Wade Smith used a half nelson before pinning his opponent.

ILWACO — Ilwaco wrestler Wade Smith sank the half-nelson and squeezed the will from his 138-pound counterpart before earning the pin.

Smith, along with fellow Fishermen Noah Cherry, Xavier Smith, Ryan Morris, Breanna Wall, Christian Olivio, Gabriel McCargish and Austyn Taylor, each earned victories representing Ilwaco in their lone home wrestling meet of the season Tuesday, Jan. 11.

Ilwaco head coach Larry Kemmer said the team performed ‘very well’ as a whole, despite competing without standout 152-pound senior Chris Lake due to injury.

“Not everyone won, but there has been a great deal of improvement by the kids,” Kemmer said.

Kemmer was especially pleased with the performances of Noah Cherry and Xavier Smith, who both went 2-0 on the night.

“Noah has worked exceptionally hard to make a great deal of improvement,” Kemmer said of the 170-pounder. “Not only that, he’s a great kid.”

Xavier Smith, wrestling at 120 pounds, has been among the promising up-and-coming wrestlers on the mat for the Fishermen. Smith’s relentless will was evident in both victories.

“Xavier is new to our team this year and shows a great deal of potential,” Kemmer said. “He works hard and it shows every time he wrestles.”

Breanna Wall, the sole 8th-grade wrestler on the team, has done ‘extremely well,’ Kemmer said. Representing the 130-pound class, Wall had one of the most impressive victories, earning a pin in less than 30 seconds.

Up next: The Fishermen varsity wrestling team will next compete Saturday, Jan. 22 in Raymond.

In other sports news: The previously undefeated highly ranked Ilwaco Fishermen boys basketball team lost to Adna 60-52 on Jan. 17. The loss left IHS with a record of 10-1 overall and 8-0 in league before playing Raymond and Forks this week.