Plus a list of all 42 wrestlers from the county who placed at Mat Classic

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

It was one of the biggest days in Southwest Washington high school wrestling history.

There were 12 wrestlers from Clark County high schools who reached the state finals at Mat Classic on Saturday. Seven of them won championships. Four came from one school.

This week, Clark County Today reached out to all seven champions. These are their championship recollections.

Plus, we list all wrestlers who placed at Mat Classic 2024.

Faith Tarrant, Prairie

Another year, another title for the great Faith Tarrant. 

Yes, it is fair to call her great. Three years of high school wrestling, and three state championships. 

This season, she competed 36 times and finished every match with a pin.

Even with that record, she never takes a match for granted.

“I do get overwhelmed. I do get nervous. I overthink a lot. ‘Hey, what if this happens?’” she said. 

Her teammates and coaches get her in the right frame of mind before a match.

“They say, ‘I’m proud of you either way,’” Tarrant said. 

With that, Tarrant reminds herself of what she has accomplished, and what she can accomplish.

“Just making sure I stay motivated,” Tarrant said. “I am a great wrestler. I have worked really hard to put myself in the position that I’m in.”

Tarrant pinned Katherin Petersen of Tahoma in the second period of the Class 4A/3A girls 235-pound finals Saturday for her third consecutive state title. 

“It honestly felt like a relief,” Tarrant said. “Being a two-time champion, a lot is on your back. Everyone is watching. Everyone wants you to win. You can fail.”

This year, her grandparents and an aunt traveled from Colorado to watch her wrestle.

So it is quite a big deal when that final whistle sounds.

“It’s an unmatched feeling. The feel of winning, I don’t get that from anywhere else,” Tarrant said. “The adrenaline rush, the emotion, the excitement it brings me. I love wrestling. It is my favorite thing to do.”

Skyview goes 4 for 4 in the finals

Jonas DesRochers

The first match of the finals that featured a Clark County wrestler was not going Clark County’s way … until the final seconds.

DesRochers trailed 5-2 with about 10 seconds left in the Class 4A 113-pound match against Curtis Carlisle of Rogers of Puyallup 

Seriously.

“I was thinking, ‘I beat the kid last week, and there’s no way I’m going to lose this match,” Jonas DesRochers said.

Just prior to the amazing finish, there was a long delay as coaches and officials discussed a potential penalty on Carlisle. That time gave DesRochers a chance to refocus.

You got this. Don’t doubt yourself. 

DesRochers was ready.

“I decided I was going to try to go big, and that’s what happened,” he said.

A takedown for two points and a near-fall for two more points. Jonas DesRocher flipped the script in a matter of seconds.

“It was amazing. It was just super exciting,” Jonas said.

He celebrated hours later with a trip to McDonalds with his brother …

Mason DesRochers, Skyview

The very next match on the 4A mat featured Jonas’ twin brother Mason. 

Mason did not need a dramatic takedown in the final seconds, but his match was just as intense. Mason got an escape early in the third period for a 1-0 lead, and that was all the scoring in this defensive gem against Owen Marshall of Tahoma.

“That kid, he’s one of my good friends,” Mason said. 

They often train together.

“He knows what I do. I know what he does. I knew it was going to be a super close and tough match,” Mason DesRochers said. “That’s exactly what it was.”

It was truly a battle.

“I was just really happy. I was kind of relieved,” Mason said. “I was a little bit nervous. Just to get it done was relieving.”

The twin brothers, freshmen, had their McDonald’s celebration, and then “sat around the house for two days,” Mason said. 

Jonus described it as “two chill days to recover.”

As freshmen, they have never experienced a loss in the finals. They have a senior teammate this year, though, he knows what it is like to finish one win from a championship …

Owen Pritchard, Skyview

Owen Pritchard had a year to think about what happened in 2023, when he finished second in his weight class.

Now, he was in the finals again, about to take on Juan Hoffman of Kamiakin for the 4A 126-pound title.

Pritchard, though, wanted to forget about history. It was all about right now.

“I was just trying to take in the moment that this is my last high school match, and not trying to be stressed,” the senior said. “Have fun with it.”

Pritchard got a takedown late in the second period to take control. He went on to a 5-2 decision.

“It was really exciting and also relieving. It’s a goal that a lot of people, when they start wrestling, they set out to achieve,” Pritchard said. “I was just so excited I finally got to achieve my goal.”

He caught up with family and friends over the next couple of days, plus he celebrated his grandfather’s birthday.

This week, he said how much he is thrilled to be part of something so special at Skyview.

“When I first came to Skyview … the team wasn’t good at all. The team never even placed in the top 20 in state,” Pritchard said.

This year’s Storm took third place as a team and earned four individual state championships.

“It was just awesome to be able to be a part of history and to make history with my friends,” Pritchard said.

JJ Schoenlein, Skyview

Skyview was 3 for 3 and then had to wait a while before junior JJ Schoenlein got to the finals mat for the 175-pound championship against Matt King of Sumner. 

“I knew that all these guys had won. I just remember hugging all my coaches. ‘We just won three. Let’s get another one.’ It was pretty intense. I had to get the last one,” Schoenlein said.

For Schoenlein, the finals were not an afterthought, but after all he had endured, he was confident.

Six months ago, Schoenlein was not sure if he would ever be able to wrestle again. He was in the hospital battling myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord. It would take months to recover, and his coach said Schoelein did not look like his normal self until just about four weeks ago.

Then, because Schoenlein lost a match at regionals, he was placed in a more challenging bracket.

“In my mind, the semifinals was the finals,” Shoenlein said of his battle with Caden Wilson of Hanford. “It was a very intense, emotional match. The adrenaline dump felt like the dump I had in the finals last year. Getting through that match felt great.”

He said he still had to wrestle the finals as if he were going up against the world champion, but he knew he was going to get the job done.

Sure enough, he cruised to a 10-2 victory.

The 4-for-4 in the finals for Skyview was a bigger deal to Schoenlein than his second consecutive individual title. 

“That meant more than winning a state title, just enjoying it with my team and my coaches,” he said. 

He, too, went to McDonald’s. 

“I ate well. I had a stomach ache for a little bit. Ate some more. Woke up, ate some more. That felt good after eating white chicken and vegetables for three months,” Schoenlein said.

He also noted that when he won a state title last year, his immediate thought was working toward winning another championship. He said he enjoyed this victory more. He said Saturday’s win, after everything he went through the past six months, brought him more peace than last year.

Niah Cassidy, Union

Sportsmanship is a priority for Niah Cassidy. 

She won her championship match with relative ease, dominating in a 14-0 victory over Shelby-Rae Enos-Cressy of Graham Kapowsin in the 4A/3A 130-pound class. 

When the official went to raise Cassidy’s arm, it was right as she was trying to give her opponent a hug. So the whole championship moment went by in a flash.

But Cassidy really appreciated that hug.

“She has a lot of joy for the sport,” Cassidy said of Enos-Cress. “She was happy for me and happy she made it to the finals. She’s a really sweet girl. It was nice to share that final embrace with her.”

Two finalists. One champion. A whole lot of respect.

Cassidy remembers what it was like to be on the wrong side of a championship match. A senior at Union now, she lost in the finals as a junior.

“It’s tough to take a loss like that. It’s a feeling I never wanted to experience again,” Cassidy said. “I never want to have to endure. It’s such an awful feeling. That was my motivation for a whole year, just remembering that feeling. I don’t want to feel like that again.”

While she dominated the match, she also knows that anything can happen. A wrestler can find herself in a tough position if not careful, even with a big lead. So she maintained her focus throughout most of the match.

But up 14-0, she noticed that there were 7 seconds left on the clock and she spotted her dad, Nathan, one of her coaches.

“There’s a big smile on my face,” Cassidy said. “I was so excited. I got up and I was so happy.”

She and her parents — Nathan and Shannon — went out to dinner to celebrate. They also have plans for another dinner, with more family and friends, at a later date.

Plus, her wrestling career is not over. She has been speaking with several colleges about her future plans.

For now, it is time to appreciate her high school career, finishing on top in Washington.

“Wrestling has been my whole life for 11 years. I don’t know how to explain it,” Cassidy said. “There is so much joy and happiness. Even when it’s tough, I just push through because I know it just means the world to me.”

Noah Koyama, Union

Just like Niah Cassidy, Noah Koyama had to go a year with that feeling, falling in the championship match. 

Koyama went into this year’s final in the 4A boys 138-pound class with a different perspective.

“The biggest reason I lost last year was I was just so nervous,” Koyama acknowledged. “I had been thinking about it for years and years. I just didn’t perform well because I was so nervous.”

Self reflection. Self accountability. 

And then, a new focus for his junior year.

“Going into the finals this year, I really made sure to stay calm and trust my wrestling and trust my coaches,” Koyama said.

Koyama was clutch when it mattered most against Daeton Johnson of Chiawana.

An intense, close match throughout, Johnson escaped for Koyama with about 11 seconds left in the match to gain a tie.

“I just didn’t want to go to overtime. I knew I had to attack immediately,” Koyama said.

It was a second, maybe two, later, shen Koyama got the takedown for a 4-2 victory.

“It was really cool. It was a big relief,” Koyama said. “The whole season, that was the big end goal. The whole season, you’re thinking about it, thinking about it, and waiting for it to happen. Then a lot of pressure on that match, and when it’s finally over, a big relief.”

A few days later, and Koyama is already thinking about 2025, his senior season.

“After you win, the real conversation is who’s going to win next year,” Koyama said.

In all, 42 wrestlers from Clark County placed at Mat Classic. Here is the list:

Class 4A boys:

113: Jonas DesRochers, Skyview, 1st place
120: Mason DesRochers, Skyview, 1st place
126: Owen Pricthard, Skyview, 1st place; Andrew Gray, Battle Ground, 6th place
132: Kyler Nelson, Skyview, 6th place
138: Noah Koyama, Union, 1st place
150: Amir Lisichenko, Union, 5th place
165: Armando Nicacio, Union, 2nd place
175: JJ Schoenlein, Skyview, 1st place; Kannon Freschette, Camas, 5th place
190: Jackson Lougen, Camas, 2nd place
215: Eliott Scott, Camas, 6th place
285: Luke Webb, Camas, 5th place

Class 3A Boys

126: Tommie Vick, Prairie, 8th place
157: Nathan Wadleigh, Mountain View, 3rd place
175: Mason Frei, Prairie, 2nd place
190: Rylan Reinebach, Mountain View, 3rd place; Seth Blick, Prairie, 4th place
215: Ayden Denbo, Mountain View, 2nd place; Makhi Miller, Evergreen, 7th place

Class 2A Boys

138: Mason Townsend, Ridgefield, 8th place
144: Jacob McKee, Hockinson, 7th place
157: Tennyson Kurtz, Columbia River, 3rd place
175: Isaac Gil, Washougal, 8th place
190: Talen Guerrero, Hudson’s Bay, 7th place

Class 1A Boys

120: Connor Crum, Seton Catholic, 2nd place
150: Ashton Baker, King’s Way Christian, 4th place
165: Isaac Chromey, La Center, 3rd place
215: Wyatt Eiesland, La Center, 5th place; Roman Tabile, Seton Catholic, 6th place

Class 4A/3A Girls

115: Kamaile Taisacan, Mountain View, 7th place; Grace Page, Skyview, 8th place
130: Niah Cassidy, Union, 1st place
135: Janessa O’Connell, Union, 8th place
170: Aaliyah Young, Prairie, 4th place; Kadence Burleson, Evergreen, 7th place
190: Ahmiya Brox, Union, 5th place; Avery Vega Padilla, Camas, 8th place
235: Faith Tarrant, Prairie, 1st place; Madisyn Cardens, Skyview, 7th place

Class 2A/1A Girls

135: Kiersten Lees, Washougal, 3rd place
140: Aliyha Vargas, Washougal, 6th place