The Vashon Pirate wrestlers took on six opponents in dual meet action last week, winning four and dropping two.

The team traveled to Lake Stevens High School to take on 3A Decatur High School and 4A Graham Kapowsin on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Empty weight classes and injuries continued to plague the Pirates and led to the double defeat.  In matches that were wrestled, the Pirates fared well with Chase Wickman, Logan Nelson, Hunter Burger and Bryce Hoisington all picking up wins.

Saturday, Dec. 13, found the team in Port Townsend facing Montesano, Kingston, Klahowya and the host school.  Against stiff competition from these 1A schools, Vashon won all four meets.

Freshman Luke Larson had a great day, winning all four of his matches by fall. Preston Petersen won two, lost one and had a bye. Freshman Ellis Petersen, on loan to Kingston for the day, wrestled well. Shane Williams went 3-1 on the day. Junior Chase Wickman stayed on track, winning three and having a bye. Hunter Burger won three and had a bye. Alyx Arteaga won one varsity match, as well as a JV bout. Cori Williams won a match. Chester Pruett saw his first action of the season, losing his first match, shaking off the rust and winning the next two. Junior Hunter Stanley had a great day, going 3-1 in close action. Franklin Easton was 2-2. Joe Coller, in the 285-pound weight class, had only one match and won by fall in the first round. First-year wrestler Eli Hudson gained valuable experience. Freshman Ben Angelacos was loaned to Montesano for the meet and saw plenty of mat time.

Junior Logan Nelson continued his torrid pace, winning five matches last week and getting a match-of-the-day nod for his Saturday brawl, with the number-one ranked grappler from Montesano, Kyler Prante. It was tight throughout, with Nelson holding on for the 3-1 victory.

In unwelcome news, Bryce Hoisington, who had also been off to a rocket start for the season, won three matches on Saturday before injury defaulting in his fourth. After being carried from the mat, he is reported to be out for a while with a fracture in his fibula.

Coach Anders Blomgren is pleased with the team’s start to the season and commended some of the wrestlers individually.

“We demonstrated toughness, focus and grit … responding well from our losses on Wednesday. We have many highlights, obviously Chase and Logan’s wins … but one thing that really drives all of us is the relentless belief and grinding attitude of Bryce.  Franklin also is making great strides and is a force to be reckoned with,” he said.

Several members of the team will be heading to the prestigious Tri-State Tournament in Couer d’Alene, Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

In other wrestling news, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) recently announced that its athletes of the week included islander Logan Nelson.

Each week throughout the school year, the  WIAA recognizes 12 varsity athletes — a male and a female from each of the six classifications — who exhibited an outstanding performance for the previous week.

Nelson, a junior, was nominated by a community member and selected by WIAA staff as one of the Athletes of the Week for achievements in wrestling.

Nelson started off the year with five straight pins, taking first at the Auburn Invite on Dec. 6 and helping the Pirates beat Elma 48-18 the night before.

— Cheryl Pruett is the  mother of a Pirate wrestler.