Joe Finch’s high school wrestling career ended one win shy of holding a state championship medal.
The Centralia High School senior exited the Tacoma Dome with a second-place medal at Mat Classic XXVIII, an incredible accomplishment which was made even more impressive following some insight from his coach.
“The amazing thing is Joe’s only been wrestling for four years,” said Tigers wrestling coach Scott Phillips. “Almost everyone at the state tournament started wrestling when they were really young. (Centralia sophomore) Mykka (McAllister) started when he was five. So, for Joe to do this in such a short amount of time is really something.”
Finch, one of three Centralia wrestlers to participate at the state tournament, was the runner-up in the Class 2A 182-pound division, dropping a 3-1 decision to Lindbergh junior Diego Gallegos in the championship match.
“We’ve had lots of kids come through that are really tough,” Phillips said. “Joe is toward the top. He’s just really solid.”
Finch, who also claimed the 2A Evergreen Conference title and was the Region 3 champion, capped his stellar senior season with a remarkable 41-3 record.
“I think there were some nerves for him in the finals, and he wasn’t able to get into his offense,” Phillips said. “He still had an incredible season. This was his only loss to a wrestler from Washington. His other two came against Idaho wrestlers.”
Unlike many of the other wrestlers who joined him on the podium to collect their state medals, Finch actually got into the sport later in life – making his run to the state championship match even more spectacular.
“I started wrestling in eighth grade. One of my coaches just saw potential in me and talked to me about turning out,” Finch said. “I came out, but I didn’t wrestle too much. I was actually self-conscious. I was afraid to wear a singlet. Once I got passed that I started to like it a lot.”
A state participant as a junior, Finch cruised to the semifinals by defeating Toppenish’s Salvador Osorio by majority decision, 12-1, in the first round and Washington’s Kitrell Willingham, 9-4, in the quarterfinals.
“Hard work pays off,” Finch said. “I put in a lot of work over the summer. I worked with (former state champion) Lucas Eastman and that helped out a lot.”
Finch beat Ellensburg senior Tait Stevenson, the third-ranked 182 pounder in the state, 6-4 in the semis to secure his place in the finals.
“He’s one of those rare kids that really listens well,” Phillips said. “He listens really well and does what you tell him to do. He is a good kid and gets good grades. He’s smart. And he’s athletic on top of that, which really helps.”
Finch was one of two Tigers to place as McAllister finished eighth in the 120-pound division.
The Region 3 champion, McAllister opened the state tournament by edging East Valley of Yakima’s Stephen Nugent, 2-1. He would lose in the quarterfinals to Sedro Woolley’s Adam Adkinson before winning a consolation match and eventually claiming eighth.
“I think Mykka has set himself up nicely for next year,” Phillips said. “I’ve always believed that in order to win a state championship you really need to place the year before. That experience is really important for a young wrestler. The state tournament is such a big stage. You see wrestlers who place return the following year and win a state title. Hopefully, that’s what happens with Mykka next year.”
McAllister was the only underclassman to place in the weight division.
“I think the big thing with Mykka is strength,” Phillips said. “As he gets older, he’ll mature and get stronger. His losses were to older kids and a lot of that has to do with strength, but I am very proud of how he did at state.”
Fellow sophomore Tristan Dickey also competed at state, but failed to place.
Centralia also got a pair of eight-place medalists in the girls state tournament in junior Sidnee Arcury (145) and senior Jordan Christin (155).
But, Coach Phillips is already looking ahead to next year and creating a positive environment for student-athletes.
“I’m fairly happy with how things turned out this season,” Phillips said. “The majority of our wrestlers this year were sophomores. So we are really excited for our junior class next year. We had a lot of regional wrestlers – a lot of wrestlers who competed in those pig-tail matches at regionals. The goal is for them to take the next step and hopefully become state wrestlers.”
“We’ve got some kids who aren’t real successful at the sport right now,” Phillips said when asked about the life lessons of wrestling. “But like I tell them, it’s not always about winning and losing – sometimes it’s about making you a stronger person overall.”
