Ilwaco Head Coach Larry Kemmer, right, offers encouragement to his wrestlers during the state tournament. Seated with him is assistant coach Alec Bell, a 2017 IHS graduate who placed twice at state and was champion at 220 pounds in his senior year.

TACOMA — Ilwaco sophomore Jace Linthakhan was ready for his medal.

He arrived close to the 2B podium and sat alone for 10 minutes, watching finals action before five diminutive rivals arrived to take the other chairs for the 106-pound weight class.

In his first trip to the Tacoma Dome in his freshman season, he had been pinned twice.

This year he suffered two losses, also. Between those bouts were three matches where he wriggled his opponent on his back and savored the official’s firm slap on the mat to signal a pin.

Miguel Depaz, a junior from the Tonasket squad that would win the team trophy, later placed second. In their Friday contest, Depaz notched four points in the first two-minute period, but Linthakhan had an escape to draw closer. In the second, they sized each other up and Linthakhan added another point. In the third, Depaz was ahead 7-2 before the he pinned the Fisherman.

Larry Kemmer had seen that dynamic before.

“This place is always such a crapshoot,” the Ilwaco head coach said. “The first match is always a toss-up — how the kids react to being here. He realized after he lost that he was overwhelmed, and he knew he could have won but he was overwhelmed and didn’t wrestle to his full potential.”

Linthakhan concurred. “I guess I was in in my head a little bit, but after I came back and won my next match I definitely, mentally, I was in a better place,” he said.

Rainier freshman Jacob Scott came next, pulling ahead with a takedown. Linthakhan tied the points before tearing into his opponent in the second period, adding points before pinning him.

Saturday’s action saw a relentless attack by Linthakhan on Colfax freshman Ty Scott. As the Bulldog coach yelled “Ten seconds,” Linthakhan secured the pin before time ran out.

Next was Northwest Christian eighth-grader Micah Rocha. Linthakhan seemed to have his shoulders down for an age before the pin was signaled.

In the medal match, Linthakhan and Grandview freshman Anthony Torres squirmed like snakes in a terrarium. The latter stages were delayed as Kemmer helped Linthakhan through a blood injury, then Torres began adding points in the third. Linthakhan was almost pinned with less than a minute remaining, but he rolled to safety and then added a late reversal. The score was 10-2 when the match ended, however.

The coach is excited about Linthakhan’s enthusiam for continuing, though he may not remain in wrestling’s lowest weight class.

“He has gained six pounds,” Kemmer laughed, noting his athlete has rarely even approached the 106-pound limit. “He actually made scratch weight, which he hasn’t done before.”

The sophomore was reflective. “I am excited that I did better this year, but I feel like I could have done better,” he said. “I am just happy to come back next year.”

The season, in which he won his weight class at the sub-regional and regional tournaments, had other joyful elements, amid a larger squad. “This year we have developed a good sense of ‘team.’ It’s been awesome,” Linthakhan said. “It’s a family, that’s what it is.”