Two The Dalles wrestlers win weight divisions at Washougal

“We did better than we had at any previous tournament so far this year, and we scored over 100 points, and we won two division championships,” said Coach Barry Abrams. “It was a great event for all the guys.”

Freshman Amado Velador (4-0) took first place in the 106-pound weight classification and sophomore Alexander De La Torre (5-0) won the 157-pound weight class. Sophomore Harley Scott (5-1) took third place at 138 pounds, and freshman Creighten Clack took third place at 132 pounds.

“Our guys are still enjoying working hard in practice and the best thing we saw is that they’re using new things that they’ve learned at practice," Abrams said.

"We’ve been working on some moves that we think are going to work for the team collectively. It was really nice to see the wrestlers trying new stuff, which is kind of a fun part of the sport. It’s almost better than a win when your athlete is willing to try something new and then seeing them have success with it," he said.

On Jan. 6, the 11-member Riverhawks’ squad competed in the 14-team Paul/Larson Invitational Tournament at Sandy High School, which included larger 6A schools. Velador and De La Torre both took third place in their weight classes. Clack took fourth place; sophomore Josh Brackenbury (165 pounds) was fifth; and senior Roman Fields (190) took eighth.

“We had a different look and a different feel in facing some tougher competition with the Class 6A schools,” said Abrams. “As a whole, we’re very pleased with the progress of our team. We’re focusing on peaking at the right time so that we’ll be well prepared for the upcoming Special District 4 tournament [Feb. 9-10].”