Coliviile
North Central

Todd Beamer High Schoool
Central Washington University

Warden

Graham Kapowsin

Lake Stevens

Union High School

John Godinho wrestled at Castle Rock High School under Hall of Fame Coach Jim Bair and was a three-time state finalist, a two-time Washington state champion, and named NAIA All-American at Pacific Lutheran University.

For more than 30 years, John Godinho has been a driving force in wrestling across Clark County, guiding programs at every level while building Union High School into one of the state’s most consistent contenders.

Godinho began coaching at Cascade Middle School in 1991, where his teams won league and district championships before he moved to Heritage High School. Over six seasons at Heritage, the Timberwolves won multiple league, district, and Clark County titles, including the 2003 state championship and a runner-up finish in 2004.

In 2007, Godinho started the Union High School program. Since then, the Titans have compiled a 162-35 dual meet record and won championships at every level-league, district, county, and regional, and 14 consecutive team championships at the Norm Friehauf Memorial Clark County Championship wrestling event. Union boys’ squads have finished in the top five at the WIAA 4A State Championships several times, highlighted by a third-place team finish. The girls’ program has been equally successful, claiming a regional title in 2018 and the WIAA Girls State Championship in 2019. Godinho was named the Washington 4A State Coach of the Year in 2014 and has earned Coach of the Year honors seven times. He also helped organize the Clark County Youth Wrestling Program, impacting more than a thousand young athletes, and continues to coach more than 75 youth through Union High School.

His teams are active in community service, from fund raising and event support to providing care items for the unhoused. Coach Godinho will tell you, one of the things he is most proud of is the community support his athletes provide to a variety of non­profit causes.

Godinho has dedicated his life to building champions on and off the mat.

Central Kitsap High School

Michael Harter (1962–2019) gave more than five decades of his life to wrestling, first as a nationally recognized competitor and later as a dedicated coach and mentor to student-athletes across Washington.

Harter’s wrestling journey began at six years old and grew into an exceptional career. At Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, he won back-to-back Louisiana state titles and earned selection to the USA Wrestling High School All-American Dream Team.

Collegiately, he competed for Iowa Central Community College and the University of Oregon, becoming a two-time NCAA qualifier, Pac-10 champion, and U.S. National Dual

Team member who represented the United States in Japan, South Korea, and Hungary. As a coach, Harter invested over 30 years in developing young athletes. He served as an assistant at North Salem High School, Portland State University, and Gig Harbor High School before taking over at Central Kitsap High School in 2003. Over 15 seasons, he built a competitive and respected program while also guiding junior high and club teams in Kitsap County. Harter was heavily involved with Team Washington, coaching at national dual events and mentoring wrestlers who competed on the state, national, and international stage.

Known for his tireless energy and genuine care for his athletes, Harter balanced his coaching with his professional work as an occupational therapist in the Peninsula School District and his role as a devoted father. His influence extended far beyond wins and championships, shaping lives and instilling values of discipline, perseverance, and respect.

Harter’s legacy is carried on by the athletes, colleagues, and communities he impacted, as well as by the generations of wrestlers who continue to benefit from the foundation he helped build.

Lakeside 9-Mile Falls

Troy Hughes was a three-time finalist and state champion at Mead High School for Cash Stone (Class of 1995) and wrestled at the University of Oregon. Troy has been recognized as both a leader and mentor in Washington wrestling, guiding programs that consistently produced champions while shaping the lives of countless student-athletes.

Known for his steady leadership and commitment to excellence, Hughes contributed to a culture of hard work and achievement that elevated Lakeside High School into one of the state’s premier wrestling programs.

As an assistant coach at Lakeside for hall of famer Scott Jones, Hughes helped the Eagles team capture three state championships (2001, 2005, 2006), a runner-up finish

in 2002, and helped develop 38 state tournament placers, including six champions. Stepping into the role of head coach in 2007, Troy continued that tradition, leading the team to another state title in 2008, runner-up honors in 2011, and multiple top-five finishes. Under his leadership, Lakeside wrestlers earned 38 additional state medals, including 11 individual state championships. Lakeside produced many Freestyle and

Greco-Roman All-Americans, as well as multiple athletes who went on to wrestle in college at multiple levels of competition. Over his coaching career, Coach Hughes compiled a 72–26 dual meet record, guided his teams to multiple district championships, and was honored three times as the Coach of the Year. His programs were consistently competitive and equally respected for their character and sportsmanship. Hughes has coached multiple national teams, and a team of Washington wrestlers on a Cultural Exchange trip to Japan in 2005.

Off the mat, Troy pushes himself as well, having served as a football and wrestling coach, an English Teacher and assistant principal at Lakeside High School, middle school administrator in the Mead School District, the Athletic Director at Mead High School, and currently, the Principal at Mead, continuing his commitment to education and youth development. His legacy in wrestling is defined not only by trophies and championships but also by the impact he has made on generations of students and athletes who benefitted from his leadership and example. Troy and Kalie have three children: Kyla, Carter, and Clarity.

Sedro Woolley High School

With 28 years of coaching experience, Barb Morgan has been a trailblazer and leader in Washington wrestling. Beginning with seven years at the club level with Sedro-Woolley SteelClaw and continuing with 21 seasons at Sedro-Woolley High School, Morgan has guided athletes to success on and off the mat. Her high school teams compiled a 132–45 dual meet record, won four state team championships, and earned eight top-20 state finishes. She has coached 39 state placers, including six state champions, while also leading her teams to two Academic State Championships.

Morgan’s influence extends well beyond the mat. She founded and still directs the longest-running girls-only wrestling tournament in Washington, helping to create opportunities for female athletes long before the sport gained statewide recognition.

Under her leadership, eight former wrestlers have continued at the collegiate level, including an NAIA National Champion and an NAIA All-American. Morgan has served on the WSWCA Executive Board as the Girls’ Wrestling representative and she is a member of the 12-person NFHS National Rules Committee for wrestling.

Her peers and the wrestling community have recognized her contributions with multiple honors, including two Washington Coach of the Year awards and the prestigious NWCA National Coach of the Year award. This May, she will also be inducted into the Washington Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

As the first female coach inducted into the WSWCA Hall of Fame, Morgan’s career represents perseverance, excellence, and a commitment to expanding opportunities for young women in wrestling. Beyond the accolades, she is known for her compassion, mentorship, and advocacy for her athletes—caring for and supporting them as if they were her own.

Nooksack Valley High School

Brian Smith’s career as a coach, leader, and advocate for wrestling in Washington spans more than 25 years and multiple roles at the local, state, and national level.

Beginning at Cheney Middle School in 1992 and later serving at Peninsula, Nooksack Valley, and Bellingham High School, Smith’s teams earned more than 90 dual meet victories, producing four state champions, six finalists, 36 placers, 75 state participants, and 6 Academic State Champions.

Beyond team success, Smith’s influence extended across Washington wrestling. He served as President of the WSWCA from 2002–2006, helping shape policy and supporting coaches across the state. He also coached on the national stage, leading Team Washington at youth nationals (2006–2008), coaching the Down Under Games Western States Team (2004), and serving as Cultural Exchange Coach to Japan (2003).

Smith’s leadership and integrity were recognized with numerous honors: Washington State 3A Coach of the Year (2006), the Gary Knutzen Spirit of Wrestling Award (2005), US Marine Corps Sportsmanship Coach of the Year (2007), and the Bellingham School District’s Shining Star Coach Award (2008). As an Assistant Executive Director of the WIAA he held a key role in advancing girls wrestling, helping participation numbers double statewide, and contributed to the growth of Mat Classic, overseeing the largest tournament in the country when snow forced regionals into a single 32-person bracket.

Currently serving as the Director of Athletics and Activities for the Kent School District, Smith’s legacy is defined by both competitive success and visionary leadership. His career reflects an unwavering commitment to student-athletes, coaches, and the future of wrestling in Washington.

Garfield High School

John “JL” Williams began his wrestling journey in junior high in 1970 and went on to compete for four years in high school, earning a third-place finish at the Connecticut State Championships in 1975. He continued his athletic career at Central Connecticut State University, where he wrestled for three years before graduating in 1979 with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology. While building a distinguished 36-year career with The Boeing Company, JL also dedicated himself to coaching wrestling at Garfield High School. He furthered his education by earning a Master of Business Administration from City University in 1985. For more than four decades, Williams dedicated himself to building and sustaining the Garfield High School wrestling program. When he took over in 1980, the Bulldogs had not won a match in five years. Under his leadership, Garfield quickly turned the corner, earning its first Metro League championship in 1989. Williams was named Metro Coach of the Year four times, and in recognition of his character and influence, his colleagues named the league’s Coach of the Year award after him. Williams launched Garfield’s girls’ wrestling program in 2007. Participation grew steadily, with more than 40 girls competing by the 2015–16 season, and his athletes captured Metro titles and state placings along the way. His impact extended beyond the mat: he was honored with the King5 Coach Who Makes a Difference award, was a two-time National Achievers Award recipient, and served as a trainer for Team Up WA, the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Williams was also known for his generosity and sportsmanship. He frequently stepped in to coach athletes from other schools, lent equipment to opponents, and encouraged wrestlers across programs. His teams earned multiple league sportsmanship awards, and both the boys’ and girls’ squads won academic state championships.

Even after retiring, Williams returned to the program in 2023 as a volunteer and in 2024 as an assistant coach, underscoring his lifelong commitment to Garfield wrestling and the athletes he served. His legacy is defined not only by championships but also by the respect, opportunity, and inspiration he brought to generations of student-athletes. JL and his wife Nina are blessed with three kids Jamaal, Ashlee and JohnL II and six grand kids; Aniyah, Kaiyah, Jalaay,

Mt. Spokane High School

Travis Hughes wrestled at Mead high School for Cash Stone (Class of 1999) and at North Idaho College for John Owen (Class of 2018), wrapping up his collegiate career at the University of North Dakota. After coaching at red River High School in Grand Forks, ND, he was as assistant wrestling coach at University HS during the 1998 season, Hughes was the head coach at Wapato for a year prior to taking over the program at Mt. Spokane that had just one dual meet victory prior to his arrival. He remains a part of the program today, though he turned over head coaching duties following the 2021 season.

During Hughes’ time at Mt. Spokane his teams finished in the top 8 at state his final eight years which included three straight state championships in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The Wildcats were ranked #1 in the 2021 season which did not culminate in a state tournament due to COVID. MSHS earned two other team trophies placing 2nd in 206 and 3rd in 2015. His teams were Regional Tournament champions four times and District Champions four times along with four Dream Dual titles.

He has coached 70 state placers, 10 state champions, 1 freestyle All-American and three Greco-Roman All-American. Along with success on the mat, 16 Wildcat wrestlers earned individual Academic State Championships and the 2014 Mt. Spokane Team was the 3A Academic State Champions.

Hughes was honored as GSL Coach of the Year six times and was selected as the 3A state Coach of the Year in 2019. Sixteen former Mt. Spokane wrestlers have gone on to compete at the collegiate level since Hughes arrived along with one professional MMA fighter.

Rogers High School

As a four-time wrestling state tournament participant for Hanford, David Johnston earned two state medals and played on the state championship baseball team his senior year. He was a three-sport letterman in football, wrestling and track, and was named the Hanford HS Athlete of the Year in 1987. Johnston earned his teaching degree at Eastern Washington University while he continued wrestling.

Johnston began teaching at Kent-Meridian High School in 1992 while coaching wrestling and football. He was the head coach at KM from 1994-1999 compiling a dual meet record of 36-19. KM had 9 state medalists during this period and Johnston coached Mat Orndorf to a state title in 1995.

In 1999 Johnston moved to Rogers High School in Puyallup where he would serve as the head coach until 2022. The Rams would compile a dual meet record of 246-95 earning seven SPSL dual titles, seven league tournament titles, and three Regional championships. Rogers finished in the top ten in state eleven time including two state trophies. 74 Rams earned medals at state that included 16 finalists and three state champions.

He was named SPSL Coach of the Year five times, was twice named Regional Coach of the Year, and in 2019 was selected as the 4A state Coach of the Year. Also in 2019, Johnston was inducted into the Hanford High School Hall of Fame. The Western Washington Wrestling Officials Association selected Johnston as their Coach of the Year. Johnston can count at least twelve former wrestlers who continue to give back to the sport by coaching school and youth programs.

Lisa and Dave have two sons: Troy and Jeremy. Johnston continues to teach history at Rogers while serving as the head girls golf coach and volunteering for the wrestling program.

Mead High School

Competing at Deer Park High School, Phil McLean was a three-time state champion. He continued wrestling at North Idaho College where he was a two-time NJAA All-American and the team won national titles both years. He finished up his collegiate wrestling career at Fresno State University where he was an NCAA qualifier. After completing his teaching degree McLean moved back to Washington where he started coaching at Gonzaga Prep in 1990 where that first team had an 0-8 dual record. The program saw tremendous growth during his ten seasons at Gonzaga Prep where they won 4 GSL championships and the state team championship in 1999. There were seven state champions at GP with McLean at the helm.

In 2000 McLean moved to teach and coach at Mead High School where his teams won the Greater Spokane Leage (GSL) title 10 times, the GSL District Tournament 15 times, and the Tri-State Tournament four times. The Panthers won four straight state championships (2021-2024), placed second twice, third twice, and fourth three times with 23 state champions and 88 state placers. These wrestlers include three Fargo national champions and ten All-Americans.

He has been selected as the 4A Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2017, Coach of the Year for the Inland Northwest and Mead was the Team of the Year for the Inland Northwest. He has coached the Schoolboy and Junior National Teams and has helped at many camps and has created youth programs in the Spokane area.

Shelly and Phil have three children; Tyler, Kevin and Courtney.

East Valley High School

Dave Smith began coaching wrestling in 1984 at Mountain View Junior High in the East Valley School District. He inherited a program that had not won a match in two years. In his first year he piloted the Lancers to a 3-3 dual record and narrowly lost to the eventual league champs. This was the turning point for the future of the program. In the years that followed his inaugural season, Smith worked hard to recruit top athletes, assistant coaches, and created a youth program that resulted in four back-to-back undefeated seasons with a record of 28-0.

In 1989 the East Valley SD was one of the first to adopt the middle school model, sending their ninth grade students to the high school. Most of the Lancer opponents still maintained ninth graders at the junior high for the next two seasons. Competing with only 7th-8th graders the Lancers still maintained winning records of 4-3 and 5-2

When the rest of the league transitioned to the middle school model, the Mt. View Lancers dominated the league for two decades, which included an unprecedented 141 straight dual meet wins under Smith’s leadership and 21 straight league titles in addition to the four championships won from 1985-1989. His dual meet record at Mt. View was 175-8. The wining streak was never broken as Mt. View was closed in 2011 and the wrestling program’s legacy ended.

He continued to coach at Sacajawea MS from 2010-2015 and at East Valley MS from 2016-2018.

Smith was presented with the Jim Keenley Award in 2001 and 2020 as the outstanding teacher in the EVSD. He was nominated in 2015 and again in 2022 for Washington Teacher of the Year by his principal.

Lori and Dave have two children; Aaron and Patrick. Smith has retired from teaching.

Orting High School

Mike Sowards grew up in Puyallup and wrestled for coach George Wilfong (Class of 1997) where the Vikings won the SPSL league championship each of his three years. He compiled a record of 85-8 over his career and placed 6th as a sophomore, 4th as a junior, and 2nd in state his senior year. Continuing his wrestling career following high school Sowards participated on the Cultural Exchange team to China in 1985 and wrestled 118 pounds at Highline CC where he reached the national tournament both years along with serving as the team captain of the 1988 team where they were ranked 2nd in the nation.

Sowards served as an assistant coach at Tacoma’s Stadium High School from 1989-1991 and has coached youth wrestling for South End and Puyallup clubs. He has also coached baseball and softball for many years while their children were participating.

In 2002 Sowards took over as head coach of the Orting High School wrestling program and lead the Cardinals on an impressive run. Orting placed in the top 5 team standings eight times in 11 seasons including four straight state championships from 2009-2012, and three runner-up finishes.  13 individuals won 28 state championships while Sowards was the head coach including four-time champion Drew Templeman. Four-timer Fred Green won his first title during Sowards final season coaching. 31 Cardinal wrestlers won 74 state medals during this time. Sowards was named the 1A State Coach of the Year in 2009 and in 2020 he was inducted as a member of the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame.

Diane and Mike have two grown children: Zack and Samantha and four grandchildren: Melanie, Jacob, Peyton and Skylar.

Moses Lake High School

Jamie Wise was a three-time state champion for Moses Lake High School from 1978-1980 where he competed for Ron Seibel (Class of 2004) as the Chiefs won two state team titles and finished second once. Wise compiled a record of 101-0-1 and was the first undefeated wrestler in the history of Washington wrestling. Wise continued his wrestling career at Oregon State University where he was a Pac-10 champion and runner-up.

His coaching career started at Corvallis (OR) High School from 1987-1989. Wise became the head coach at Western Oregon State College from 1989-1991 where he was named the NAIA Wrestling Coach of the Year and coached four All-Americans. In 1991 Wise moved to Issaquah High School where he would serve as a teacher and head wrestling coach until 1997, with multiple state placers including two finalists. While at Issaquah Wise had the honor of working with Roger Wilson (Class of 1986).

In 1997 Wise and his family moved to Moses Lake where he helped with the high school program until 2002. During the 2003-04 season Wise coached at Frontier Middle School in the MLSD. In 2004 he again joined the high school coaching staff and in 2005 he became just the sixth head wrestling coach in the storied history of Moses Lake High School. With Wise as the head coach there were 37 Moses Lake state placers that included seven state champions, and the Chiefs earned six top ten team finishes including one 2nd and 3rd place trophy. During his years as an assistant and head coach there were a total of 76 state placers with 13 state champions. Wise was selected as the Big-9 Coach of the Year and the 4A state Coach of the Year in 2009.

In 2002 he was Wise was inducted into the Moses Lake High School Hall of Fame. Suci and Jamie have two children: Hayden and Holly. He is now retired from teaching.

Puyallup / Orting High School

Bryan Bartelson competed at Puyallup High School for Hall of Fame coach George Wilfong (Class of 1997) where he placed third in his senior year. After high school he jumped right into Coaching at Puyallup and Edgemont Junior High. His first head coaching position was at Orting MS before he returned to Edgemont as the head coach.

Bartelson took over at Orting High School in 1990 where he spent twelve years guiding the Cardinals to seven league titles and a fifth place state finish in 1994 along with two state champions. Twice he was named as the Nisqually League Coach of the Year and in 2000 Bartelson was selected as the Regional Coach of the Year and the State Coach of the Year for the AA classification. He was honored as the 2002 AA Sportsman Coach of the Year at Mat Classic.

The opportunity to return to his alma mater brought him back to PHS. During this first stint as head coach six Vikings placed at state, including Whitney Conder who was one of only a few females to place in the boys division, which she did twice. After four years back at Edgemont,

Bartelson returned to Puyallup to guide the girls program and was one of the coaches to lead the charge for more opportunities for female wrestlers. Their two daughters earned eight top-3 state medals while wrestling for the Vikings as Jordyn was the state’s second female 4-time state champion and Brooklyn placed 2nd, 3rd, 2nd and 1st.

In 2017 Bryan transitioned to coach the boys squad again as the Vikings earned eight state

medals with one state champion. Their son Chance was a state competitor for PHS. For many years Bartelson also coached youth wrestling programs in Puyallup and Fife.

For 30+ years Bryan and Jenny built a successful trucking company while raising their children.They are now “semi-retired” and enjoying their world travels.

Kelso High School

Bob Freund has been part of the Kelso wrestling program for almost 40 years. First as a wrestler where he placed in the state tournament twice. He was coached by Jim Schall (Hall of Fame Class of 1985) through his junior year. Freund continued his wrestling career at Washington State University, and when the program was dropped he transferred to Pacific Lutheran University where he was coached by Jim Meyerhoff (Class of 1989) and Chris Wolfe (Class of 2014) where he earned two All-American finishes. He was an assistant coach at PLU for two years.

In 1991 Freund returned to Kelso as the head wrestling coach where he still teaches and coaches after 32 years. From 1991-1995 he also coached at Lower Columbia College as an assistant and head coach. During his career at Kelso, the Hilanders have had considerable success winning 21 district championships and 14 state tournament trophies along with 23 top-10 finishes. Kelso boys and girls teams have won seven academic team state championships. 159 Kelso wrestlers earned state tournament medals including 28 state champions and 15 runner-up finishes. 43 wrestlers were honored with individual weight class academic state championships. 17 Kelso wrestlers have moved on to wrestle in college.

He was heavily involved in the freestyle and Greco state programs as a national team coach and the women’s director. There are 18 Fargo All-Americans from Kelso including five runners-up and six national champions. Freund led the first girls teams to compete at Fargo that included 2nd and 3rd place national finishes.

The WSWCA benefitted from Freund’s service as president and vice-president for many years, and he has helped organize the annual coaches clinics. Bob has twice been selected as the NWCA Regional Coach of the Year.

Bob and Denise have four children; Averie, Christian,Ellie and Ethan. Each competed at state and between them earned four state championships and seven total medals.

Marysville-Pilchuck High SchoolWhile wrestling at Marysville-Pilchuck for his father Rick (Hall of Fame Class of 1999) Craig Iversen was a four-time state competitor and won two state championships. He competed at Central Washington where he placed fifth in the 1991 NAIA national tournament.

Following college Craig assisted for the Sedro Woolley wrestling program and was the head coach at Burlington-Edison HS from 1994 to 1999. When his father retired in 1999 Craig moved to Marysville-Pilchcuck High School as a social studies teacher and head wrestling coach.

Iversen remained in that role until stepping down in 2019, and he currently contributes to the program as an assistant coach. During his twenty year stint as head coach of the Tomahawks, Iversen’s teams had a record of 212-82 (72%). This record made him the winningest head coach in MPHS history previously held by Rick Iversen. MP teams won five district titles. Craig has coached two state champions in the boys division and as the current girls assistant coach he has coached Tomahawk wrestlers to two state championships. Iversen was instrumental in getting the girls program started at Marysville-Pilchuck.

Iversen continues to teach and coach at MPHS, is a department head and senior class adviser.He has served on the executive board of the Marysville Education Association and as president of the Marysville Coaches Association. Craig and Colleen have one daughter, Taylor.

Deer Park High School

Matt Jorgensen has been involved with wrestling in the Deer Park community since 1995 when he started working with the Loon Lake Little Guy wrestling program. From 2001-2003 he coached at the middle school, and in 2004 Matt became the head coach at Deer Park High School where he would remain until his coaching retirement in 2021.

During his tenure at DPHS, the Stags compiled at dual meet record of 171-51 (77%), won seven league championships and four district titles, and six regional tournament titles. Deer Park has twice been selected as the Inland Northwest Team of the Year.

The Stags were a dominant force in the Tacoma Dome winning eight state championships - six in the 2A division and two in 1A - which included a run of five straight titles. For thirteen straight years Jorgensen’s teams earned a state trophy by placing in the top-four. He coached 25 individual state champions that were part of 110 individual medalists. He has twice been selected as the State Coach of the Year. He served as one of the national team coaches in Fargofor two years.

Jorgensen is a Battalion Chief in the Spokane Valley Fire Department. He and his wife Shannon have four children; Ryan, Jason, Tysen and Matthew.l

Bellarmine High SchoolGrowing up in Longview, Kevin Kalal attended RA Long High School where he wrestled for his father Fred (Hall of Fame Class of 1996) and played football and golf. He attended Washington State University where he was the student manager for the Cougar baseball team, and graduated in 1991 with a degree in Sport Management.

Kalal’s long-time role as an assistant coach at Bellarmine Prep in 1992, and he continues to coach for the Lions. Over that span he helped coach two state champions and 16 medalists. He

was named as the Assistant Coach of the Year multiple times in the Narrows League and South Puget Sound League and was selected as the Regional Assistant Coach of the Year four times.

Kalal’s contributions to both leagues over the last 32 seasons have included managing the seeding meetings and running Narrows league tournaments as well as regional tournaments and local events. He is a number-cruncher and enjoys compiling statistics that are valuable to the seeding and coaching process.

Washington state has benefitted from his efforts as Kalal served as the WSWCA Public Relations Manager in the early 90’s, and for the past 8 years he has helped manage the media at Mat

Classic, serving as Media Manager for the past three tournaments. Kevin is also the treasurer for the Washington Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Baseball continues to be a large part of Kalal’s life as he was the assistant general manager of the Tacoma Rainiers for 17 years, and still serves as an official scorekeeper for the club along with working for the Seattle Mariners in the visiting clubhouse. For his service to baseball Kalal was inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Baseball/Softball Hall of Fame. Kalal, a past president of the Tacoma Athletic Commission and Secretary/Treasurer for the Narrows League, was the Facilities Director at Bellarmine for 12 years and currently works in the facilities department at Highline College. He has a son, Jensen (19) and a daughter, Leah (16).

Castle Rock High School

Joe Godinho returned to Castle Rock High School and began coaching during the 1988-89 season, and he continues to lead “The Rock” grapplers after 30+ years. Godinho made it his goal to carry on the traditions of his former coach and mentor, Jim Bair (WSWCA Hall of Fame Class of 2004). Joe has upheld the principles of winning traditions at Castle Rock through parent and community participation, discipline, and enthusiasm.

His teams have compiled an overall dual record of 318-50 with a league record of 184-12. Castle Rock has won every league title since 2003. His teams have earned fourteen regional tournament championships along with ten top-eight finishes at the state tournament. One hundred Castle Rock wrestlers have placed at state during Godinho’s tenure as head coach. Godinho has twice been selected as the 1A Coach of the Year, in 2013 and 2017.

Castle Rock has hosted many invitational tournaments over Godinho’s career along with sub-regional and regional tournaments. Godinho offers his assistance to local coaches and athletic directors in setting up their tournaments. Joe is the recipient of many local awards including the “Citizen of the Year” award given by the Castle Rock Eagles and the “Lloyd Mitchell” award as an outstanding mentor of students. He contributes to the local Shriner’s Hospital organization, cooks for charity and fundraising events, is a member of the Lower Columbia Referees Association, and judges livestock at local fairs and 4-H events. Joe is the owner of Four Corners Farm and Garden in Castle Rock. He and his wife Wanda have three grown children: Kyle, Levi, and Shawn.

Lake Roosevelt High School

Steve Hood began coaching at Lake Roosevelt High School in 1991 as an assistant coach, then took over the head coaching position in 1998. He also started the youth wrestling and freestyle programs in Coulee Dam. Hood retired as the head coach in 2019 and still serves as a volunteer assistant coach in the program.

During his tenure as head coach, there have been 72 state placers for the Raiders including 12 state champions and one girls’ state tournament placer. He has also coached six Tri-State placers. Hood’s teams have finished in the top ten at the state tournament 14 times with a second-place finish in 2013 and 2019 and a third-place finish in 2003. The 2014 Lake Roosevelt team won the Dream Dual championship. Eleven of his wrestlers have competed for Team Washington with one NHSCA All-American. Hood has been honored as the district Coach of the Year six times, Region Coach of the Year twice, and the state Coach of the Year in 2006. He was also recognized as the State Sportsman Coach of the Year in 2007.

Hood was honored as the Lake Roosevelt Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2013 and 2019. As the coach for the LRHS Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA), he coached three state champions who all went on to compete at nationals. Hood served on the Elmer City Council for ten years and as a volunteer fireman for Elmer City for 44 years. He was also a volunteer pole vault coach. Steve and Sandy, his wife of 42 years, have two grown children, Brian and Brittany, and three grandchildren: Serenity, Cale and Reagan.

Kentwood High School

Ken Sroka grew up in Illinois where he placed fourth in the Illinois state tournament, and fourth at the junior college national tournament wrestling for Triton Community College, helping his team win the national title. He finished his collegiate wrestling career at Central Washington University. Sroka would remain with the Wildcat program as an assistant during the 1988-89 season before returning to Illinois, where he was an assistant coach at Reavis High School from 1989-1996.

In 1996, Sroka returned to Washington where he was an assistant at Kentwood for one year before taking over the head coaching position in 1997. Sroka coached the Conquerors until 2015 with a dual meet record of 122-55 and three South Puget Sound League championships. He coached 47 state placers, 13 finalists and eight state champions. In 2002, the Conqs took three wrestlers to the Tacoma Dome and all three won state titles, going 12-0 as Kentwood missed the team title by ½ point. Kentwood finished in the top ten five times.

Sroka also coached tennis and baseball. In 2000, he took over as head baseball coach, and Kentwood won the state championship. He was honored as a King5 “Coach Who Makes a Difference.” In recent years, there were as many as six former wrestlers on the Kentwood coaching staff.

Ken is a special education teacher at Kentwood High School. He and his wife Theresa have two children: Brandon and Jarrett.

Rogers High School

Over the past 44 years, Tom has been dedicated to coaching and teaching in the Puyallup School District. His career started in 1974 at Aylen Junior High prior to moving to Rogers High School as an assistant and teacher in 1984, serving for 11 years. Tom returned to the junior high ranks to coach at Edgemont, where his son Scott wrestled and his daughter Christina served as a wrestling manager. Tom followed his children to Puyallup High School as an assistant wrestling coach. His son and daughter would participate in the wrestling programs throughout their high school years. His son qualified for the state tournament in 2000 at 171 pounds. In 2002, Tom returned once again to Rogers High School as an assistant wrestling coach and counselor.

Tripple was the inaugural girls’ wrestling head coach at Rogers, serving from 2008 until 2018. He compiled an impressive dual meet record of 89-9, seven league tournament team championships, and two regional championships. His teams collected three top-ten finishes at Mat Classic and two 4A Academic State Championships in 2014 and 2016. Tom was recognized as the league girls’ head Coach of the Year five times and Regional Coach of the Year three times. In 2017, he was honored as the WSWCA State Girls Coach of the Year. Over his years as a girls’ coach, he has coached 16 individual state medalists, including one state champion, and four academic state champions.

He helped change the culture of girls’ wrestling to a thriving sport that commands the attention of the wrestling community through a welcoming atmosphere and character development he instills in all his interactions. He has stressed the importance of dual meets and participating in tournaments, and he promotes the team above the individual.

Tripple is retired from teaching, though he occasionally serves as a substitute counselor. Tom and his wife Sandy have four grown children: Scott, Christina, Jill and Stephen, along with seven grandchildren: Lydia, Lylah, Reagan, LaVee, Memphis, Emery and Corinne.

Ferris High School

Wrestling is the family business for the Owen brothers, as Tim is the third sibling to be inducted into the WSWCA Hall of Fame over the last three ceremonies. John was inducted in 2018 and Don in 2019. In total, there are five Owen brothers and nine nephews coaching wrestling in the Pacific Northwest.

Tim Owen was a three-time state placer in Montana and placed twice in the Big Sky Conference while wrestling at the University of Montana. Owen then coached first at CMR High School in Great Falls from 1978-1980 before taking the coaching job at Great Falls HS from 1980-1991, where his teams compiled a dual record of 80-35 and placed second in state three times (1988, 1990, 1991). While at GFHS, he coached 63 state placers and 23 state champions, including future NCAA Champion and World Champion Billy Zadick, currently a USA Wrestling Olympic Coach.

Owen moved to Ferris High School in 1991, where he would coach for 30 years until his retirement in 2021. His teams consistently had over fifty wrestlers turning out each year. While at Ferris, he coached nine state finalists and three champions among 33 state placers. His 2000 team placed fifth in state. Owen was named Regional Coach of the Year three times, in 1988, 2014, and 2018.

Tim helped bring the Olympic Trials to Spokane and he worked at the North Idaho College Wrestling Camps for 40 years. Owen was a teacher and coach for over 40 years, retiring in 2021. He has two children: Carrie and Cody.

Ellensburg / Selah

Jason Stevenson graduated from Ellensburg High School in 1989, where he was a two-time state runner-up under coach Ray Westberg. He went on to CWU and became a two-time All-American, placing third in nationals at 142 lbs in 1994. He holds the highest record of wins at CWU with 118 wins. Jason was inducted into the CWU Hall of Fame with his brother Sandy in 2006.

Coach Stevenson began his career at Selah High School in 1994-1995. He then moved to Ellensburg High School, where he coached from 2000-2018. During his time at EHS, Stevenson’s team won seven league championships and three district titles. He holds a dual meet record of 68-14 and seven league championships. Further, he was awarded the league coach of the year four times and State coach of the year in 2012.

Throughout his years at Selah and Ellensburg, he has coached 47 state placers, seven finalists and three state champions, while finishing in the top ten at state four times. He did all of this with integrity and professionalism. It’s no wonder he has been voted league coach of the year four separate times.

Jason has been married for 27 years to his wife, CJ. They have two sons, Tait and Cade, who also wrestled under coach Stevenson all four years of their high school career.

Ellensburg / CWU (Asst)

Eric Idler grew up in Burbank, WA and wrestled at Columbia Basin College in 1979-80 and Central Washington University from 1985-1987. After coaching at Richland High School during the 1988-89 season, Idler returned to CWU in 1991 as an assistant coach for multiple head coaches until 1997. During his time at CWU, Idler helped shape the state coaches pool as Wildcat wrestlers returned to the school ranks to coach. Idler was the foundation of the CWU program during this time and helped it survive as long as possible. During his time at CWU, he coached 37 wrestlers to All-American status.

Having made their home in Ellensburg with his wife Cathy, Idler became an assistant coach at Ellensburg High School with Jason Stevenson in 1999, where he could remain part of the Bulldog program until 2012. Stevenson and Idler coached 43 state placers with four state champions and four runners-up. Their teams were seven-time league champions and twice won the district championships while collecting four top-ten finishes.

In 2012, Idler was asked to coach the club at Central Washington University. He returned to coach the Wildcats until 2015. Eric and Cathy own the Idler Carpet Business and they have three children: Kelsea, Natalie, and Liston.

Sedro Wooley High School (Asst)

Jack Hurd served as an assistant coach in the Sedro-Woolley wrestling program from 1998-2018 after working with the Burlington (1991-1995) and Stanwood (1986-1988) programs. During his time at Sedro-Woolley, the Cubs won six consecutive state championships from 2002-2007, a state record as of 2022, and four second-place state finishes and a total of 15 top-ten state placings.

Coaching alongside Jay Breckenridge (WSWCA Hall of Fame Class of 2015), they compiled a dual meet record of 114-12-0 together. This included 15 league titles, 14 regional tournament titles, and 102 individual state placers with 22 runners-up and 21 champions.

Hurd was selected as Assistant Coach of the Year four times. For the past 30 years, Jay and Jack traveled around the country to watch wrestling of all levels. Breckenridge stated, “Jack had the knowledge, passion and skills to be a head coach, but we decided to stick together and create a program at Sedro-Woolley High School that would make the community proud.”

Jack grew up in Burlington and was a 1978 graduate. His family includes wife Kara, two sons Cody and Jace, and daughter Taylor.

Decatur High School
Seattle Christian

Following his time at Seattle Christian, Mike Bressler moved to the Federal Way School District in 1997 and quickly established himself as an extraordinary coach and teacher. His first teaching position was at Lakota Junior High where he taught history and served as the Head Football Coach where they won a district title in 1998. At the same time, Mike took over the head wrestling position at Decatur High School. During his tenure there, he took a struggling program and made it a state power earning three regional titles, three SPSL championships, two SPSL NW division titles, and one central division championship. Individual wrestlers accrued eight state titles - two of them as two timers, including his son Kyle - fifteen state finalists and 37 individual state medalists. As a team, Decatur finished second in state twice and became a consistent top ten team.

Bressler was a two-time state champion competing for Darryl Whitmore at Evergreen High School and was a four-year varsity athlete at the University of Washington. He was a Captain, and Outstanding Wrestler who placed second in the PAC 10 two times, twice earning a spot as a national qualifier.

Coach Bressler has been recognized as SPSL Coach of the Year four times and a two-time State Coach of the Year. Mike’s accomplishments as a coach speak for themselves, but it is his commitment to family which includes his wife, Kathy, daughter, Laura, and two sons, Jason and Kyle, that speaks to his heart and character.

LaConner High School
Anacortes High School
Burlington-Edison High School

Mike Compton was a conference champion and Most Inspirational Wrestler at Western Washington State College in 1970. After a time away from the sport, Compton coached at Burlington-Edison High School for six years where the Tigers had a dual record of 64-8-1, won three league and region titles, and won the 1993 AA State championship.

His first season in Anacortes the team had a dual record of 2-7. Three years later the Seahawks finished as the dual and league champions along with a Dream Duals championship. Over a four year span starting in 1998 Compton’s teams had a dual record of 63-6 and won four league titles.

Compton moved to LaConner High School as the athletic director, where he also started the LaConner wrestling program. The program grew over the years and Compton saw the Braves reach the top-10 in state before his retirement.

Over his career, Compton coached 48 league champions, 27 region champions, 49 state placers including nine state champions who won twelve individual titles.

Compton has been recognized by a variety of organizations for his work, including being named as the AAA State Coach of the Year in 1999, four time regional coach of the year, six time league coach of the year, Snohomish Count Wrestling Officials’ coach of the year, and he received the Campbell/Driscoll/Reiman Award by the Whatcom and Skagit County Officials Associations. The Anacortes American recognized Compton with the “Best Coach Award” four times.

He has served as a LaConner School Board Member, was the Grand Marshall of the Anacortes Women of Today Parade, and served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Upper Volta West Africa in the early 1970’s. Compton and his wife Reesa have four children; Christina, Katy, Liz and Evelyn.

University High School

A four-sport high school athlete, Don Owen placed second in state as a freshman and sophomore, then went undefeated as a junior to win the state championship. A two-time Tri-State champ, his undefeated senior year was cut short by a knee injury. Owen would continue his athletic career at North Idaho College where he won two region championships, placed third in the nation, and was a two-year letter winner in baseball. After transferring to Brigham Young, he was a two-time WAC champion and was named the WAC Outstanding Wrestler his senior year. Owen was ranked third in the nation his senior year finishing with a 34-2 record and won 154 matches over his college career.

Owen began his coaching career as an assistant at the University of Montana in 1981, and moved back to North Idaho as an assistant in 1982 where the Cardinals placed first and second in the nation during his two years.

From 1983-1989 Owen was the head coach at Couer d’Alene High School where he coached five individual state champions. Then in 1989 he moved to University High School in Spokane, taking over as head coach in 1994 where Owen would remain until his retirement from coaching in 2019. The Titans had a dual record of 241-43 during his tenure and a total high school coaching record of 311-53, with 3 State Titles, 20 top ten finishes, 11 state trophies, 12 GSL titles, 9 District titles, and 4 Region titles. Owen coached 129 individual state places that included 28 individual state champions. Among those wrestlers were three high school All-Americans and one Honorable Mention. Owen’s lasting legacy may be his 33 former wrestlers that are currently successfully coaching.

East Valley High School
Lakeside High School
Wapato High School

Craig Hanson is entering his 24th year of coaching at East Valley where his teams have finished in the top-ten at state eighteen times and have won fourteen league titles, eight regional titles and one state championship. Prior to coming to EVHS, Hanson coached at Arlee HS (MT), Wapato HS, Lakeside HS Nine Mile Falls and Coeur d’Alene HS (ID). He has an overall combined dual meet record of 354-64 and has had 26 top-ten team finishes at the state tournament in 34 years of coaching. Over his career, he has coached nine academic state champions, fourteen state champions, 147 state placers and 12 High School All-Americans.

Hanson has been awarded as the 2002, 2003, 2018 WSWCA Coach of the Year, the 2003 & 2017 NWCA Sectional Coach of the Year; the 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018 GNL Coach of the Year. He was one of the co-founders of the Washington Intensive Wrestling Camp and has been a featured clinician at many local camps. Hanson has put in countless hours for the sport of wrestling as a volunteer, and has served multiple roles for the WSWCA including president, vice president, and at-large member. Hanson has also served as WSWA Junior Team Director, National Team Coach, Coaching Director and a Cultural Exchange Coach. He is currently an organizer of the WSWCA Coaches Clinic, is involved in the Japanese Cultural Exchange Program, has served as WSWA Coaches Director and the NWCA Board of Directors - Scholastic, along with coaching club wrestlers of all ages throughout his career.

Hanson has brought numerous wrestling events to Spokane including the Spokane Open College Wrestling Tournament, the USAW Tour of America’s Bigfoot Battle and many local and State events over the years. He has also served as the Tournament Director for the NJCAA National Championships, the Spokane Open and Washington Dream Duals. Hanson is a huge proponent to add a State Dual Meet Championship in Washington working with the WIAA as a coach’s representative.

Hanson is a graduate of the Univ. of Montana and Gonzaga University. He has been married to his wife, Jeneen for 35 years and they are the proud parents of three boys, Matthew, Clete and Zachary who are all actively involved in the sport of wrestling either coaching or participating.

Emerald Ridge High School
HM Jackson High School
Vashon High School

Jim Meyerhoff grew up in a wrestling family and was helping manage tournaments at a young age. Wrestling provided many opportunities and took his family all over the world. Following graduation from Puyallup HS, Meyerhoff attended Pacific Lutheran University and assisted with the wrestling program. He spent five years as an assistant at Jackson HS in Everett, three years as an assistant at Vashon Island HS and a year as head coach at Cascade JHS in Auburn.

He was the head wrestling coach at Emerald Ridge for fifteen years, starting the program at the new school in 2000. ER teams won five SPSL Championships, three regional championships, and the 2011 Girls team were the 4A Academic State Champions. Meyerhoff coached 49 state placers, including 3 state champions, six runners-up, and twelve third place finishers. Emerald Ridge ran the first tournament solely for girls after the WIAA started the girls state tournament in 2007. Meyerhoff was chosen as the SPSL South Coach of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2011 along with Region 2 Coach of the Year in 2011. In 2009 Meyerhoff was honored as the State Coach of the Year for the girls division, and he was selected as the 4A Coach of the Year in 2011. Meyerhoff also coached the ERHS Girls Golf team where his teams won six league titles.

He has been the tournament manager for many league and regional tournaments along with multiple high school tournaments each year. Meyerhoff has been a Mat Classic staff member every year since its inception, now serving as the B Tournament Director. He has been a strong proponent for the advancement of girls wrestling in Washington, and helped coach the WSWA Girls National Team at Fargo where the teams placed 2nd and 3rd in the national duals. He has served as Director of the WSWCA Hall of Fame for 21 years, and as a WSWCA Executive Board Member, Meyerhoff has been involved in the running the annual coaches clinic and was part of the group that helped get the match count raised to 45 matches.

Meyerhoff was a photography, technology, and yearbook teacher for 27 years, and was the Puyallup HS Athletic Director for three years. He currently serves as the Puyallup SD Director of Athletics, Health & Fitness. Meyerhoff and his wife Dawn (an elementary teacher in the Puyallup School District) have two grown children, Angela and Tyler, and a six-year old grandson, Cormac.

Central Valley High School
West Valley High School
University High School

John Owen has had a major impact at all levels as a wrestling coach for 47 years. After a two-year stint in the Army, and graduating from Central Washington in 1972, Owen coached at South Umpqua HS (OR) for three years where his team had a dual record of 72-11-2 and his teams placed 2nd and 4th, had three champions and eight place winners. Owen then moved to North Idaho College where he would set a standard for the NJCAA over the next two decades. First as an assistant to Hall of Fame coach Les Hogan, and then as head coach. His NIC teams compiled a dual record of 304-23-2, and placed in the top-3 at nationals 18 of 20 years, including eight NJCAA national championships. 35 Cardinals won NJCAA titles and Owen coached a total of 118 All-Americans. He was names NJCAA Coach of the Year four times.

Owen returned to the high school ranks when his sons competed at that level. First as an assistant with this brother Don at University HS, then two stints at Central Valley and West Valley in Spokane. At CV his teams placed 3rd and 4th and saw eight Bears win championships among 28 state place winners. Owen was named 4A Coach of the Year in 2016.

His coaching extended beyond the high school and college levels as Owen served as Head Coach for the Junior Pan American Team in 1979, Head Freestyle Coach of Team USA vs Cuba in 1991 and Russia in 1992. He was the WSWA Deputy Director from 2002-2007.

Many honors have been bestowed upon Owen during his career including NJCAA Hall of Fame in 1989, Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005, World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame (ID) in 2008, North Idaho College Hall of Fame in 2010, Inland Northwest Hall of Fame in 2012.

John and his wife Janet have four children; Jennifer, Nicole, Tommy and Brian. They are fortunate to have seven grandchildren; Owen, Brady, Hilie, Brynlynn, Ryder, Lucas, Asher and an eighth on the way. Owen continues to coach at the Inland Northwest Training Center, has retired from teaching, and is enjoying time fishing near his new home on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Zillah High School
Pullman High School

Daniel Robillard wrestled at Granger HS where he was a three-time state placer and the class valedictorian in 1984. After a year coaching at Pullman HS, Robillard spent thirty years coaching at Zillah HS, including 25 as an assistant and five as the head coach. During his time at Zillah, the Leopards had a dual meet record of 254-80-2, and they won 13 league titles, 15 district titles, and three Regional championships. The Zillah teams won three state championships, one with Robillard as the head coach and two as an assistant coach. They also earned top-4 trophies seven other times. Robillard has coached 22 state champions and 125 state place winners. Coach Robillard was named Regional Assistant Coach of the Year twice.

Robillard also had a storied career in other sports while at Zillah. In 2011 Robillard was named to the WSCA Hall of Fame for Softball after leading the Leopard to 529 wins, three state championships and four other state trophies in his 30 years as head coach. His softball teams won four Academic State Championships and had 30 straight years of WIAA Academic Achievement Awards. Robillard has been a head or assistant coach in volleyball and football, and served as president of the Zillah Coaches Association for 17 years. Robillard has completed his 90th consecutive season coaching at Zillah.

Warden High School

John Voss graduated from Warden High School in 1972 where he participated in football and wrestled for future Hall of Fame coach Darrell White. Voss married his wife Janice in 1976, and their children Lee and Stacy followed a few years later. Voss graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1980. He got his first teaching assignment in Rigby, Idaho in 1981, and then moved to Harrington, WA where he taught for the next four years. In 1985 Voss returned to Warden where he has primarily taught high school math.

He joined to the Warden wrestling program in 1987 when he began his 25 year stay as the assistant coach. During these years Warden won 23 undefeated league titles, seven state championships, three second-place finishes, a third and fourth place finish, and ten Dream Duals championships. Voss’ JV (white) squad scored enough points at state to place second to the varsity (blue) on two separate occasions. Both Voss and Hall of Fame head coach Rick Bowers completed their Master’s Degree through Eastern Washington University and won a state title in the same year.

Voss did whatever was necessary to help the program, including volunteering countless hours the middle school and Little Guy wrestling teams. Some of his primary duties included injury evaluation and rehab, stats, showing technique, particularly leg rides and counters. Voss never missed a practice or event, and his JV squad had a sepa ate schedule which he would drive anywhere in the state to get his team the level of competition they needed.

Lake Stevens High School
Bethel High School

Brent Barnes has set the standard for high school wrestling programs as his teams have captured eleven state team championships during his time at Lake Stevens HS.

After winning the 1980 “AAA” state championship for Rogers HS in Puyallup, Barnes was a 2-time All-American at North Idaho, winning a national championship. He would continue his career at Oklahoma State University before heading back to North Idaho for a year where he coached the Cardinals to the NJCAA National Championship. Back in Washington, he spent a year as an assistant at Bethel HS as the Braves placed 2nd in state, before teaching and coaching job became available at Lake Stevens in 1987.

The Vikings won their first state in 1990, and since 2000 they have captured ten more titles, the most recent in 2016. Along with the championships, his teams have earned eight other top-four trophies. Barnes has lead LSHS to 22 regional championships, 25 sub-regional tournament titles, and 27 WESCO dual titles during his 30 seasons. In 2005 the Vikings were WIAA Academic State Champions.

42 individual state champions have wrestled for Barnes, including two 4-time champs (Burke Barnes and MichaelSoler), and two wrestlers that won three titles. 185 Vikingshave placed at the state tournament.

Barnes has been named WESCO Coach of the Year 3 times, and in 1992 he was named as the AA Coach of the Year. The NHCA honored him as the West Regional Coach of the Year in 2010.

He spent four years as the WSWCA Secretary and coached the Cultural Exchange team to Poland in 1991.Barnes has coached on the Washington team to Fargo multiple times, and spent the past five years as the USA World Team Coach at the cadet and junior levels. Over the past 12 years, he has assisted with the women’s program for USA Wrestling.

Barnes is the son of Hall of Fame coach Ray Barnes (Puyallup HS), and they are the first father/son coaches to be inducted in the WSWCA Hall of Fame.

Ilwaco High School
White River High School
Sequim High School

Kevin McNulty wrestled, played football and ran track at Naselle HS. He continued to play football in college at Olympic CC and Pacific University, where he earned a degree in education before moving back to Naselle where he started his teaching and coaching career. Over the past 30 years he has coached and taught at Ilwaco, Sequim, White River and is now in his tenth year back at Ilwaco.

He does not shy away from a challenge as he has taken over a few wrestling and football programs that were struggling and turned them in to top teams at the league and state level. McNulty has been a master at increasing participation, especially with small schools.

McNulty has coached 69 wrestling state placers, including 15 state champions and four runner-ups. His teams have won six state trophies, placing 2nd three-times, 3rd twice and 4th. His teams compiled a dual meet record of 212-52 and they have won league titles at all three schools, including six consecutive league and regional titles at White River and currently two in a row at Ilwaco.

He has been selected as the league Coach of the Year six times, regional Coach of the Year three times, and has been honored as the state classification Coach of the Year at the AAA level with White River in 2003, and B level with Ilwaco in 2017. McNulty was named as a NWCA Coach of the Year in 2003, and in 2004 was selected as the Washington State Wrestling Coach of the Year. He was awarded the WIAA Sportsman of the Year Award in 2003. McNulty’s football teams have placed 5th in state three times and he has been selected as league Coach of the Year four times.

His service to our sport includes fifteen years as a member of the WSWCA Executive Board, where he served as Rep-at-Large, Vice-President and President. McNulty helped coordinate the annual coaches clinic for many years. He serves as the WA state representative to the NHSCA wrestling committee. For the past 25 years he organized and run summer wrestling camps. The first 20 years as K&K Wrestling Camp and the past five years as Ilwaco Summer Duals.

Curtis High School
Clover Park High School

Doug Cowan is a 1967 graduate of Curtis HS and charter member of the CHS Athletic Hall of fame, where he was a four-sport letterman in football, wrestling, baseball and track, and awarded CHS Outstanding Senior Athlete. Cowan matriculated to the University of Washington, receiving an academic/athletic scholarship for football and wrestling. Following an injury, Cowan transferred to the University of Puget Sound in 1971, participating in football and track, earning All-American honors in football. UPS honored him with the Ben Cheney Award for the Outstanding Senior Athlete.

He began teaching in 1974 with the Clover Park SD, teaching science, coaching football and track. In 1977 Joe Reasons asked him to assist with wrestling at Clover Park HS. In their first season together, the Warriors won the first of two state championships among five top-ten finishes. In 1992 Cowan and Reasons independently moved to Curtis HS where he continued to coach wrestling and football. During their time together, Reasons and Cowan accumulated a dual meet record of 227 wins and 88 losses. Cowan became the head coach in 2000 and guided the Vikings to 93 wins until his retirement in 2012. Cowan has coached eleven state finalists and six state champions. One of those state champions, Kirk White, went on to win a national title for Boise State and later coached the Broncos. His Curtis teams won two Academic State Championships, including numerous individual Academic State Champion wrestlers.

Cowan was selected by his peers as league and regional assistant coach of the year, and league and regional head coach of the year. He also received the inaugural Sportsman of the Year at the 50th anniversary Washington State wrestling tournament. Cowan’s philosophy, a theme throughout his career, is to: compete, especially against one’s best self; commit to excellence in all endeavors; and lead with impeccable integrity. He has garnered the respect of students, athletes, opposing coaches and officials as a true gentleman of the sport who held his athletes to high standards. He taught science for 38 years, and was selected as Regional Science Teacher of the Year in 1998. Cowan was selected by the Curtis HS students to be the faculty commencement speaker eight times, including seven of the last nine years of teaching. He continues to coach football and substitute teach.

Mount Baker High School
Ferndale High School

Ron Lepper wrestled for Cashmere HS under Hall of Fame coaches Bill Elliot and John Durheim as part of three state championship teams, and played football for HOF coach Jack Collins. At Simon Fraser University Lepper wrestled and played football from 1983-86, and served as an assistant coach for both programs. As an assistant coach for Ferndale during the 1989 season, he worked with Hall of Fame coach Lee Anderson. Lepper was the head coach at Palo Verde HS in Blythe, CA and coached PV’s first CIF (Southern Section) place who participated in the masters meet, one step away from the state tournament.

Lepper moved to Mt. Baker in 1994 where he would coach wrestling for the Mountaineers for 20 seasons. His dual record is 146-31, with a league record of 107-21 including a 61 conference dual meet streak from 1996-2005. The boys team won the state championship in 2000, were runner-ups three times, third place three times, and three other top-ten finishes. The boys teams also won 10 regional champion ships and 11 league titles. Lepper helped spearhead the rise of girls wrestling in the northwest section of our state. He coached the Mt. Baker girls team to four top-ten finishes including a state championship in 2008 and trophies in 2007 and 2010. The girls won the first Girls Dream Dual Tournament title, as well as the first girls dual meet in Whatcom County. Over the course of his career at MBHS, Lepper coached exactly 100 state placers, 14 state champions including his daughter, Rainey Lepper. He was named league Coach of the Year 11 times, Regional Coach of the Year 8 times, and in 1998 Lepper was named Sate Coach of the Year for the 1A classification.

He spent most of those years coaching three sport seasons. Lepper has been the head football coach since 1996, has recorded over 150 wins, and was named league Coach of the Year seven times. In his time at Mt. Baker, Lepper was a head coach or assistant coach for softball, baseball, and even basketball this past year. He continues to teach at Mt. Baker and coach football. His nominator says this of his friend; “Coach Lepper’s loud ‘Old School’ exterior hides his huge heart for kids. He loves impacting the lives of kids through sports.”

Othello High School

Mike Williams was instrumental in the accomplishments of the Othello High School wrestling program as an assistant coach for thirty years, and helped four different head coaches develop and mold young kids into young successful men. His role as an assistant coach was valuable to the athletes and coaches that he worked with. The Othello teams that Williams helped coach won three state championships (1968, 1969, 1974) along with five runner-up finishes (1975, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1995). There were 22 individual state champions for Othello as well as 14 runner-ups. He taught science and math for 30 years at Othello High School and coached at Othello MS for seven seasons.

Coach Williams took the responsibility of traveling all over the country taking wrestlers from Othello, and at times from other programs, to tournaments. He started the little guy program in Othello in the late 1960’s. He coordinated freestyle tournaments, with a highlight being the 1976 Olympic Qualifier in Othello where he was the assistant tournament director. Williams also coached the 1982 Cultural Exchange Team to Australia and twice coached Team Washington at the Junior Nationals in Iowa.

During his years at Othello, Williams taught many athletes the commitment and dedication that it takes to be successful. Many of the athletes that he helped coach became successful in their own right, including WSWCA Hall of Fame members Wayne Schutte (Othello), Mark Kondo, (Othello), Ruben Martinez (Othello), and Scott Bliss (Auburn and Mead).

Sedro Wooley High School
Burlington Edison High School
Concrete High School
Anacortes High School
Mount Vernon High School
Cheney High School
Liberty High School

Jay Breckenridge was a three-time state placer for Burlington-Edison HS, including a state championship in 1978. His wrestling career was cut short due to injuries after his freshman season at Eastern Washington University where he qualified for the national tournament. Breckenridge was an assistant coach at five different schools over his first 8 years. In 1998, he became the head coach at Sedro-Woolley High School, and his teams have a dual meet record of 114-12 overthe past 17 years. The Cubs set a state record as they won six consecutive state Championships from 2002-07, and won eleven state trophies overall. His wrestlers have captured 96 state medals, including 41 state finalists and 21 state champions. Derek Garcia was a 4-time state champion for Sedro-Woolley.

His peers have selected Breckenridge as the 3A state Coach of the Year three times, and he was selected as one of eight NFHS Sectional Coaches of the Year in 2007. Under Breckenridge’s leadership, Sedro Woolley annually hosts three tournaments during the high school and freestyle season. His nominator notes that Breckenridge is “one of those rare coaches who appear gruff and tough from afar, but whose athletes love him, respect him, and believe in him.” Breckenridge has five children, and along with teaching Physical Education at SWHS he is also the owner of JB Cattle Company.

Alderwood High School
Mountlake Terrace High School

John Casebeer was a state champion for Edmonds High School in 1963 and was an All-American (3rd place) for Central Washington University in 1968. He taught and coached in the Edmonds School District from 1968-1998. Since 1970 he has served as a wrestling official at all levels, including state tournaments and evaluator of state officials. Casebeer is currently officiating and provides wrestling clinics to assist coaches in the vicinity.

John Casebeer provided the wrestling foundation for high school wrestling in the Edmonds School District for 30 years. His unbridled enthusiasm for the sport and his contagious smile made it impossible for a new wrestler to say no when asked to turn out for the team. Casebeer’s junior high and middle school teams were always in top condition as well as excellent technicians. Records of wins and losses were not kept, though over a span of 18 years at the middle school level, his teams lost only two matches. As a coach at Mountlake Terrace HS for five years, Casebeer coached 25 state participants along with a state champion. Many of his middle school wrestlers went on to become high school state champions, college wrestlers, and wrestling coaches. Randy Couture went on to become an Olympic contender and five time cage fighter champion.

Chehalis High School
\John Eklund was born and raised in Aberdeen and attended Western Washington University, graduating in 1970 with a major in history and a minor in athletic coaching. Eklund played football for the Vikings and participated in intramural sports including wrestling. Eklund worked at Chehalis Middle School for 30 years, teaching History and Mechanical Drawing as well as coaching football and wrestling.

In his 37 years coaching wrestling at Chehalis Middle School, his teams have had a string of 30 consecutive winning seasons, and have 15 undefeated seasons and 11 league titles. Eklund has coached nine state champions and 57 state placers. He was recognized as the Regional Middle School Coach of the Year four times and his 1990 team earned the WIAA Academic Middle School state championship. Eklund has been named league Middle School Coach of the Year multiple times.

Eklund helped establish the Lewis County freestyle wrestling program in the late 1970’s. He also serves as the announcer for the W.F. West High School wrestling matches and never misses an out-of-town match. He has spent 30 years as a member and past-president of the Chehalis Activators, a group that raises money exclusively for Chehalis Middle School athletics.

John returned to coaching at Chehalis MS after a six year retirement. The school was in desperate need for a coach in 2007 and John quickly stepped in to fill the void and is still coaching to this day. John and his wife Nancy live in Chehalis. They have two sons, Jeffrey (Stacey) and Max (Tami) and five Grandchildren. Jeffrey and Max are coaching in the Chehalis program.

Othello High School

Ruben Martinez has been involved in coaching for 32 years, including 23 years at his alma-mater, Othello High School. As a wrestler at Othello, Martinez placed 4th, 2nd and 1st in state from 1976-78. He wrestled for Eastern Washington University and the University of Montana. Martinez was an assistant coach under former Othello grad and WSWCA Hall of Fame Member Scott Bliss at the University of Montana.

After stints as a high school assistant and head coach in Montana, he returned to Othello HS as an assistant for Wayne Schutte from 1992-95. In the fall of 1995, Martinez became the head wrestling coach at Othello, and he would lead the Huskies for the next 20 years. During his tenure at OHS, his teams won two state titles along with 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finishes. 16 of his wrestlers captured state titles. Over his career, Martinez coached 93 individual state medalists’ including 19 state champions. His teams won 10 league titles, with 9 undefeated seasons, and 6 regional titles. In dual matches, his Othello team had 150 dual wins, and overall his teams had 195 wins.

Forks High School

Robert (Bob) Wheeler teaches PE at the Forks Intermediate School. Over the years has taught a myriad of subjects for students in the Forks schools from fourth grade through twelfth grade. In 1979 he signed a one year position to teach English at the Forks Jr. - Sr. High School and is now working on his 37th year of teaching in Forks.

In 1979 Coach Wheeler served as an assistant coach at Forks High School before becoming the head coach in 1983. During his time at Forks, his teams have compiled a dual meet record of 246-68-2, and have won 16 dual meet league championships. The Spartans have placed in the top-10 in state ten times. Wheeler has coached 75 of the 77 FHS state placers, which include six state champions. His sons Ryan and Rob were among the Forks state placers.

There were three years from 2002 – 2004 that Coach Wheeler did not coach wrestling while his wife, Lyn, was battling cancer. Happily, she is now cancer free. In 2005 he returned to wrestling as an assistant coach, but again took over head coaching duties in 2007.

When Coach Wheeler moved to Forks in 1979, he started the Forks freestyle wrestling club which has supported kids’ wrestling ever since. In 1986 Wheeler was named the 1A State Coach of the year. In 1989, he was a coach for one of the Centennial Games regional wrestling teams. In 1991 he was the team leader for a cultural exchange team to Japan. He also spent six years as a WSWCA regional representative.

In the Forks community he spent six years coaching baseball in Little League and Babe Ruth. For eight years he served as the Forks High School fastpitch head coach, and was also the Forks High School head baseball coach for four years.

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