Last weekend was a good one for the Springsteen family, even if not quite as good as they hoped. Philip Springsteen and Dante Springsteen, who starred all season for Bethel, came razorclose to giving their clan and the Braves two state high school wrestling championships. In the 4A division of Mat Classic XXVIII at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 19-20, Philip won the 160-pound championship, while his brother Dante finished second at 152 pounds. Philip, a fourth-place finisher in last year's state tourney, made it to the top this year by pinning Rogers' Ty Wilson at the 3:47 mark of their showdown in last Saturday's finals. It was a rematch, and with the same result, of the Region I tournament the week before. And it was a triumphant conclusion to the high school career of Springsteen, a senior who recently signed a national letter of intent to attend and wrestle for University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. In the title match right before Philip's, Dante Springsteen lost to Adrian Avena of Beamer 7-5, giving up the deciding points in the closing moments. The younger Springsteen is a junior and will have another chance next season to join his brother in the ranks of state champions. Philip Springsteen's performance in the dome was dominant. He pinned three of his four oponents, two of them in less than a minute, and he beat his fourth victim 9-0. Eatonville had two placewinners and Graham-Kapowsin three during the two-day display of Washington's top wrestlers. In the 1A division, Eatonville's Wyatt Schrader, a freshman, made his first state-level appearance a memorable one by finishing fourth at 106 pounds. Teammate Tanner Frost, a senior who was in the state tourney for the second year in a row, earned sixth place at 132 pounds. Schrader and Frost reached the semifinals before absorbing their first defeats and dropping into the consolation brackets. For Graham-Kapowsin in the 4A division, Mason Eaglin was third at 120 pounds, Lane Holland was fourth at 126 and Gavin Eaglin placed sixth at 145. The latter Eaglin recorded a pin in one of the two victories that got him into the semifinals. Holland is a sophomore and Eaglin is a senior. Both entered the state meet as regional champions, as did Eaglin's brother, Mason, a sophomore who lost in the second round to eventual state champion Jacob Mendoza of Sunnyside.
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