Bhek Simanago (160), Joe Palgaashvili (195) and David Khanatayev (285). Kenny Hoang (120) and Devansh Dwivedy (138) each won their matches by decision.
Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com
