Battle of the Bay goes to Klahowya

For the first time in six years, the Battle of the Bay championship does not belong to Olympic High School.

Klahowya Secondary School dethroned the five-time reigning champion Trojans, as well as host Central Kitsap High School, to earn the crown Wednesday.

It was a particularly disappointing outcome for the short-handed Cougars, who lost both their duals in the round-robin format, looking flat and uninspired.

“The biggest glaring factor, other than experience, was being out-toughed and out-physicaled,” Central Kitsap coach Mike Harter said. “Hopefully it’s a wake-up call.”

Klahowya outlasted Olympic 39-27 to open the evening, then erased a 12-0 deficit to beat Central Kitsap 47-22. The Trojans defeated the Cougars 37-34 in the third and final dual, but the Eagles had already secured the title.

Joe Sawyers picked up two victories for Klahowya in the 152-pound weight class, defeating Matt Hoyt of Olympic, 8-5, and Tyler Kahl of Central Kitsap, 16-0. Teammate Neil Sell, wrestling at 160, pinned both his opponents in less than two minutes, taking down Olympic’s Caleb O’Halek in 1 minute, 37 seconds and Central Kitsap’s Caleb Herndon in 1:59.

“They are a tough team and wrestled well,” Harter said. “But our guys didn’t get it done.”