Oak Harbor wrestlers take down Ferndale

Dominating would probably be the best word to describe the Oak Harbor wrestling team’s first performance of the season.

The Wildcats nabbed first place at the Ferndale Take Down Tournament Saturday out scoring their opponents by a combined total of 175-26.

“I thought the kids looked good for their first outing,” head coach Brian Farmer said. “It was a good way to start the season.”

The tournament consisted of non-traditional wrestling, where competitors were awarded points for getting takedowns. One point was gained per takedown and a wrestler could gain up to a maximum of six points per match. The usual six minute time limit on a wrestling match was also non-existent.

Oak Harbor competed against five other schools from around the region, outscoring each by a substantial margin.

They overtook Ferndale by a score of 36-6, Vashon Island 31-11, Sehome 38-0, Anacortes 32-3 and South Whidbey 38-6 to become tournament champions.

Last year the Wildcats took third out of a larger pool of 15 teams who competed in the tournament.

“This year there were quite a few teams who were unable to make it up,” Farmer said.

Regardless of the number of teams participating, Farmer was pleased with what he saw in the tournament.

“We showed some really good takedown techniques,” he said.

Farmer didn’t want to single out any individuals as he thought the whole team turned in an outstanding effort.

“It was an overall exceptional performance by all our wrestlers,” he said.

The Wildcats will have their first regular season meet tommorow, Dec. 5, at home against Jackson. The J.V. will begin at 6 p.m. with the varsity at 7:30 p.m.

“With the middle weights they’re pretty tough, so it should be a good contest because that’s where we’re strong right now too,” Farmer said. “The tests will keep on coming and we expect the competition to be fierce.”

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