By JOSH FARLEY
Staff Writer
POULSBO — Any way you look at it, the Poulsbo-Fairview junior high school wrestling match was a tightly contested affair with nearly every match going down to the wire.
But the one statistic the Falcons had on their side had been there long before the mats came down from the rafters for Thursday’s meet.
“We started this season with no expectations but had 60 kids,” Falcons’ coach Steve Lutz said. “We’re fortunate to have those numbers.”
The Panthers faced perhaps the deepest team in their conference — and Poulsbo coach Joe Power, with his team of 25, had their work cut out.
“Heading into this match we knew they’d be tough,” Power said. “But I’d still rather have the 25 that want (to win) than more just standing around.”
That depth led Fairview to a 62-37 victory Thursday, with the team now at five wins and no losses. But the score was not indicative of what actually happened, Lutz commented.
“This was a very competitive match,” Lutz said. “These were really close matches that could have gone either way.”
The day began with the heavyweights, with Fairview’s Kevin Sibberik and Poulsbo’s Josh Holliday facing off at 275. Sibberik eventually would gain the upper hand by toppling Holliday to the mat for a late-match pin.
85-pounders Kyle Smith of Poulsbo and Scott Lutz of Fairview rolled the mats in a match of reversals. Lutz eventually won a fierce technical battle, 7-4.
Poulsbo got on the board in Will Castle’s 95 lbs. match, making quick work of Falcon Tommy Haggerty with a pin in the first period.
Sandwiched between two losses for Poulsbo was a win and a pin by Justan McCaslin at 100 over Lauren Sperling.
Panther Sasha Jantz continued his stellar season with a win but the 125 pounder couldn’t quite get the pin over Fairview opponent Austin Manso, settling for a technical win.
Panther Jeff Jones, at 130, dominated Falcon Daniel Cho and won with a pin only 44 seconds into the match. Poulsbo looked to have the momentum of the match, only down 34-28.
After the two teams exchanged technical wins, Panther veteran Eric Hedin and Fairview’s John Brower stepped onto the mats at 154. A roller coaster ride of a match, the pair reversed back and forth until the third period, when Brower was able to score near-fall points.
Hedin wasn’t able to recover, losing 7-4.
Poulsbo never recovered, as Fairview cruised to three more match wins to take the meet.
The Panthers, now 1-3 on the season take on Central Kitsap and Cedar Heights at home, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
Panthers’ Coach Power said he believes his team will bounce back.
“The goal is still to get to .500,” Power said. “That’s very much still attainable.”
78 — Travis Chapman (Fairview) won by forfeit. 85 — Scott Lutz (Fairview) def. Kyle Smith 7-4. 90 — Jordan Blackmore (Poulsbo) won by forfeit. 95 — Will Castle (Poulsbo) p. Tommy Haggerty :48. 100 — Jeremy Huffman (Fairview) def. Justin Grimes 8-1. 105 — Justan McCaslin (Poulsbo) p. Lauren Sperling 1:28. 110 — Ken Nelson (Fairview) won by forfeit. 115 — Mick Palillo (Fairview) def. Matt Romero 13-0. 120 — Tao Smith (Fairview) p. Jacob Stickney 1:13. 125 — Sasha Jantz (Poulsbo) def. Austin Manso 14-3. 130 — Jeff Jones (Poulsbo) p. Daniel Cho :44. 137 — David Meherg (Fairview) def. Chris Beckwith 17-6. 145 — Trevor Smith (Poulsbo) def. Roy Weabie 10-4. 154 —John Brower (Fairview) def. Eric Hedin 7-4. 164 — Paul Cho (Fairview) def. Jamaal Smith 6-2. 175 — Conrad Peirce (Fairview) p. Jonathan Berry :51. 190 — Double forfeit. 210 — Jimmy Grute (Fairview) p. Aaron Melius 1:53. 275 — Kevin Sibberik (Fairview) p. Josh Holliday 2:09.
