Marysville wrestlers return to action

After spending the holiday break on the shelf due to COVID protocols, wrestlers in Marysville returned to action Jan. 6.

Marysville Pilchuck’s boys wrestling team and the girls from both Marysville Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell grappled with Oak Harbor on Jan. 6 at Marysville Pilchuck High School.

The Tomahawk boys team lost to the Wildcats 45-27, while the Marysville girls teams, which compete together, won 54-30.

“We wrestled hard. It didn’t go our way,” Marysville Pilchuck boys wrestling coach Marcus Haughian said.

He complimented the efforts of Andon Merrick, who wrestled at 152 pounds, and Jaelin Pirone, who wrestled at heavyweight.

“Both of our senior captains wrestled how they were supposed to and won the matches they were in,” Haughian said.

Merrick pinned Oak Harbor’s Jeremy Lujan in the second period and Pirone needed a takedown in an overtime period to win 4-2 over Oak Harbor’s Michael McGuffey.

Sophomore Malakai Childress (126 pounds), freshman Joseph Davis (145 pounds) and sophomore Drew Pirone (220 pounds) won via pin against their opponents from Oak Harbor.

The Jan. 6 match against Oak Harbor was one of the first duals for the Marysville girls wrestling team, said Andie White, who coaches girls from both Marysville Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell.

“It was good energy having the boys and girls wrestling at the same time,” White said. A similar match took place in December against Cascade.

She said Juju Kilroy, wrestling at 135 pounds, won via pin. Alivia White, wrestling at 190 pounds, had a pin, as well as Stephanie Corro, who was wrestling at 140 pounds. Junior Payten Humbyrd, wrestling junior varsity at 145 pounds, wrestled her first match and got a victory.

The girls wrestling team has 23 wrestlers from the two high schools. White said the team is young, but a couple of wrestlers could compete in the postseason.

The Jan. 6 match was the first match since wrestling programs in the region were paused due to a COVID outbreak that was tied to several wrestling tournaments that took place in early December. Eighty confirmed COVID cases in Snohomish County were tied to those tournaments.

Haughian said it’s been tough battling COVID and the weather that caused cancellations of more events in late-December. The wrestling programs were paused for 10 days due to COVID protocols and an additional four days due to the snow.

The cancellations for wrestling continued in January. The Jan. 3 wrestling match between Marysville Getchell and Marysville Pilchuck has been postponed. Ferndale was supposed to participate in the Jan. 6 match at Marysville Pilchuck, however they couldn’t attend due to snow in Whatcom County.

For the Marysville girls, they had the entire winter break off, White said.

Two wrestling tournaments, one boys tournament and one girls tournament, are scheduled to take place Jan. 14 and Jan. 15.

The Marysville Ladies Premier Dual Tournament takes place Jan. 14 at Marysville Pilchuck High School. The tournament features eight teams.

Then, on Jan. 15, the Marysville Premier Wrestling Tournament, takes place at Marysville Pilchuck High School.

“We host a bunch of good teams,” Haughian said.