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  • 2013 4A State Champions
  • 9 Time State Champions
  • 2013 Wesco North Champions
  • 2013 Regional Champions
  • 34 Individual State Champions
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2012-13 Lake Stevens Wrestling Team
The King is Back





2013 State Champions
2011 State Champions
2009 State Champions
2008 State Champions
2007 State Champions
2004 State Champions
2001 State Champions
2000 State Champions
1990 State Champions




2012-2013 Season

Season Record: 15-3
League Record: 4-0

4A State Champions
Regional Champions
District Champions

League Champions
CK Matman Champions
Tri-State 4th
 
Seniors:
 
138lbs Jesse Peterson, State runner-up, 5th
138lbs Keenan Thomas *
145lbs Eric Soler, 2X State Champion, 4th, 5th *
145lbs Jack LeBlanc *
152lbs Bryan Eason *
160lbs Blake Sander, 7th **
195lbs Anthoney Thees *
220lbs Shaquille Reed, 4th
285lbs Brandon Johnson, State Champion, State runner-up
 
*denotes 3.5 gpa **denotes 4.0 gpa
 



Wrestlers with a 3.5 GPA or Above

2012-2013
106lbs Michael Soler, FR
120lbs Jake Douglas, FR
138lbs Keenan Thomas, SR
145lbs Eric Soler, SR
145lbs Jack LeBlanc, SR
152lb Bryon Eason, SR
160lb Blake Sanders, SR (4.0 gpa)
170lbs Cody Vigoren, SO
195lbs Anthony Thees, SR


 

Lake Stevens win 9th 4A State Championship
February 16, 2013


2013 4A State Champions

Lake Stevens wins 4A state wrestling title

Vikings win team title, Soler brothers and Johnson are individual state champs

 
 

TACOMA -- Wrestling is an individual sport. At its heart, it is one competitor against another alone on the mat and supposedly nothing else outside the ring matters.

Don't tell that to the Lake Stevens Wrestling team.

Saturday at Mat Classic XXV, the Vikings captured their fifth 4A state crown in seven seasons, besting defending champion Tahoma by a wide margin 162-120. Edmonds-Woodway was the next best local team in ninth place with 52 points. The Vikings will tell you they could never do it on their own.

"It is a team because you can't get better by yourself." Lake Stevens coach Brent Barnes said. "You can't do it alone. That's why these kids are good because they have each other."

The Vikings had three individual champions and were the only local team with even three finalists. Heavyweight Brandon Johnson's win in the 4A title bout capped the tournament.

"It's huge," Johnson said. "Individual state title is great, but a team state title where everybody worked and contributed to it? That's awesome. Nothing like it."

If any one of the Vikings had reason to take more pride in his individual performance it was Johnson. A year ago as a junior on the same stage he led Central Kitsap's Kyle Lanoue 1-0 and nearly pinned the senior, but an escape sent the match to overtime where Johnson gave up a near fall and lost.

"When you come so close to something you want real bad and you don't quite make the cut it pushes you 10 times harder than before," Johnson said. "As soon as I stepped off the mat here I went into training again."

Johnson hasn't lost a high school bout since, which is a first at the 285-pound class according to Barnes.

"For him to do that on our schedule is pretty phenomenal," Barnes said. "He's a good heavyweight."

He was good enough to lift Barnes up off the mat and embrace the long-time coach after what seemed like a parade in the form of a 7-3 decision against South Kitsap's Damien Medeiros who Johnson had beaten twice previously including last weeks regional tournament.

"He's a great kid and he works really hard," Barnes said. "He's put a lot of time in the sport. He's been a good leader for us and he's big. He's a huge human being."

Barnes said it was the first time a wrestler has picked him up. Saturday was also the first time that Barnes coached brothers both to state titles -- Michael and Eric Soler.

Michael, a freshman, won at 106 pounds, and Eric, a senior, won at 145 pounds.

Michael Soler, wrestling in his first Mat Classic opened, the championship round with a relatively easy 8-3 decision over Moses Lake's Trey Long. He wasn't sure how it would feel after watching his older brother get his first title last year as a junior.

"It was incredible," Michael said. "I've never felt this proud. It all paid off. It's more of a relief I think actually."
He said that he felt pressure during the regular season, but was able to escape the pressure at the Tacoma Dome.

"I really felt it earlier in the season," he said. "But I just kind of took it off myself and went out there and wrestled."

The younger Soler was the tip of the spear of the freshman class that played a big part in the state crown and, according to Barnes, made this one of the unique teams that he's coached.

"It's just a good mix of old and young," Barnes said of the four freshman and six seniors in his 14 state qualifiers. "Kids that get along and care about each other. It's pretty awesome."

One of the hardest fought individual wins came from Eric Soler at 145 pounds. He went up against another defending state titleist in the final. Ian Steen of Graham Kapowsin took a 2-0 edge after the second period and Soler earned an escape point in the third. With 12.7 seconds to go in the match, he got a timely reversal for a 3-2 lead.

His strategy was simple.

"Stay in the match and then when it's time to go just go," Eric Soler said.

He went 1-1 against Steen during the regular season and used experience to his advantage. Over his career he's also come back from injuries including an ACL tear, a sprained MCL and torn meniscus.

"I don't know if I've coached as good a competitor as Eric," Barnes said. "He seems to have a flair for the dramatic. He finds a way and you have to be pretty special to find a way to get the job done."

The Vikings briefly talked of going for the 4A record for points set by Tahoma last year (190), but ended up not having enough wins.

Still, the team was proud of the overall victory.

"It means a lot, especially as a captain I'm responsible," Eric Soler said. "I feel like I didn't do my job last year when we took fifth. We just weren't where we wanted to be. People were getting in trouble and a couple kids didn't make weight. That was kind of on me because I was really looking after everyone."

Freshman AJ Crew was runnerup to Michael Soler in the district 1 tourney but, his hopes of a rematch in the finals in Tacoma were dashed when he lost a 7-2 decision in the semifinals. He finished with a close 4-2 loss to Eastmont's Fabian Wickham to take fourth.

At 120 pounds, freshman Jake Douglas was pinned in the semifinals by Tahoma senior Tim Whitehead. He won one more match, but dropped a 4-2 decision to take home fourth place. At 138 pounds, senior Jesse Peterson lost to finalist Joshua Smith of Kent-Meridian in the second round, but rallied to take fifth place with a pin. Blake Sander took home seventh place at 160 pounds with a 5-3 OT win.

Sophomore Cody Vigoren made the semifinals at 170 pounds, but was thrown back by Chandler Rogers of Mead who pinned him Saturday morning. He won a 4-2 decision to advance to the third place final, but dropped a 3-2 decision and took fourth place.

Shaq Reed had never wrestled until his sophomore year and was just a participant in the Mat Classic last year. This year he breezed into the semifinals but ran into Wenatchee's Kyle Lesmeister and dropped a 4-2 decision. He won his first consolation bout 6-1 but was pinned by Skyline's Sean Mcalhaney.

 
 
 

 


2013 4A State Champions
Michael Soler 106lbs
Brandon Johnson 285lbs
Eric Soler 145lbs

Finals Video

 

2013 4A State Placers

Champions:
106lbs Michael Soler
145lbs Eric Soler
285lbs Brandon Johnson

4th Place Finish:
106lbs AJ Crew
120lbs Jake Douglas
170lbs Cody Vigoren
220lbs Shaq Reed

5th Place Finish:
138lbs Jesse Peterson

7th Place Finish:
Blake Sander

Lake Stevens reclaims team championship | 4A Wrestling

Brothers Eric and Michael Soler each won titles as the Vikings, fifth at state last season, captured the school's ninth state wrestling crown.

Seattle Times staff reporter

 
TACOMA — Eric Soler takes things personally.

As a team captain, he blamed himself when Lake Stevens didn't win the Class 4A state wrestling championship last season — even though he contributed an individual title. The Vikings were fifth and missed taking home a trophy.

"I felt like I didn't do my job," Soler said.

So it was extra satisfying Saturday at Mat Classic XXV at the Tacoma Dome when Soler not only became a two-time champion, but helped the Vikings return to the top in dominating fashion. They scored 162 points — second most in school history — to easily outdistance runner-up Tahoma (120).

And it was extra special, too, because Michael Soler, Eric's freshman brother, also finished first at 106.

"I was more nervous for him than I was for me," Eric said.

Although it was Eric's match at 145 that was the nail-biter. He trailed Graham-Kapowsin's Ian Steen, another returning champion, 2-1 before pulling a reversal in the final seconds.

It was all according to plan, according to Soler, who has battled a variety of injuries this season.

"Lately, my conditioning hasn't been very good, so I kind of wait 'til the end and then, bam, make my move," he said.

Soler is among a handful of Lake Stevens wrestlers who have earned four state medals. His two firsts follow a fourth and fifth.

"He's one of the best competitors I've ever coached," Vikings coach Brent Barnes said. "When he steps into the circle, he's going to find a way."

As usual, Brandon Johnson found a way, too, capping an unbeaten season for Lake Stevens by winning the 285-pound crown after placing second last year. He celebrated by hoisting Barnes in the air.

The Vikings now own nine team titles, including five of the past seven. They came in with a tournament-best 14 wrestlers and went out with nine medalists, including the three champions.

 


 

State Championship Photos

 

Day One Photos

Day 2 Photos

Day 2 Finals Photos

Brandon Final and award Photos
 
 

February 15, 2013

The Soler brothers go for the double
Hearld Article


You've heard of Eric Soler -- at least you should have.

The Lake Stevens senior was a 4A individual state champion last year and is a three-time state placer. He also made an appearance in the award-winning documentary "On the Mat" about Lake Stevens' wrestling team. In his final season, he is ranked No. 1 entering Matt Classic XXV and will be a favorite to collect his second individual crown Saturday.

However, you might not have heard yet of his brother, Michael. Chances are that's going to change.

Michael Soler is a freshman, wrestling as a lightweight, is ranked No. 3 in his class and has a chance to join his brother atop the podium at the state tournament. His regional championship wasn't much of a surprise and he is undefeated this year against in-state competition. The younger Soler also is ready for the spotlight.

"It feels good to kind of follow in his footsteps," Michael said of his brother. "All my hard work is finally paying off. I've been wrestling since I was four years old. It's kind of rewarding now ... I want to see how I do on a bigger scale."

Michael was in Tacoma a year ago to watch Eric win, so the amazing spectacle that is Mat Classic will not likely intimidate him.

-- Jon Saperstein

Can Lake Stevens get back to normal?

With his team winning four 4A state titles in the past six years, it takes a lot to get Lake Stevens coach Brent Barnes really fired up.

But his Vikings did just that at the 4A regional tournament last Saturday, collecting seven individual crowns and advancing 14 wrestlers to the state tournament. Barnes doesn't track the numbers every year, but this year's team already is special.

"That's got to be up there," Barnes said when asked how the size of his state tournament contingent compares to past years. "I don't know. I don't really keep track of that kind of stuff, but it's a great number of kids and a great number of champions."

Then he noted he was "pretty excited."

Lake Stevens has multiple wrestlers favored to win individual crowns and will be the favorite to take a fifth team title in seven years.

"I feel like we get ready pretty well in our room to make sure that at this time of the season we try and peak," senior heavyweight Brandon Johnosn said. "So we plan it out that way ... at least our coaches keep saying we plan it out that way. It's been working. I'm excited for state and what's to come."

-- Jon Saperstein

 

 
Lake Stevens wrestling dominates the mat at 4A regionals
February 9, 2013

2013 Regional Team Champions

SNOHOMISH -- During the first bout of Saturday's championship round of the 4A Region 1 wrestling tournament, Lake Stevens wrestling coach Brent Barnes kicked back and relaxed, sitting in the coach's corner of the center mat of three covering the gym floor at Snohomish High School.

Barnes got to pick which coach's corner he sat in for this one because the Vikings placed both wrestlers in the 106-pound final. Not only that but Lake Stevens already had amassed enough points to win the team crown -- the Vikings' 239.5 points entering the finals was more than second-place Yelm (182.5) finished with at the end of the night.

The Vikings (284.5) used seven individual championships to put distance between themselves and Yelm, which moved up from 3A a year ago, and league-rival Snohomish (117 points) in third place.

The seven champs came from nine finalists, including freshman AJ Crew, who lost to teammate and classmate Michael Soler 6-1 in the lightweight bout.

Barnes, whose Vikings have won four of the past six 4A state team titles, emphasized the value of earning No. 1 seeds heading into the Mat Classic XXV next Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome. Fourteen Vikings finished in the top four at Saturday's region meet and will wrestle at state next week.

"You want to come out of here with No. 1s going into next week because No. 1s wrestle fours and that's huge," Barnes said. "We took care of our business this weekend."

It was a far cry from a year ago when Lake Stevens finished a disappointing -- by Vikings standards -- fifth place in the state and lost to Snohomish in the district tournament. Barnes joked that the difference was, "Our kids made weight," referencing two key wrestlers not qualifying to participate in regionals last year. He attributed this year's success to the balance between senior leadership and upstart freshman.

"We have this group of four freshman that have qualified for state," Barnes said. "That's incredible with two champions.

"You don't expect freshman to have that big of an impact."

Michael Soler will be one of the several local favorites to make the finals next week after just losing twice this year, both to out-of-state opponents. He's excited about the chance to be atop the podium again, but more so about the team crown. He wants to face Crew in the final again.

"It'd be awesome," said Soler, whose older brother Eric won the 145-pound crown and will be going for back-to-back individual titles in Tacoma. "It'd help the team out a lot. That's our real goal, the team title."

Heavyweight Brandon Johnson bookended the Viking parade, capturing his second regional crown with a 5-3 decision.

Herald Article

 

Regional Champions:
106lbs Michael Soler
120lbs Jake Douglas
138lbs Jesse Peterson
145lbs Eric Soler
170lbs Cody Vigoren
220lbs Shaq Reed
285lbs Brandon Johnson

2nd Place Finish:
106lbs AJ Crew
160lbs Logan Johnson

3rd Place Finish:
113lbs Alex Rodorigo
126lbs Wyatt Bell
160lbs Blake Sander 

4th Place Finish: 
113lbs Ruben Crew
195lbs Anthony Thees

Seattle Times Article

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Lake Stevens takes back district title
February 2, 2013

Everett Herald Article

 

A season after Snohomish snapped its 13-year run as district champions, normal service resumed for the Lake Stevens wrestling team at the 4A Northwest District Tournament held at Snohomish High School on Saturday.

Eight Vikings earned individual championships and 18 wrestlers from Lake Stevens qualified for next week's regional tournament, which will also be held at Snohomish High School. Accordingly, the Vikings took top team honors with 476.5 points, 164.5 points ahead of second-place Snohomish.

"Last year Snohomish was so deep and we wanted to emulate that, to improve our depth, and it helped today," said Lake Stevens head coach Brent Barnes. "(We got) our young kids to stick through the season to make sure we could fill two complete lineups."

That depth was evident as Lake Stevens had at least one wrestler finish in the top 5 of every weight class except for 132 pounds.

With several strong performances to choose from, including first-place finishers Jesse Peterson (138) and Cody Vigoren (170), Barnes singled out Logan Johnson at 160 pounds. Johnson pinned Lynnwood's Hunter Lord in 4 minutes, 25 seconds in the final.

"Logan Johnson did a great job against a state-placer in Hunter Lord," said Barnes. "It was pretty exciting and one of the highlights of the night for us."       

District Champions:
106lbs Michael Soler
120lbs Jake Douglas
138lbs Jesse Peterson
145lbs Eric Soler
160lbs Logan Johnson
170lbs Cody Vigoren
220lbs Shaq Reed
285lbs Brandon Johnson

2nd Place Finish:
106lbs AJ Crew
113lbs Alex Rodorigo

3rd Place Finish:
126lbs Wyatt Bell
138lbs Keenan Thomas
152lbs Bryan Eason
160lbs Blake Sander
195lbs Anthony Thees

4th Place Finish:
113lbs Ruben Crew
182lbs Mason Beaver 

5th Place Finish
220lbs Michael Oberholtzer

District Championships Day 1
February 1, 2013

Michael Soler with the Fall

Team Scores: Lake Stevens (LS) 198.5, Snohomish (S) 154, Cascade (C) 105.5, Arlington (A) 94.5, Edmonds-Woodway (EW) 94.0, Kamiak (K) 83.0, Mariner (Mar) 70.0, Mount Vernon (MV) 62.0, Lynnwood (L) 52.5, Jackson (J) 37.5, Monroe (Mon) 35.0.

Saturday's semifinal matches

106--Michael Soler (LS) vs. Wyatt Butler (S), Jeremy Nygard (A) vs. A.J. Crew (LS); 113--Noah Cuzetto (EW) vs. Ruben Crew (LS), Alex Rodorigo (LS) vs. Josh Heitzman (K); 120--Jake Douglas (LS) vs. Adrian Gutierrez (MV), Noah Bomar (S) vs. Luis Reyna (MV); 126--Gino Obregon (C) vs. Ramon Ozuna (Mar), Keaton Mills (S) vs. Wyatt Larsen (C) 132--Rafael Ibarra (MV) vs. Bryce Thomas (A), Matt Calkins (L) vs. Nathan Vulliet (EW); 138--Jesse Peterson (LS) vs. Alex Reeves (C), Conner Gonzales (A) vs. Greg Eagle (S); 145--Eric Soler (LS) vs. Juan Garcia (C), Noah Johnson (C) vs. Scotty Bardell (A); 152--Tanner Perry (S) vs. Mike McDonnell (K), Bryon Eason (LS) vs. Jacob Proffit (S); 160--Hunter Lord (L) vs. DeShaun Washington (EW), Blake Sander (LS) vs. Logan Johnson (LS); 170--Cody Vigoren (LS) vs. Kodiak Landis (S), Marq Brown (EW) vs. Tyler Webley (K); 182--Jake Ferro (A) vs. Mason Beaver (LS), Justin Kearney (S) vs. Kyle Sullivan (K); 195--Tristan Baus (S) vs. Daniel Huynh (Mar), Hector Morrell Jr. (J) vs. Peder Morrill (S); 220--Shaq Reed (LS) vs. Manuel Vazquez (L), Blake Carrico (C) vs. Alex Fairhurst (S); 285--Brandon Johnson (LS) vs. Francisco Flores (Mar), Sam Calabrese (C) vs. George Johanson (EW).
 

 

 


 




The secret of Lake Stevens' wrestling success
Lake Stevens Wrestling

State Champions:
1990, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013

Regional Champions:
1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013

District Champions:
1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013

League Champions:
1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013

Tri-State Champions:
1998, 1999, 2003, 2008 and 2009

Dream Duals Champions:
1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2005

Academic State Champions:
2005


The Lake Stevens Wrestling team has complied an impressive list of accomplishments during its history. Most notably, in recent years, the team has won Eight state titles: 1990, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
Under coach Brent Barnes, the team had not lost a WESCO league match in 18 years, last losing during the 1993 season. Originally, this feat was nicknamed the Decade of Dominance, Until the team surpassed ten years of unbeaten league matches. However, In the 2007-2008 season, the streak ended with their 1st loss in 18 years. Lake Stevens Wrestling did go on to win the state championship that same year.

(This site has no association with the school or school district)


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