Brother-sister act from M-P win state wrestling titles

TACOMA – Senior Cayden and sister Alivia White, a freshman, both won state championships in wrestling for M-P.

Cayden beat Lakes’ Jaedon Hall with a 5-1 decision to earn the 3A state title at 182 pounds.

Alivia needed just 33 seconds to pin Connell’s Rosa Saucedo-Ramirez to win the final 190-pound state title at Mat Classic XXXII. She pinned two-time 190-pound defending state champion Ofa He Lot Tuifua of Kent Meridian in the semifinals.

The first three of Cayden’s victories at state came via pins, and his win in the finals was more convincing than the score indicates. “That’s exactly how I wanted it to end,” White told The Herald of his M-P wrestling career. “This is one of the best moments I’ve ever had in my life, and I don’t think I’ll forget it as long as I live.”

Alivia had a much tougher road to the title match, wrestling for her mom, coach Andrea White.

“I’m just so happy, and so proud of my brother,” Alivia said after the win. “I worked my butt off for years for this, and it’s all worth it.”

She advanced to the finals after surviving a 13-10 semifinal clash with two-time defending state champion Ofa He Lotu Tuifua, ending the Kent Meridian junior’s bid for a third title in as many seasons and breaking her streak of 10 consecutive state-tournament victories via pin.

Cayden ended his prep career as M-P’s career leader in pins with 104, and was one victory short of tying Drew Hatch’s school mark of 129 career wins. He will head off to Minot State University in North Dakota on a wrestling scholarship.

While it was his first title, Alivia hopes to four-peat.

“I want to be a four-timer,” she said. “It’s just going to take me working my butt off for three more years.”

While 18 local wrestlers qualified for state only six came away with medals by placing in the top eight. They are:

•At 113 pounds, Dorian Tollenaar of Arlington placed third.

•At 120 pounds, Austin Davis of M-P was fourth, while Eagle Casten Tollenaar was eighth.

In 2A action, Keegan Bach of Lakewood was seventh at 285 pounds.

Swimming

In the state swimming competition at Federal Way, two M-P divers won medals.

M-P junior Andrew Kallio placed for the second-straight year, finishing third with 383.85 points.

MG freshman Eric Davydenko placed sixth with 329.3.

While not placing, Ian Meetsma swam a personal best.

Baseball

Lakewood High School football coach Dan Teeter will also be the head baseball coach this season.

“After the (baseball coaching) position opened up last spring, I had a few people talk to me about considering taking the position on. And I had a variety of reasons why I should not do that, mostly involving family and time commitments and those kind of things,” he told The Herald.

“(But circumstances) just lined up and I said, ‘Well, you know what? Maybe this is something we’re supposed to do.’ …”

Teeter was an all-league shortstop at Lynden Christian High School. He has never coached baseball, but was Sedro-Woolley High School’s head softball coach.

Jackson Conn, a former Sedro-Woolley standout who played baseball at Pacific Lutheran University, will be an assistant coach. Teeter plans to mentor Conn so he can take over long-term.