The Prairie wrestling team reflects on the events of the state tournament that took place on February 20 through 21 at the Tacoma Dome, while also mentioning the amazing accomplishments of Faith Tarrant and Tommie Vick.
The long and very awaited results of the night were very successful for the Falcons, especially Tarrant, as she is the first girl from Clark County to be a 4-time wrestling state champion. But she wasn’t the only one; Vick also made a high accomplishment by finishing in 7th place. “ I was excited because I got to end my season off with a win and placed higher than the year before.” He adds.
Coach Rob Smith, one of the many wrestling coaches at Prairie, was asked what some of the most memorable moments from state were for him. he replied with, “ Probably Faith winning her 4th title, and Tommie placing 7th.” This shows how proud he is of his wrestlers, as it is the result of his coaching and their hours of training for this very moment.
Having to train for such big events should make it hard to keep up with academics, but for Vick, it is his normal routine that he has no struggle with keeping up as he also plays Football during the fall season. “I always show up to school and get my work done so I can put more effort in wrestling while not having to worry about school.” He states.
The Falcons strive for a better year next year, and the impact these wrestlers will have on future Falcons will prove to them that it is possible. They will show that they never give up, are a team, and want to be better. How will this year’s experience impact the team moving forward? “They’re always left with that little bit of hunger because they didn’t get what they wanted at the end of the season, so the underclassmen will start working hard in the off-season and prepare for next year to be better wrestlers,” Smith answers.
