Sunday, February 10, 2008 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

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3A Wrestling | State runner-up feeling strong

By Barry Pump

Special to The Seattle Times

· = ;

On to state

Schedules for state

championshi= p meets:

Gymnastics — Class 4A and 3A/2A mee= ts, Tacoma Dome, Friday and Saturday.

Wrestling — 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, 2B/1B = boys meets, and all-classification girls meet, Tacoma Dome, Friday and Saturday.=

Boys swimming and diving= — 4A and 3A/2A meets, King County Aquatic Center, Federal Way, Friday= and Saturday.

Source: www.WIAA.com

RENTON — Sedro-Wo= olley senior Kevin O'Neil can feel it.

After three runner-up finishes at Mat Classic, the state championships, this is going to be his y= ear.

"I feel I've prepa= red myself better this year, and I'm ready to go," the senior said. "= This is my last year. You can't hold anything back."

It took O'Neil, who is = ranked No. 1 in the state at 135 pounds, one minute to pin Arlington's Nathan Shortt and pick up his fourth consecutive regional ti= tle Saturday as Sedro-Woolley won the Class 3A Region 1 championship. The Cubs = had 189 ½ points, 20 more than runner-up Everett.

"I'd give anything= to see him win it," Sedro-Woolley coach Jay Breckenridge said of O'Neil. "Having a kid like him has been an incredible ride."

Eight wrestlers from Sedro-Woolley, the six-time defending state champ, and seven from Everett stamped their tickets to the Mat Classic, wh= ich starts Friday at the Tacoma Dome. Arlington, which placed third with 129 points, will send six.

"To be mentioned in the same breath as Sedro-Woolley is a compliment in itself," Everett coach Brien Ellio= tt said.

Defending state champ D= erek Garcia, a Cubs sophomore rated No. 1 in the state at 140 pounds, pinned Interlake's Jason Marks in 51 seconds for his second regional title.

"We're going to do= it this weekend and next weekend too," Garcia said. "That's what we'= re shooting for."

At 152 pounds, Everett's Cary Irwin escap= ed West Seattle's Jesse Roark in the championship round for his first regional title. Irwin led 5-4 with 1:26 remaining in the match, but racked up key takedowns for an 11-4 victory.

"I just kept going hard and kept mentally strong," Irwin said. "I wasn't expecting to go this far, and it's pretty nice that I have."

Arl= ington junior Chris Myers grinded out a 3-2 four-overtime victory over Everett's Taylor Boyce at 160. It was the second time this season a Myers-Boyce match went to overti= me.

Region IV

In East Wenatchee, East= side's A.J. Hostak won a champio= nship at 125 pounds and Chief Sealth's An= thony Rosario won at 130 in a tournament that included Metro, Columbia Basin and Greater Spokane teams.

East Valley of Spokane cruised to the team title.

Metro teams arrived at Eastmont High School in the early morning on Saturday after a grueling trip. They had to drive through the Columbia Gorge after Cascade Mountain passes = were closed because of heavy snow.

In= graham wrestlers, initially stuck on Snoqualmie Pass, reportedly turned around and finally arrived in East Wenatchee at about 4 a= .m.

West Seattle, however, = was given an exemption by WIAA officials and allowed to wrestle in the region tournament at Liberty High in Renton.

Chief Sealth, Bainbridge and Bishop Blanchet each had two qualifiers for state.