Auburn’s Lindsey, Apodaca place at Mat Classic | Prep wrestling

This weekend's Mat Classic XXVI Wrestling Championships were fruitful for Auburn junior Sam Lindsay and sophomore Jacob Apodaca, who placed in their weight classes.

This weekend’s Mat Classic XXVI Wrestling Championships were fruitful for Auburn junior Sam Lindsay and sophomore Jacob Apodaca, who placed in their weight classes.

Lindsey, who went two-and-out at last year’s Mat Classic, overcame a first-round loss and stayed alive in the consolation rounds to place sixth at the Tacoma Dome on Saturday.

The Auburn wrestler started off his run at 195 pounds with a first-round loss to Lewis and Clark senior Andrew Backlund, 5-3. In consolation matches, Lindsey responded with three straight wins, a 8-1 major decision over Camas junior Talon Edmiston, a 2-1 squeaker against K.J. Skannal from Todd Beamer and a 4-2 decision against Tahoma senior Cooper Thomas.

Lindsey’s first loss in the consolation bracket came against Puyallup senior Joseph Meyer, 4-3, dropping him into a bout for fifth place, where he lost a 4-2 overtime decision to South Kitsap senior Tristan Hartmann.

For Apodaca, a first-time competitor at 285 pounds, the tourney started off with two wins, a 10-6 decision against South Kitsap junior Dominick Johnson and a 4-2 win against Battle Ground senior Tyler Dady.

In the semifinals, Apodaca was sent to the consolation brackets after a 3-2 overtime loss to eventual 295-pound champion Trent Nivala, a senior from Puyallup.

Apodaca dropped a 3-1 decision to Evergreen junior Austin Wright, but picked up fifth place when Dady surrendered the match by injury default.

Also competing but not placing for Auburn were 120-pound sophomore Drew Aplin and 235-pound sophomore Makayla Barnett.

The Trojans finished the meet 30th in the team standings with 17 points. Lake Stevens finished first with 133 points, followed by Moses Lake with 116.5.