Reaching the second day of the Mat Classic Class 4A state tournament was one of the main goals of North Creek Jaguars senior 170-pound wrestler Matt Kendrick in the last matches of his high school career.

Kendrick accomplished his mission.

While Kendrick didn’t place at the state tourney in his weight division, he still finished with a 3-2 overall record at the Mat Classic on Feb. 15-16 at the Tacoma Dome.

Kendrick battled his way through the consolation rounds with toughness and determination. The highlight of Kendrick’s Mat Classic was a gritty 13-9 victory against Emerald Ridge’s Sean Lightbody on the second day of the tourney. Kendrick, who battled a bloody nose throughout the match, overcame the injury en route to a memorable triumph on the mat. Kendrick also pinned Woodinville’s Nolan Downs in the second round of his opening match of the tourney.

“I feel like the first match at state is an icebreaker. After you get that first one down, the tingles and nerves start to go away and you start to wrestle a lot better,” Kendrick said on Feb. 15. “I still have one more match to go to make sure I get to the second day (of the tourney). The second day is what I have been trying to get to for the longest time.”

Kendrick’s dream was attained.