Mount Si will be sending three wrestlers to the state wrestling tournament in Tacoma this weekend after a difficult regional tournament against some of the top wrestlers in the state.

Seth Merritt, Dex Moetului and Kyle Heath will all represent the Wildcats in Tacoma after finishing in the top four. It was an extremely tough tournament for Kingco teams as Sedro Woolley and Bellingham dominated the competition, taking first and second respectively.

Mount Si finished seventh, but took top honors for Kingco with 64 points followed by Newport, Issaquah and Mercer Island.

Merritt and Moetului both made it to the championship round in their respective weight classes while Heath took fourth in his weight class.

Merritt’s first two matches went as planned. His first match was against Blair West of Bellevue, whom he pinned in the second round at the 3:41 mark. In the second match, Merritt took on Ricky Sherin of Anacortes, whom he pinned at the 2:30 mark of the second round. In the finals, he faced Jordan Frisbee of Sedro Woolley. Frisbee controlled the match, eventually winning the championship by a score of 12-3.

Moetului made it to the championship round in similar fashion. His first match was against Squalicum’s Steven Moore, whom he pinned with only two seconds left in the second round. In the semi-finals he faced Ryan Thomas of Burlington. Moteului again pinned his opponent, this time at the 2:55 mark. In the finals, Moetului stayed close to his opponent, Dave Evans of Anacortes, but Evans won the championship in the end 10-7.

Kyle Heath took the hard way to state. His first opponent at 112 pounds was Sedro Woolley’s Trevor Eaton. Heath pinned Eaton late in the second round at the 3:57 mark. Next, he faced Bellevue’s Josh Knight in the semi-finals, but Knight pulled out an 8-3 win. Heath headed to the consolation round, where he faced Squalicum’s Erik Tuttle. He defeated Tuttle 7-5, then faced Cedarcrest’s Ty Howard. Howard eventually pulled out a 5-2 win, giving Heath a fourth-place finish but still earning him a spot to the state tournament.

Other placers at the regional tournament included 140-pound Jordan Sypher, who took fifth place after defeating Mercer Island’s Aaron Agnew 4-2. Mac Donnell took sixth at 160 pounds after falling to Cedarcrest’s Brady Paxman 4-2.

The state tournament begins Friday, Feb. 17, with wrestling beginning at 10 a.m. at the Tacoma Dome.