AUBURN — Perhaps no one was more ready to be a senior than South Kitsap’s Eddie Meisner.

After all, the Wolves finished with their worst record in a generation during football season and he failed to advance past regionals in wrestling as a junior.

But the script has been much different for Meisner during this school year. After quarterbacking South to the football playoffs in the fall, he will advance to Mat Classic XXIV on Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.

He overcame a 3-2 deficit to pin Kentwood’s Matthew Herrick in 4 minutes, 55 seconds, Saturday in the 220-pound weight class at the Class 4A Regional III Championships at Thomas Jefferson High School. Meisner is among a half-dozen Wolves who placed fourth or better at regionals to advance to state. South finished second among 16 teams with 141.5 points behind Tahoma (303.5).

After watching Meisner win the sub-regional tournament, South coach Chad Nass said he was not surprised to see him duplicate that performance.

“The ability has always been there,” he said. “It just has been a matter of him believing it.”

Meisner acknowledged that was an issue for him last year during regionals, where he finished sixth.

“I started great and it just got to my head,” he said. “I didn’t reach my full potential.”

But Meisner said he has matured from that experience, and after playing a football playoff game at Edmonds-Woodway he does not believe the Tacoma Dome will faze him.

“It’s just another tournament that I’ve got to wrestle at,” he said. “People are the same as me.”

That does not mean Meisner is not excited to get there, though.

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this and it’s finally come,” he said. “I can’t wait.”

Meisner’s greatest obstacle toward getting there might have been an undisclosed skin condition that prevented him for practicing against teammates. Instead, he worked throughout the week with assistant coach Steve Hoyt. Given how well that worked, Meisner said he plans to continue with it this week.

Meisner was the Wolves’ only wrestler to place first at regionals. Junior Kolby Fenton also competed for a title at 106, but lost a 9-4 decision against Auburn’s Brian Alonzo.

He marks the last in a quartet of Fenton brothers to reach state at South. His older brothers all placed at state.

“Hopefully we can get his name on the wall this year,” Nass said.

Others headed to state include sophomores Joel Sherman (120) and Tristan Hartmann (182), junior Bryce Broome (152) and senior Daniel Muttillo (195). Nass said the latter was the biggest surprise because he only has been wrestling for two years.

“He got cut from the basketball team, so he came out and wrestled last year,” he said. “I’ll thank (coach) John Callaghan for that.”

Muttillo was pinned in 45 seconds against Tahoma’s Matt Hopkins, who finished second, before winning two consecutive matches. He then was pinned by Olympia’s Tanner Hartsoch to finish fourth.

Hartmann and Sherman also finished fourth. Broome won his final three matches to place third after losing in overtime, 10-8, against Tahoma’s Dan Haniger in the opener. The two actually were slated to wrestle for third place before Broome won by injury default.

The Wolves’ six wrestlers at state marks one less than a year ago. Three others who placed fifth — juniors Ben Delacy (132), Cody Rose (145) and Damien Medeiros (285) — will travel to state as alternates.

“I think as coaches you’re always wanting more,” Nass said. “You’re greedy.

“But we’re happy.”

• South’s Amberlee Brasch placed fourth at 137 in the girls wrestling tournament Saturday at Emerald Ridge High School to advance to state.

Class 4A Regional III Wrestling Championships

At Thomas Jefferson High School

Team scores-1, Tahoma 303.5; 2, South Kitsap 141.5; 3, Auburn 122.5; 4, Shelton 94.5; 5, Kentwood 85; 6, Kentlake 56; 7, Central Kitsap 55; 8, Olympia 41; 9, Gig Harbor 39; 10, Thomas Jefferson 38; 11, Kent-Meridian 36.5; 12, Auburn Riverside 34; 13, Bellarmine Prep 33; Kentridge 32; 15, Mount Tahoma 16; 16, Mount Rainier 13.5.

(Championship round) 106—Brian Alonzo (AUB) d. Kolby Fenton (SK) 9-4. 113—Tim Whitehead (TAH) p. Ty McCullough (SHEL) 5:28. 120—Cruz Velasquez (TAH) d. Warren Sprecher (CK) 12-1. 126—Steve Hopkins (TAH) d. Jesse Vaughan (TAH) 10-2. 132—Gabe Boynay (TAH) wins by injury default. 138—Colton Marlowe (KLA) d. Kyle Iverson (GH) 6-4. 145—Tanner Mjelde (TAH) d. Sean Farr (KLAK) 5-3. 152—Tilden Sansom (AUB) wins by injury default. 160—Jonathan Ohaski (KW) d. Seth Mizoguchi (AUB) 10-6. 170—Thomas Kemp (KM) d. Garrett Autrey (TAH) 2-1. 182—Austin Perry (TAH) p. James West (AUB) 3:37. 195—KW Williams (TJ) d. Matt Hopkins (TAH) 6-4. 220—Eddie Meisner (SK) p. Matthew Herrick (KW) 4:55. 285—Kyle Lanoue (CK) d. Ed Torres (TAH) 7-2.

(Third/fourth place) 106—Kenny Hobbs (KRID) d. Todd Link (TAH) 6-3. 113—Michael Roybal (TJ) d. Sam Schuessler (TAH) 13-11. 120—Kevin Bishop (MTRN) d. Joel Sherman (SK) 6-2. 126—Dalton Meyers (KW) d. Tyson Gaillac (AUB) 3-1. 132—Adam Coffman (SHEL) p. Jamiel Jackson (KW) :51. 138—Joshua Smith (KM) d. Malachi Conklin (SHEL) 9-4. 145—Jacob Spadoni (GH) p. Nate Mead (AURI) 4:02. 152—Bryce Broome (SK) wins by injury default. 160—Chris Bailey (KRID) d. Taylor Ladenburg (BP) 5-3. 170—Colby Barber (SHEL) d. Stephen Heinze (AUB) 18-6. 182—Johnathan Dennis (SHEL) wins by injury default. 195—Tanner Hartsoch (OLY) p. Daniel Muttillo (SK) 1:30. 220—Aaron Davis (TAH) p. Jon Devine (MT) :51. 285—Connor Wilmovsky (OLY) d. Larkin Williams (AURI) 6-3.

(Fifth/sixth place) 106—Conor Berlin (KW) d. Ian Franz (BP) 17-3. 113—Josh Criollos (CK) d. Jesse Grice (SK) 11-2. 120—Blake Hoyle (TAH) p. Kevin Tran (OLY) 3:13. 126—Jakeob Garrick (SHEL) p. Sean Lutovsky (SK) :24. 132—Ben Delacy (SK) d. Eduard Yakimchuk (AURI) 7-2. 138—Keaton Dalfrey (AURI) p. Brenden Hartshorn (SK) 3:00. 145—Cody Rose (SK) d. Kurtis Koemmpel (CK) 7-0. 152—Daniel Couch (KRID) d. Louis Catiller (BP) 5-1. 160—Ben Small (GH) d. Sam Skinner (SK) 5-2. 170—Brandon Kebba (BP) p. Josh Boekelman (KW) :50. 182—Jon Yarbrough (KLAK) wins by injury default. 195—Raymond Paz (KW) d. Jake Villars (SK) 7-4. 220—Tyler Deskins (KLAK) d. Joey Gillies (MT) 6-4. 285—Damien Medeiros (SK) d. Ben Anderson (SK) 3-0.