With his team down 33-30 to Lake Washington heading into his first varsity wrestling match of the season, Delano Kingston knew he had to come up big if the Islanders were to keep their five-year streak of unbeaten KingCo dual meets alive. Even with undefeated teammate Evan Condon coming up after him, a loss in the second-to-last match of the night would mean a loss for Mercer Island.

So Kingston went in with one goal: just get it done.

Getting two crucial pins from Kingston and Condon in the meet’s final two matches, Mercer Island wrestling scored its second KingCo dual win of the season, beating Lake Washington 42-33 Thursday, Dec. 11 at Lake Washington High School.

Pinning Alan Khautov in the 220 round, Kingston’s first varsity win of the year couldn’t have come at a better time.

“At first, I thought I was going to be terrible, I was nervous as all hell,” Kingston said. “But when I was out there, I just felt great. I was calm, I had a plan. I knew I could do it, I just had to get out there and do it.”

Through the team’s eighth meet, Mercer Island’s captains remained undefeated to help carry the Islanders, with Taylan Yuasa, Scott Lee and Evan Condon  all improving to 8-0, and Trevor Gullstad improving to 4-0. Yuasa (120) pinned Tristan Swenson in 1:00, Lee (138) pinned Edward Rojas in 2:44, Gullstad (145) pinned Kalvin Hollenbeck in 1:29, and Condon (285) pinned Martin Berger in 1:12.

Also scoring pins for the Islanders were Jonah Andrews (113) and Nic Meinzinger-Richards (160). Andrews pinned Logan Heenan in 2:27, while Meinzinger-Richards pinned Jacob Smith in 1:18.

As captains on a young team, Condon acknowledged the importance of Mercer Island’s seniors rising to the occasion.

“We knew coming in that this team would be pretty strong, and we haven’t lost a dual match in about six years,” Condon said. “I definitely knew that as a senior on the team, I had to come away with a pin.”

But even with the young roster, Condon remained confident about his team.

“I think we’re looking good for the rest of our dual matches. We’re hoping to keep going on that streak of undefeated [KingCo dual meets] and a sixth-consecutive KingCo [title],” Condon said. “I think from the very beginning of the season, our team has matured a lot. I’m looking forward to finishing up with these guys.”

Islanders place 10th at LB Invite

Mercer Island had seven varsity wrestlers compete at the Larry Brown Invitational Saturday, Dec. 13 at Fife High School. Competing against 16 teams, the Islanders finished 10h overall.

Taylan Yuasa won the 113 division, pinning Fife’s Jacob Flores and beating Sunnyside’s Elias Romero by an 11-9 decision before beating Port Angeles’ Tyler Gale by a 9-6 decision in the final. Yuasa improved to 11-0 on the season.

Trevor Gullstad took silver in the 145 division, pinning Mariner’s JJ Walker and beating Washington’s Darius Hatcher 15-9 before falling in the final to Bainbridge Island’s Jack Miller in a 14-6 decision.

Scott Lee took bronze in the 138 class, beating Foster’s Mark Schenck 13-4 before falling to Sunnyside’s Isaiah Guerrero in a 18-15 decision. Lee pinned Ballard’s Chris White and beat Newport’s Adam Little in the consolation final.

Freshman Jonah Andrews took fifth in the 106 class, going 2-2 and beating Auburn Mountainview’s Braden Buell in the fifth-place match.

Also competing for Mercer Island were Nic Meinzinger-Richards (160), Brett Bottomley (170) and Teague Frazier (182).