Chewelah's Katzer Wins State Wrestling Championship, Multiple Podium Finishes for Stevens County Competitors

The Mat Classic brought all classifications and schools under the roof of the Tacoma Dome for a weekend of state championship wrestling Feb. 19-21. 

The event didn't disappoint as a champion and several placers came from Stevens County schools. 

CHEWELAH

Chewelah crowned yet another state champion for its storied wrestling program. 

Dakota Katzer captured the 157-pound state title, while teammate Titan Tapia battled back through the consolation bracket to earn a fifth-place medal, giving Chewelah a dominant presence in the weight class.

Katzer (36-12) put together a commanding run through the bracket, relying on an aggressive offense and clutch finishes.

He opened the tournament with back-to-back first-round falls, pinning La Salle’s Abisai Perez-Gomez in 1 minute, 28 seconds and Napavine’s Case Van Kooten in 1 minute, 26 seconds. Katzer continued his tear in the quarterfinals, needing just 48 seconds to pin Ronin Rutzer of Ocosta.

In the semifinals, Katzer earned another fall, this time over Cle Elum’s Sawyer Evans, to punch his ticket to the championship match.

Facing Newport’s Gavvin Carter in the title bout, an opponent he had faced earlier in the season, Katzer edged out a 10-9 decision in a tightly contested match to secure the 1B/2B 157-pound state championship. 

Tapia (33-15) also made a deep run at 157 pounds, showcasing depth for the Cougars at that weight class.

He opened with consecutive falls over Winlock’s Landon Russell and Asotin’s Carson Reedy to reach the quarterfinals before dropping a 6-4 decision to Carter.

In the consolation bracket, Tapia pinned Mabton’s Chrystian Velasquez and then recorded another fall over Reedy to advance to the consolation semifinals.

After a loss there, Tapia regrouped in the fifth-place match, earning a 10-8 decision over Ocosta’s Ronin Rutzer to secure his spot on the podium.

COLVILLE

The Colville Crimson Hawks walked away with two podium finishes at the Tacoma Dome.

Bryce Davis capped a standout campaign with a fifth-place finish in the Boys 1A 138-pound bracket, while Haiden Sackman earned sixth place in the Girls 1B/2B/1A 120-pound division to give Colville a pair of state placers.

Davis finished the year 30-9 in tournament wrestling action. After receiving a first-round bye, the Colville standout opened with a second-round pin over Cole LaValley of Seton Catholic, securing the fall in 3 minutes, 7 seconds to move into the quarterfinals.

Davis’ championship run was halted by Connell’s Eliuth Serra, who won by fall, sending the Crimson Hawk into the consolation bracket. From there, Davis hit the mats hard.

He needed just 29 seconds to pin Oscar Martinez Cobian of Wapato in his first consolation match, then followed with another fall, this one in 1 minute, 44 seconds over Bennett Nocula of Klahowya to surge into the consolation semifinals.

After a loss to Castle Rock’s Kacen Hamilton, Davis closed his tournament in emphatic fashion. Facing Serra in a rematch for fifth place, Davis turned the tables and dominated with a 17-2 technical fall in 2:13 to secure his spot on the podium.

Sackman has been a powerhouse at wrestling tournaments this season, with a 33-6 tournament record, and made a strong run through the 120-pound field.

After a first-round bye, Sackman earned a 6-0 decision over Anna Guenther of Napavine to reach the quarterfinals. A loss by fall to Castle Rock’s Taylor Kirby pushed her into the consolation side, where she responded with determination.

Sackman pinned Okanogan’s Emmerson Goetz in 4 minutes, 42 seconds, then edged Spangle’s Sonia Widman with a tight 3-1 decision to reach the consolation semifinals.

Her tournament run ended with back-to-back losses, first a 13-6 decision to Tenino’s Maleah Chacon and then a fall to Klahowya’s Isabella “Izzy” Kilpatrick in the fifth-place match. 

KETTLE FALLS

Kettle Falls was known for its depth this year, and had several placers at the Tacoma Dome in the 1B/2B boys division.

Ezekiel Evans led the charge with a fourth-place finish at 150 pounds, while Kincaid Freer took sixth at 165 pounds. Josh Bair (113 pounds) and Joseph Young (132 pounds) each battled back through the consolation bracket to earn eighth-place medals.

Evans (34-9) pieced together one of the tournament’s strongest runs for the Bulldogs.

He opened with a lightning-fast fall in 25 seconds over Lincoln Sadler of Kittitas, then rolled to an 18-1 technical fall against Timber Super of Okanogan to reach the quarterfinals.

After a loss to Selkirk’s Jaxson Chantry dropped him into the consolation bracket, Evans responded with authority. He pinned Jackson Hutchens of Pomeroy in 59 seconds, earned a 21-5 technical fall over Colin Chaney of Lake Roosevelt, and then secured another fall, this one over Aidan Minne of Goldendale in the consolation semifinals.

Evans’ run ended in the third-place match against Columbia (Burbank)’s Jacob Johnson.

Freer (27-9) battled through another crowded 165-pound bracket. He opened with a fall in 1 minute, 13 seconds before dropping into the consolation side in the second round. From there, Freer pieced together an impressive string of victories, a major decision over Cle Elum’s Connan Hyatt, a technical fall against Highland’s Trenton Mulvaney and a decision over Okanogan’s Jake Sullivan.

In a rematch with Liberty Launch Academy’s Samson Kjar, Freer flipped the script with a 13-4 major decision to continue his climb. Though his tournament ended with a loss in the consolation semifinals and the fifth-place match, Freer secured sixth place.

At 113 pounds, Bair (30-11) battled deep into the consolation rounds after a second-round loss. He pinned opponents from North Beach and Liberty Bell, added a narrow 14-13 decision over Spangle’s Caleb Perry and another fall against Adam Beedle of Cle Elum to reach the medal rounds.

Bair finished in eighth place.

Young (29-13) followed a similar path at 132 pounds. After a first-round fall over Manson’s Dylan Farrar, he rebounded from an early loss with three straight consolation victories, two by fall and a razor-thin 11-10 decision over Trevin Stauffer of  Chewelah to ultimately place eighth.

State photos, courtesy Scott Brooks.