North Creek Jaguars grappler Matt Kendrick never forgot the disappointment he experienced at the KingCo wrestling tournament 12 months ago.

He finished in third place and wasn’t happy about it. This year, Kendrick earned a 6-2 victory against Eastlake’s Cameron Knutsen in the Class 3A KingCo tournament 182-pound division championship match on Feb. 3 at North Creek High School.

“Last year I was third (place) and I was really upset about it. This year I won it. It was awesome. I’m glad I got to be here. All the glory is to God,” Kendrick said.

His strategy was to slow down Knutsen throughout the duration of the match, which worked to perfection.

“Today I was leg riding a lot more than I did last year. It really helped me with what I was doing,” Kendrick said. “My goal going forward for sure is to make it to state (tournament).”

Kendrick captured second place in the 182-pound weight class at the Class 4A Region II wrestling tournament on Feb. 10 at Tahoma High School in Maple Valley. Tahoma’s Michael Gaspar defeated Kendrick, 7-5, in the championship match.

Kendrick will face Pasco wrestler Jose Tovar in the first round of the Mat Classic Class 4A tournament 182-pound division on Feb. 16 at the Tacoma Dome.

Bothell 106-pound senior wrestler Cameron Roark earned third place at regionals, punching his ticket to the Mat Classic Class 4A state tournament. Roark will face Pasco’s Nathaniel Tovar in the first round on Feb. 16 at the Tacoma Dome.

Bothell 170-pound junior wrestler Jay Smith, who captured fourth place at regionals, will face South Kitsap’s Mason Eaglin in his first round match on Feb. 16.

Bothell junior 220-pounder Walker Harden registered a fourth-place finish at regionals, earning a berth at the Mat Classic.

Harden will face Auburn-Riverside junior William Russell in his opening match on Feb. 16 at the Tacoma Dome.

Inglemoor senior Zach Liang will take on senior Xavier Whitson of Curtis in an opening 195-pound match on Feb. 16 at state.