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.