By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Of the 14 weight classes, the Highline Pirates put three guys -- Zach Edson, Jimmy Matta and Justin Herbruger-- into the finals and one came out on top. That was Edson at 120 pounds, while the Kennedy Catholic Lancers' Jacob Dailey, Ben Josie and Sebastian Ferraro all made semifinals at the 15-team Franklin Pierce Cardinal Classic wrestling tournament Saturday.

Pirates' coach Casey Rice liked what he saw from some of his wrestlers, and from others he knows they can deliver more on the mat.

"Always ups and downs, the effort was there," said Rice.

The best wrestle of the night came from champ Edson, who took on Mercer Island's Taylor Yuasa in the 120-pound final. It was a match-up of the sixth and eighth place wrestlers from last season's Mat Classic state meet at the Tacoma Dome in mid February. And Yuasa was in the running for third at state, too, but settled for sixth because of an injury default prior to the consolation 3rd-6th place match.

Edson, with a 10-3 season record entering the final at the Cardinal Classic tourney, and Taylor (17-3), went at it hard, with Edson leading, 5-2, after the first round, 10-4 after the second and14-6 after the third.

"I didn't wrestle him at state. Somehow our paths didn't cross, but I wrestled him at sub-districts, leading up to state, and that was a tough one. I was the underdog," said Edson. "He got me on a takedown in the first round and I was down, like, 5-0. I didn't get going until the second round. I was able to calm myself, and, I won by a point, 8-7 -- a real nail-biter. And that match last year helped me going into this match with him."

Edson won his opening match by a bye at the Cardinal Classic and then, in his second match, he won by a pin in the last second of the first round over a Port Townsend wrestler. Then in the semifinals he beat an Olympia grappler in overtime.
So Edson's right on course, heading to state again, coming up at the T-Dome a few, short weeks away. And some Pirates' teammates hope to get that state direction, too.

"Good tournament to see where we are at and perfect it in the room (practice)," said Matta, who was pinned in the final but won three straight matches to get to that time where the four-mat scenario of regular rounds is broken down to two isolated mats for fans to watch in finals.

Rice explained that Matta "got stacked" in his final, where he was pinned via a move from his Sultan foe, where it looks like a wrestler is doing a headstand, but is really getting pinned.

That happens when?

"You don't defend it," said Rice.

Matta was tough in the final, too. He got his foe in compromising positions a time or two, but couldn't hold anything down for the pin.

Herbruger at 160 fought hard, too, down 5-1 after the first round, 7-1 after the second and losing, 11-4, after the third ended things.

"He tried to force some things against a pretty good wrestler," said Rice. "Got to be patient, but more aggressive."

Twin brother Kelvin took fifth, too, at the tourney at 145, pinning a couple wrestlers before losing the semi and consolation matches, and Kyle at 113 took fifth for the Pirates.

Sampley, the Lancers' coach, liked what he saw from his guys, who didn't make finals but showed they are going the right way, on the right trail, toward state.

"Wrestling for February," said Sampley, who wrestled high school and collegiate, like Rice. "Learn from our mistakes, and keep on training."

Dailey, at 170 placed third, losing by pin in the third round of the consolation final, and had won his opening two wrestles by pins, beating guys from Black Hills and Lincoln. At 195, Josie took fifth, as did Ferraro at 220.

Eddie Benge, for the Lancers at 285, didn't make the semifinals like the three aforementioned teammates, but he did take fifth, and he came into the action differently than probably just about everyone else at the tourney.

"This is my first time back since my concussion," said Benge.

In wrestling?

"No, football. It was the first game of the year, against Seattle Prep. I was lined up going against their running back and got hit. I went to Swedish Hospital," said Benge.

So now it's wrestling time?

"Yeah, still learning. I want to get into it but I have to take it slow coming back and improve my endurance," said Benge, who made it to state last year as a sophomore.

Benge lost his first wrestle of the tourney, 4-3, but, it was a good one, lost by a 1-point escape. And Benge lost to a tough hombre in Paul Garcia of Lindbergh, who came into the final with a 17-0 record, three first places at other tournaments.

Benge looked a little tired in his match for the third or fifth place honor, trying to get a good wrestler to just go down to the canvas for a takedown to not much avail during the three rounds of two-minute action each.

"Circle, Eddie," said Sampley, watching the final minute, or so, of round three. "Be aggressive, Eddie."
Benge is a tough wrestler and teammates like Ferraro know that he'll be back to form, having mentioned Benge after a recent dual against the Pirates.

"He mentioned me," said Benge, kind of questioningly. "Yeah, he's kind of quiet, doesn't say much. He's a good wrestler."

Benge is confident of his own good skills.

"I'm preseason No. 6 ranked in the state," said Benge.

Benge also doesn't have any hangups with talking to other wrestlers. He has a nice spirit about him. After he beat a guy from Bellevue Christian, lasting the full three rounds against Benge, who won by minor decision, Benge went up to the foe.

"Good job," said Benge, slapping the guy on the back. "You're going to go to state, man."

And the Vikings wrestler smiled, noticeably happy, knowing Benge was a good one to get that kind of commendation from.

For the Pirates, Brian Womac, at 220, went up against the same guy in the second round that beat Ferraro by major decision in the semi. Womac was tough in the loss, getting pinned but going against BJ Humphries, who placed fifth in the state last year. Womac admitted the wrestle against Humphries wasn't a good one for obvious reasons, just like Ferraro who said an ankle injury troubled him in his match versus Humphries and kept him from wrestling in consolations.

"I'm sick. I feel like crap," said Womac. "But he was a decent wrestler and got me down pretty fast. But my strength was not fully there. I felt I could have hung with him all three rounds if not sick."

Womac is 14-4 this season, including coming back from the Humphries' pin in the second round to take fifth place. Womac took third last week at Hanford, and that was with a lot of good wrestlers there at that tourney.

"He's a tough kid," said Rice. "Got put in a cradle. Tough to get out of when a state placer has you in a cradle. He has to work on not getting into a cradle."

But Womac, in the final 30 seconds of the first round after trailing 7-0, did get a reversal on Humphries and that showed that, despite being sick, Womac could hang with a wrestler who was 34-6 last season and just as strong, if not stronger -- certainly more experienced -- this season.

"It was a reversal scramble," said Rice. "And he did get that kid on his back and got the points."

It looked like a promising move. Humphries was on his back, and though only for a couple seconds before squirming got him out of it.

"He got his two points, but when you put a good wrestler on his back you have to keep him there," said Rice. "He's getting there, improving. Got to get a little more tougher."

Womac knows what it can be different if he were to face Humphries again, or when he faces any good wrestler down the line this season.

"Starting off, I would start circling sooner," said Womac. "I wouldn't post a leg when trying to stand up as much. That's how he got me in a cradle, how he pinned me."

Womac didn't wrestle last season and is a junior this season.

"Got kicked off the team," said Womac. "Personal issues."

So Rice is a good coach?

"Great coach," said Womac. "Pushes us every practice. And when I get out of place thinking I am the best wrestler in the room, he comes over and shows me that I'm not the best wrestler and still have things to work on."

Meaning Rice wrestles Womac?

"Yeah," said Womac. "Most of the time he beats me but I am starting to wrestle more, last longer, sometimes. And, sometimes, he just straight up pins me in a minute or two."