Three Bainbridge High School wrestlers had strong showings — including one top 10 finish — at the 2016 Mat Classic XXVIII State Wrestling Tournament at the Tacoma Dome last week.

Spartan co-captain and BHS senior Aaron Jumpa ended the tourney in seventh place in the 160-pound bracket, his second consecutive medal-winning performance at the annual event. He finished in eighth place in the same weight class last year.

Jumpa, the squad’s only senior, finished his final year with a record of 30-7.

Fellow Spartan co-captain and junior Hague Bush (170 pounds) and team newcomer and freshman Rachel Longridge (100 pounds) also repped the rock in Tacoma.

Sixty teams participated in the tournament, the state’s premiere youth wrestling event. Bainbridge placed 44th overall with a team score of four. Arlington High claimed the top spot with a combined score of 148.

It was a fast-paced and intense season finale for the small Spartan squad, said BHS Coach Dan Pippinger.

“It’s always hard to know, I think especially coming from our league, we had a couple of weekends of competition but that level of competition just isn’t very high and so that can be a difficult thing to want to have kids be sharp and know what to expect, but we’re also trying to taper them so that they’re feeling really healthy and have a lot of energy,” Pippinger said.

“It’s kind of an abrupt end,” he added. “I don’t think there were any surprises, really. The majority of our team is very, very young, and so, as they get older, they kind of dip their toe in the water at the state tournament.”

With both Bush and Longridge having tested the proverbial waters and being set to return next season, Pippinger said their experience at state this year will benefit the entire squad.

The event saw some early discouragement for all three Spartans before some later match rebounds.

After suffering a 6-2 loss to Kelso’s AJ Hoggatt in his first match of the day, Bainbridge’s top finisher went on to claim a 5-2 decision over Bonney Lake’s Kaesen Ludwig in the first round of the consolation bracket. Jumpa then scored a 9-4 win over Mountlake Terrace’s Chaplyn Mack before having his streak shut down by Kamiakin’s Jacob Lawson in a 5-2 defeat.

Lawson would go on to lose against Morgan Ruegsegger of Mount Spokane, who would finish third in the division.

Jumpa is an athlete with a temperament that would seem more at home at a poker table than on a wrestling mat.

Win or lose, Pippinger said, Jumpa’s a real cool cat.

“Aaron’s pretty low-key,” he said. “He’s just consistent. He’s emotionally consistent, doesn’t get too high, too low. You couldn’t really tell if he was winning or losing. He just has the same demeanor and the same kind of response. He just doesn’t have these peaks and valleys at all.”

His stoicism, dedication and work ethic made Jumpa the perfect senior role model for the predominantly inexperienced squad, the coach added, and someone they will be glad to have had the chance to learn from.

“The intensity of his work is great,” Pippinger said. “He’s a great, great leader for these guys to follow.”

Bush also lost his first match of the day in 5:18 against Bonney Lake’s Keegan Dorsey. He was then defeated 8-0 in the first round of the consolation bracket by Taylor Bellefueille of Ferndale High.

With one more year of competition ahead of Bush, Pippinger said that the experience of competing at state this year will make the Spartan grappler that much more prepared next year.”

“He kind of knows what it’s all about now and can kind of gear himself up for moving toward next year and toward improving his position,” Pippinger said.

Longridge likewise lost her own first match. She was pinned in 38 seconds by Warden’s Vanessa Morales.

In the consolation bracket, she was pinned in 2:10 by Aberdeen’s Faith Cardenas, who was herself then defeated by Maria Reyes of Grandview High, who came within one match of an ultimate third-place finish.

“She had a great couple of really good tournaments leading up to the state tournament and then some real tough competition there,” Pippinger said of the freshman. “She’s finding out, too, what the expectation level is for her moving into preparing for next year.”

The wrestling team will host a postseason banquet early next month.

Though one of the smallest sports teams at BHS, the squad regularly performs well in the competitive 3A division, annually making an appearance at state and regularly bringing home finishes in the top 10.