Lena Puz brings home second place at major regional meet

The VHS wrestling teams are picking up speed and wins.

By Stephen Murphy and Anders Blomgren For The Beachcomber • January 15, 2025 11:30 am

The fruits of hard work and effort by the Vashon wrestling teams since last month’s Rock Wrestling Tournament were on display in Rainier and Kelso this past weekend.

Six of Vashon’s girl wrestlers competed at the “Braided 64” tournament in Kelso — a nearly two-decade-old, two-day meet and one of the largest girls high school competitions in the nation — along with a thousand other competitors.

The Vashon wrestlers wrestled hard and represented Vashon High School (VHS) well, stepping into the ring with dozens of the best wrestlers in the PNW. Junior Lena Puz brought home a second place victory in her division, winning her way to the championship match against senior Josephine Ives of Bellevue.

Meanwhile, the boys team took 15 wrestlers to Rainier for the Sgt. Justin Norton Memorial tournament. Junior Will Henley placed third, finishing with two straight pins, junior Taevin Gilbert finished on a high note placing fifth, and junior Oliver Pinckney took sixth after winning two tough matches on his way to the semifinals.

Freshman Mathew Nemitz earned his first varsity win, while sophomore Jacob Lawrence and senior Jair Valle won a couple matches and battled tough through their losses.

Both the girls and boys teams are growing and getting better with each competition. With ongoing effort and discipline put into practice, they’ll continue doing so. This weekend, the girls are heading south again — this time to Lacy for the River Ridge Rumble Tournament.

Stephen Murphy is an assistant wrestling coach at VHS. Anders Blomgren is a head wrestling coach at VHS.