Behind the strength of three class champions, Auburn grappled its way to a second-place finish at the South Puget Sound League North 4A subregional wrestling tournament last Saturday.

The Trojans finished with 266.5 points and advanced six wrestlers to this weekend’s Region III tournament at Shelton High School. First-round bouts will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday.

“Overall, if you look at kids wrestling to their potential, I was real pleased with the effort,” said Trojans coach John Aiken. “Some kids had some rough breaks, but I was pleased. The kids are going to hang it all out there and wrestle their hardest. You have to be pleased with their effort.”

Auburn senior Dylan Rutledge dominated the 215-pound weight class, capturing the title with a 56-second pin over Kentridge’s Andrew Weitzel at the Auburn High gym. Rutledge, who won the state 171-pound title last season, won all three of his subregional bouts by pin.

Nick Conlan, another Auburn senior, also finished first, defeating Kent-Meridian’s Jean-Claude Atkinson 2-1 in the title match.

“Those guys do what they do and know what to expect. They’ve been through it before. This is their fourth year,” Aiken said. “They know how the game is played. They are going to pick up their energy, now that the end is in sight.”

Also finishing first for Auburn was 103-pound junior Brian Alonzo, who defeated Tahoma’s Tim Whitehead 6-1 in the finals. Alonzo also dominated his division, notching a pin and a major decision in his first two matches.

The Trojans also will move on 145-pound junior Tilden Sansom, who finished second at the tourney, losing 8-0 to Tahoma’s Tanner Mjelde in the title match.

Senior Tarin McDonald qualified with a third-place finish at 160 pounds, defeating Kentridge’s Chris Bailey with a pin 52 seconds into the match.

The final regional qualifier for Auburn was senior Kyle Figurson who snagged fourth at 130 pounds.

“Tarin is actually wrestling in high school for the first time this year,” Aiken said. “We feel pretty good about that, and Figurson did a good job as well.”

Just as important as Auburn’s six regional competitors is the fact that the Trojans’ underclassmen made a strong showing at the tourney.

“We finished second with six qualifiers, but we had another six place,” Aiken said. “I was just as happy with the fact that we had a lot of kids, underclassman, getting close to the next level.”

In fact, the only disappointment for Auburn might have been junior Adam Garcia’s failure to grab a spot in regionals due to an injury. Garcia, who was injured in the 140-pound semifinals and pinned by Kent-Meridian’s Josh Smith. Garcia was forced to injury default his final two matches and finished sixth.

Tahoma finished first in the team competition with 394.2 points, moving 15 wrestlers to the regionals. Kentwood, which finished third, advanced eight wrestlers to this weekend’s bouts.

The top four finishers in each weight class at regionals will advance to Mat Classic XXII in the Tacoma Dome on Feb. 18-19.

For more tournament, information, visit www.wcd3.org.

ALSO: Auburn Riverside finished last in the team competition with 82.5 points, advancing two wrestlers – junior Eduard Yakimchuck (second place, 135 pounds) and senior Jason Greely (fourth, 171 pounds). … In the SPSL 3A subregional tourney, Auburn Mountainview qualied four wrestlers to the Region III tourney, with senior 171-pound Lucas Huyber grabbing first. Also moving on will be 119-pound junior Brandon Perry, 135-pound junior Jordan Slavik and 145-pound junior Erik English. The Region III 3A tourney begins at 4:30 p.m. today at Bonney Lake High School and continues Saturday. … In the SPSL 4A subregional girls tournament, Auburn got first-place finishes from 140-pound junior Katrynia Todd and heavyweight junior Siao Wilson. Freshman Hana Mizogchi was third at 112 pounds. … Auburn Mountainview’s 103-pound junior Alyssa Aguilar and 171-pound senior Alanna Alegria punched tickets to the Region III tournament. Aguilar was first in her division and Alegria was third. The 3A and 4A girls will compete at the Region II tournament, which will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Oakland Bay Junior High School in Shelton.