Oak Harbor places 2nd in 17-team Morin Tournament / Boys wrestling

Published 1:30 am Monday, December 17, 2018

Seven of the 11 athletes Oak Harbor entered in the Graham Morin Invitational Boys Wrestling Tournament Saturday, Dec. 15, at Bellingham’s Squalicum High School placed in the top 3 to help the Wildcats finish second among 17 teams.

Oak Harbor captured second with 149 points despite not filling three weight classes. Marysville-Pilchuck collected the team title with 195 points.

The Wildcat attack was led by Michael Fisken, who recorded several upsets to finish first in a talent-rich heavyweight division.

Jamal Graham (120 pounds), Caleb Fitzgerald (132) and Blake McBride (145) placed second; and Cole Valdez (106), Jakob Dailey (126) and Thibault Simorato (138) took third.

Fisken, ranked fifth among 3A heavyweight wrestlers by the Washington Wrestling Report, opened the tournament with a first-round (1:32) fall over Todd Beamer’s Alhassane Bangoura. He then pinned Bellingham’s Butch Mullins, ranked seventh in 2A, in 2:26.

The Oak Harbor senior pinned 3A’s fourth-ranked Jeff Roullier of Marysville-Pilchuck at the 5:15 mark in the semifinals.

Fisken completed his title run by taking down top-ranked Dominick Mack of Squalicum 5-1.

In other title matches, Graham was edged 2-1 by Decatur’s Ian McLean; Fitzgerald suffered a third-round fall to Stanwood’s Isaac Ortega; and McBride lost 3-1 to M-P’s Isaiah Galindo in overtime.

Oak Harbor returns to Squalicum for the eight-team Storm Duals at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18.

Oak Harbor results at the Morin Tournament

106, Cole Valdez (third place): bye; lost 9-3; bye; won by fall, 2:39; won by fall, 2:20.

120, Jamal Graham (second): won by fall, 1:01; won 6-2; won 9-8; lost 2-1.

126, Jakob Dailey (third): won by fall, 2:30; won by fall, :53; lost 3-1; won 13-7.

132, Caleb Fitzgerald (second): bye; won by fall, 3:04; won 8-4; lost by fall, 5:20.

138, Thibault Simorato (third): won by fall, :35; won by fall, 2:56; lost by fall, 1:46; won 17-3.

145, Blake McBride (second): won by fall, 1:06; won by fall, :40; won by fall, 5:20; lost 3-1 in overtime.

152, Jeremiah Dailey: lost by fall, 1:34; bye; won by fall, 3:50; lost by fall, 2:21.

160, Noah Hangan: lost 3-2, lost 6-3.

170, Brandon Liberty: lost 15-0; bye; lost 9-0.

285, Michael Fisken (first): won by fall, 1:32; won by fall, 2:26; won by fall, 5:15; won 5-1.