By Jeremy Martin

During a loud and rowdy senior night, the Highline Pirates welcomed a split squad of Evergreen/Tyee to Burien for an exciting night of Seamount league wrestling.

The Pirates, despite falling behind, came back for an exciting 42-40 victory, sending its seniors home in style following a Josh Chase pin at 138 LBS during the final match of the night.

An evening opening forfeit, followed by a lightning fast Kean Lagate pin gave the Pirates an early 18-0 advantage, but Highline’s grasp on the lead would slowly become tenuous as Evergreen/Tyee muscled it’s way back into the match.

Evergreen/Tyee pulled to within two points, narrowing the score to 18-16 following Leonard Simmons’ victory over Connor Shea at 170, but the Pirates would take control right back with a dominating performance in the very next match.

However a 24-16 lead wouldn’t hold as the teams traded top position back and forth two more times before Evergreen/Tyee’s Jamal Cortez managed a pin of Trey Thach in the 120 division, giving the visitors a 34-30 edge.

Evergreen/Tyee would take the next match as well when 126 LB Christian Matlock pinned Michael hall at the end of the first round.

Entering the final the match of the night, it appeared that the visitors would hang on to a come from behind victory, but Chase and his Pirate teammates had other plans.

Complete match results:

Weight: 106

Evergreen: Lisa Nugyen

Unopposed victory

Weight: 113

Highline: Kris Lamaji

Unopposed victory

Weight: 120

Highline: Trey Thach
Evergreen: Jamal Cortez; pin

The lightest division with a match was a fiery contest that ended late in the first when Cortez was able to best Thach with a pin.

Weight: 126

Highline: Michael hall
Evergreen: Christian Matlock; pin

A quick victory by Matlock helped give Evergreen/Tyee a late lead.

Weight: 132

Highline: Matt Maloy
Evergreen: Jacavaan Bung; pin

The evening’s second scoreboard malfunction delayed the beginning of the match, but the wrestlers seemed unaffected as both Maloy and Bung came out fighting. Wrestling without a scoreboard or digital timer, the 132’s went at it the old fashioned way with Bung holding on for a third round victory by pin.

Weight: 138

Highline: Josh Chase; pin
Evergreen: Alex Zomara

A second round pin by Chase in the final match of the night gave the home team and its departing seniors something to cheer about as it proved to be the deciding factor in the Pirates victory.

Weight: 145

Highline: Jacob Jones

Unopposed victory

Weight: 152

Highline: Kean Legate; pin
Evergreen: Cody Chhun

Legate made quick work of the 152 match winning with a pin in just over one minute of action.

Weight: 160

Highline: Jimmy Matta

Unopposed victory

Weight: 170

Highline: Connor Shea
Evergreen: Leonard Simmons; pin

Simmons kept Shea on the run for the majority of this close fought match before slowly pulling away near the midway point. There was a nearly ten minute delay during the third round as a timer malfunction, coupled with an error in scoring kept the wrestlers from competing.

Weight: 182

Highline: Benji Box
Evergreen: Lam Phung, win

An aggressive match quickly became a test of wills as Phung held on for the three round victory after taking the lead in the second.

Weight: 195

Evergreen, unopposed victory

Weight: 220

Highline: J. Omar; pin
Evergreen: Edwin Lopez

One of the most thrilling matches of the night ignited the home crowed when Omar came away with the quick and dominating first round pin.

Weight: 285

Highline: Kenta Nizuma
Evergreen: Jeremiah Kelemere, win

The heavy weights kept it close for the full three rounds but in the end Kelemere would get the best of Nizuma.