Storylines to keep an eye on this weekend at Mat Classic 37 | Prep wrestling

Soon the floor of the Tacoma Dome will be covered by wrestling mats as thousands of wrestlers from around the state – and Hermiston, Oregon – will descend on Tacoma for Mat Classic 37.

Schools from around the region will compete for team and individual titles, trying to top the 15 champions from last year.

With all of that action going on at one time in one place, here are some of the storylines to keep an eye on during the event.

4A team title tossup

The biggest surprise of the year in the Greater Spokane League was the rise of Gonzaga Prep from a team that finished 4-5 in league last year to one that could compete for the 4A boys team title Friday night.

Fueling that turnaround for the Bullpups has been the addition of a stellar freshman class.

Miro Parr-Coffin (106 pounds), Karver Peasley (106), Ryder Owen (120) and Austin Schield (138) have been outstanding in duel and tournament settings in their first seasons at Gonzaga Prep.

Parr-Coffin and Peasley have been drawn into the same half of their bracket, meaning they could meet in the semifinals.

Adding that group to seniors Izzy Acosta and Brock Gustaveson – both of whom are two-time Mat Classic champions – gives the Bullpups one of the strongest lineups in 4A.

The question will be if that top-end success can generate enough wins and bonus points to overcome a lower number of qualified wrestlers (13).

Also looking to claim the 4A crown will be Mead – which won three straight titles from 2022-24 before finishing second last year – and Tahoma, the reigning 4A champions.

The Panthers qualified 16 wrestlers for Mat Classic, including five champions at the District 6 tournament. Tahoma will send 20 wrestlers to the Tacoma Dome.

Washington Wrestling Network (WWN) has Tahoma ranked No. 1, followed by Gonzaga Prep and Mead. Wrestlers from the three schools occupy the top spot in the rankings at eight of 14 weights.

Quintanilla quartet

University senior Czar Quintanilla will look to become just the third GSL wrestler to become a four-time champion, joining former teammate Libby Roberts (2022-25) and his older brother and North Central standout Clai Quintanilla (2014-17).

Quintanilla breezed to the District 6 3A title at 126 pounds and is the top-ranked wrestler at his weight. He is also ranked No. 3 in WWN’s pound-for-pound all-class rankings behind Toppenish’s Justyce Zuniga and Capital’s Lazarus McEwen.

Comeback kid

After missing all of last season with a torn ACL, Mt. Spokane’s Brendan Hughes is back to full strength and ready to make a run at his second Mat Classic title.

Hughes was the District 6 champ at 215 pounds, and is ranked No. 1 at the weight in 3A. He is also an honorable mention by WWN in the site’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Hughes won his first title two years ago as a sophomore after taking fourth his freshman year.

Bright future

Mead freshman Briella Portrey came to the Panthers program with an impressive junior wrestling resume. Now she will get her first chance to show what she’s got in the Tacoma Dome.

Portrey, who was fifth at preseason nationals, will look to be the next standout GSL girls wrestler after the graduation of Roberts from University last year.

She is ranked No. 1 at 110 pounds in 4A.

Cheney girls aim for podium finish

After an unbeaten run through the GSL duel schedule, the Cheney girls sent a message to the rest of the 3A schools with a fourth-place finish at last month’s team state duel tournament despite not being ranked in the top 10 by WWN.

The Blackhawks will send 13 to the state tournament, led by senior Jalisca Holmgren – the top-ranked wrestler in 3A at 125 pounds.

Defending champs back

Several champions will be back in the Dome to try and retain their titles this weekend. Led by Quintanilla’s quest for four, Acosta and Gustaveson will try and make it three straight (Acosta’s first came at Pullman, while Gustaveson’s two were at Davenport). Also back is two-time champion Kaysic Lundquist for Mead – who was third at districts.

Seeking their second titles are Riverside’s Bodey Schweiger and Almira/Coulee-Hartline’s Noah Butler.

Times and tickets

The 4A and 3A boys and girls tournaments will take place Thursday and Friday with finals slated to start at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The 2A, 1A, 2B/1B boys and 2A, 1A/2B/1B girls tournament will take place Friday morning and Saturday with finals scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Two-day tickets are $39 for general admission or $26 for students, seniors or military. One-day tickets are $23 and $16, respectively. Discounted tickets can only be purchased at the Tacoma Dome box office.