Middle school youth have returned to the wrestling mats in a big way this February.

The first middle school wresting event in two years was held last week, and 18 Port Townsend and Chimacum wrestlers traveled to Sequim to participate.

For most of the grapplers — 89 percent of the team, to be exact — the meet marked their first match ever.

But at the end of the night, the Port Townsend-Chimacum team compiled a winning record of 22-14, with 14 wins coming by pin.

All the PT-Chimacum athletes competed in two matches.

Eighth-graders winning both matches were Carver Roberts, Manasah Lanphear Ramirez, and Grady White.

Seventh-grader Silas Klontz also won both matches, along with sixth-graders 

Luke O’Hara, Samuel Fox, and Chase Gardner.

“The intensity of this group is amazing,” noted Coach Ryan White. 

“We are now in our third week of a short eight-week season and these kids are doing what it takes to be successful in this sport,” White added. “They show up on time, work extremely hard, and really push themselves to improve in our room.”  

Registration for this program continues to be open for additional youth in grades six through eight who may be interested in trying this sport.

“There are at least three coaches at each practice. Last week we had five coaches at our meet in Sequim, and three high school wrestlers assisting the middle school athletes with positive feedback, motivation, and overall great support,” White said. 

“We have room for more kids and we especially encourage girls to come watch a practice to see if this sport would be a good fit for them. Wrestling truly is for everyone,” he said. 

“There are currently 26 kids registered for this sport, and seven are from outside the PT school district. Chimacum is sending six kids every day,” White added. “This is great for our program and I hope we can completely fill our practice room in future seasons.”

For registration information, contact Donna Benson at Blue Heron Middle School at 360-379-4540.