MARYSVILLE While the Jim Linden Field House is a sizable facility, it looks a lot smaller with hundreds of wrestlers, coaches and their friends on hand to cheer them on.
The six mats where wrestlers faced off to extend their season were roped off and the crowds fairly bounced off the ropes craning for a look at their wrestler or scouting out another prospect.
Seven Marysville wrestlers emerged from the field of 13 schools to place, and four will go on to regionals at Skyview High School in Vancouver, Wash.
Senior Michael Pfeiff took the district crown in the heavyweight class, pinning every opponent on his path to the championship match. His path included two Snohomish wrestlers who will join him in the trip to Vancouver in his fourth match, Pfeiff pinned Panther senior Bret Brill, the heavyweights eventual fourth-place finisher. In the championship match, Pfeiff had his closest match of the districts, winning a 6-4 decision over Snohomish junior Jake Reinhard.
At 112 pounds, sophomore Brian Donaldson also had an outstanding weekend, wrestling his way to the championship match where he faced defending state champ, Zach Zweifel of Lake Stevens. Though Zweifel won the match, Donaldson placed second in his weight class to extend his season.
After a first-round bye, junior Tannon Hillis pinned his first two opponents, setting up a quarterfinal match against Snohomish junior Spencer Caraballo. The two went three rounds, with Carabello pulling out a close win by a 7-5 decision. The loss bumped Hillis to the consolation bracket, where he defeated Kamiaks Josh Marson for a chance at the bronze in the 215 pound class. Hillis drew Mariners Garry Kroshko, winning the match by injury default for third place and a bout in Vancouver.
M-P senior Philip Klein took fifth at 152 pounds, unluckily falling twice to the same opponent. Klein faced Shorewoods Matt Jensen in his second match, losing a 14-5 decision. The Tomahawk wrestled and won five more matches in the consolation bracket before meeting Jensen again in the quarterfinals. Jensen won again, this time pinning Klein and pitting him against Edmonds-Woodways Michael Asefaw. Klein won, 13-4.
At 160 pounds, Ryan Mead finished seventh, while in the same bracket as Donaldson, senior Trong Dinh took eighth. Junior Matt Burns took eighth as well, at 125 pounds.