Wrestling in Washington is a different kind of beast. It’s not just about who has the flashiest takedown or the most social media followers. When you step into the Tacoma Dome for Mat Classic XXXV, the air literally changes. It’s thick with the smell of sweat, floor wax, and the quiet, desperate hope of hundreds of kids who have spent their entire winter cutting weight and bleeding on practice mats.
Honestly, the washington state high school wrestling rankings 2024 were a moving target all season. You’d have a kid ranked number one in December who catches a flu or a bad head-and-arm in January, and suddenly the whole bracket flips. But by the time the dust settled in February 2024, a few names and teams didn't just sit at the top—they owned it.
The Powerhouses: Who Actually Won the Team Titles?
If you were looking at the 4A landscape, Tahoma was basically a freight train. They’ve been building that culture for years, and it showed. They racked up 190 points, leaving Mead (168.5) and Graham-Kapowsin (134) to fight for the silver and bronze. It’s kinda wild how Tahoma manages to stay so deep across every single weight class. You’ve got guys like Crew Lambro and Owen Marshall who just don't seem to have a "panic" button.
Then you look at the 3A division. Enumclaw took the top spot with 126 points. Yelm followed them up with 104. It was a dogfight. People forget how much parity there is in 3A wrestling in this state. One missed pin or a controversial stalling call in the consolation bracket can swing the team title by five points in an instant.
In the smaller schools, the dominance was even more pronounced.
- 1A: Toppenish. Period. They are a wrestling factory. They didn't just win; they loomed over the division.
- 2A: Deer Park showed up big with 154 points, outlasting a very tough Centralia squad.
- 1B/2B: Warden (143.5) and Reardan (119.5) were the class of the field.
The Individuals: Names You Should've Known
Rankings are great for projection, but the 2024 results are where the legends are actually made. Let's talk about Libby Roberts from University High. She is, quite frankly, a phenom. Watching her work is like watching a masterclass in hand-fighting and mat awareness. She entered the 2024 postseason as a multi-time champ and just kept the hammer down.
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Then there’s the 4A 120-pound class. That was a meat grinder. You had Kaysic Lundquist from Mead and Crew Lambro from Tahoma. When you see two kids of that caliber in the same state, the rankings almost don't matter because they’re both essentially "No. 1A" and "No. 1B." Lundquist eventually took that crown, but it was the kind of match that makes your heart race just standing near the mat.
Notable 4A Individual Champions
- 106 lbs: Noah Cuzzetto (Edmonds-Woodway) edged out Spencer Schroeder.
- 113 lbs: Michael Nguyen (Evergreen, Vancouver) was a force of nature.
- 132 lbs: Jonas DesRochers (Skyview) lived up to every bit of the hype.
- 190 lbs: Elijah Fleck (Stanwood) proved why he was the top-ranked guy all year.
It’s easy to look at a list of names and see "Winner," but you don't see the 5:00 AM runs in the rain or the thousands of times these kids were told "no" by their own bodies.
Why the Rankings Sorta Lie (Sometimes)
The washington state high school wrestling rankings 2024 are a snapshot. They rely on tournament results from places like Tri-State or the Gut Check. But wrestling is a game of matchups. A kid who is ranked 5th might have a style that is absolute poison for the kid ranked 1st.
I’ve seen it a hundred times. A "funky" wrestler who scrambles well can completely negate a powerhouse who relies on a double-leg. This is why the 2024 season was so special—there were so many upsets in the regional rounds that the state brackets looked like a minefield.
The Girls' Division: The Fastest Growing Show in Town
If you aren't watching girls' wrestling in Washington, you're missing out on the highest level of technique in the building. The 3A/4A girls' brackets were some of the most competitive in the history of the Mat Classic.
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Faith Tarrant from Prairie (235 lbs) and Alivia White (before she graduated) really set a standard for what dominance looks like. In 2024, the depth grew. We’re seeing more girls with 10+ years of club experience entering high school, and it has completely changed the "rankings" game. You can no longer rely on being "stronger" than everyone else. You better have a technical bottom game, or you’re going to get turned.
2024 Team Standings (The Final Numbers)
Forget the "projected" rankings. Here is what actually happened when the lights were the brightest at the Tacoma Dome.
4A Top 5:
- Tahoma (190)
- Mead (168.5)
- Graham-Kapowsin (134)
- Union (96.5)
- Lake Stevens (91)
3A Top 5:
- Enumclaw (126)
- Yelm (104)
- Bonney Lake (85)
- Shadle Park (75)
- Kelso (70.5)
2A Top 5:
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- Deer Park (154)
- Centralia (134)
- Fife (78.5)
- Ellensburg (78)
- Cedarcrest (60ish)
The "Mat Classic" Effect
There’s something about the Tacoma Dome. It’s a cavernous place, and the noise of twelve mats going at once is deafening. Rankings are built in quiet gyms in December, but they die in the Dome.
Take the 106-pounders. These are often freshmen—barely 100 pounds—carrying the weight of their whole school’s expectations. In 2024, seeing the "unranked" kids battle through the consolation bracket just to get a spot on the podium was, honestly, more inspiring than the finals. Those kids are the ones who define Washington wrestling.
What This Means for the Future
If you’re looking at these 2024 rankings to predict next year, look at the juniors. Guys like Justyce Zuniga from Toppenish (who is actually a junior/senior crossover to watch) and Lazarus McEwen from Capital. McEwen is a name that’s going to be at the top of the washington state high school wrestling rankings for a long time. He’s got that Montana-tough wrestling pedigree, and he’s only getting started.
The state is also seeing a massive shift toward more specialized training. We’re seeing more kids skip other sports to wrestle year-round. While that's a debate for another day, it's undeniable that the floor of the "average" wrestler in Washington is rising every single year.
How to Use This Data
If you’re a coach, athlete, or just a fan trying to make sense of the 2024 season, don't just look at the medals. Look at the common opponents. Look at how the winners handled the third period.
Washington wrestling is about grit. It’s about being the kid from Othello or Sedro-Woolley who doesn't care if the kid across from him has a fancy singlet or a higher ranking.
Your Next Steps for the Off-Season
- Study the Tape: Go back and watch the Mat Classic 2024 finals on Trackwrestling. See how the top-ranked kids adjusted their styles in the third period.
- Hit the Freestyle/Greco Circuit: The kids who dominate the 2024 rankings are almost all active in the spring.
- Track Weight Progression: Many of the top 2024 wrestlers will jump two weight classes by next season. Start scouting the "new" competition now.
The 2024 season is in the books, but the work for the next set of rankings has already started in those hot, windowless wrestling rooms across the state.