by Camilo Illanes ‘22

Sherwood Wrestlers That Placed at Regionals

On February 24, as the 4A North regional wrestling tournament was winding down, Sherwood looked to cheer on junior Jace Munoz who was competing in the 113 weight division finals, and sophomore Vasili Siarkas, who was competing in the 138 weight division finals. The two wrestlers came through for their teammates in attendance, with each winning first place and qualifying for the State tournament. 

In the 113 final, Munoz started off the 1st period hot as he took an early lead taking down his opponent from neutral to gain 2 points. By the beginning of the second period Munoz took a 7-3 lead. Continuing to dominate, Munoz earned 2 more takedowns, and a reversal, earning him another 5 points giving him a 12-3 lead after 2 periods. All it took in the final period was good defense from Munoz to become the 4A North regional champion of the 113 weight division. 

In Siarkas’s 138 weight division final, he took a crucial 2-0 lead with a takedown to round out the first period. He chose to start in a defensive position during the second and got a reversal earning him another point. Protecting a 3-0 lead in the middle of the second period, Siarkas stayed aggressive and earned another takedown, extending his lead to 5-0. At the start of the third period Siarkas earned a pin to seal the win, and become the 4A North regional champion of the 138 weight division. 

The team also received solid results from senior Grant Wicks, junior Sam Dickey, and junior Humza Azim, each earning third place at regionals. 

“Well I recorded a good overall record this season, the goal is always to get first. Unfortunately, I could not make that happen this year, but I will be working my hardest this offseason so that next year I can win the title,” Dickey claimed. 

A crucial factor of Sherwood’s success at regionals was the momentum that they had building up to the tournament. Sherwood wrestlers were able to gain this momentum in the final team event of the year, as they were the regional finalist in the State dual tournament. This was the last team event of the season, and from here on out, wrestlers would be competing individually. 

“Wrapping up our regular season with the team as finalist, gave us all the confidence we needed to do well individually in the county and regional tournaments,” Wicks recounted.