Bomber Embarks On A Mission -- Richland Wrestler Seeking Unprecedented Fourth State Championship

The forest doesn't concern Thomas Yamamoto. His attention is focused on the trees.

For a high-school senior about to embark on a history-making quest, the Richland teen-ager has a remarkably clear-headed vision of the task ahead: an attempt to become the state's first four-time wrestling champion during Mat Classic II, the state tournament, Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.

But dreams of making history are not part of Thomas Yamamoto. He refuses to talk in terms of past and future titles. Instead, he talks only of his next match.

``Every year is a new year,'' he said. ``I have to work just as hard as everyone else, even harder. I'm just taking things a day at a time right now. I can't look too far ahead; I don't think.''

He does allow that the talk of four titles has followed him all season, and his senior season with the Richard Bombers has been different as a result. But every season is different, he said.

``It's hard to compare things when they're not the same every year,'' he said. ``In that course, I think you have to change, too.''

The key to Yamamoto's success, according to his coach, Dave Bennett, has been an unchanging, finely-honed focus, an intense concentration on the immediate task at hand. Yamamoto has a steadfast commitment to taking each match in order, one at a time.

``After that, a lot of things fall into place,'' Yamamoto said. ``I think that's one of the important things to do. Next week's a new week, and that's one of the important things I have to realize.''

Yamamoto, who began wrestling in the first grade, won the 101-pound state title as a freshman, and was the champion at 108 his sophomore and junior seasons. He wrestles at 115 this year.

Gary Witherspoon of Marysville-Pilchuck won his fourth consecutive state title at last year's tournament, but his titles came from three different states. Yamamoto would be the first to win four Washington titles.

Despite his success at state, Yamamoto never has entered the tournament undefeated. He has a career record of 110 victories, 11 losses, yet he won't even enter this year's tournament as his region's No. 1 seed.

Kevin Roberts of Spokane's University High is the regional champion. Oscar Torrez of Moses Lake is the No. 2 seed. But neither wrestled Yamamoto at the regional.

``He's not even coming in as top dog,'' Bennett said. ``He got beat, but that doesn't mean much to me and it doesn't mean much to him. He is not concerned with winning and losing. That's a difficult thing for people to understand.''

Neither coach nor wrestler could recite Yamamoto's season record (29-1). Records are secondary, Bennett explained. Only the match, those six minutes of individual competition, matters.

Undefeated going into regional tournament, but fighting a flu bug, Yamamoto was upset in the first round Friday night in Wenatchee, losing to University's Glenn Osborn. After the loss, Bennett said Yamamoto got up and shook his opponent's hand. He kept his head up and walked off the mat.

``He's just that kind of a kid,'' Bennett said. ``He's wrestling because he loves the sport. He has set his goals and his aspirations already beyond high school. . . . He understands that the building block for success is failure. On the way home, I said, `Does it bother you that you didn't win?' He said, `No, not at all, but I sure am mad that I lost the match.' ''

``In other words, it isn't the tournament. It's the match. . . . He just keeps a tight focus on one match at a time. That makes the pressure easier for him to handle.''

Wrestling has been a big part of the Yamamoto family. His father, Wayne was a state place-winner at Moses Lake, ``but that was a long time ago,'' the son said. His uncle won a state title at Moses Lake in the early 1950s, and his older brother won a state title in 1984.

Wrestling

-- WHAT: Mat Classic II, the state Class AAA, AA and A/B state tournaments.

-- WHEN: Friday sessions at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday sessions at 11 a.m., with consolation finals beginning at 4:30 p.m. and championship finals at 7 p.m.

-- WHERE: Tacoma Dome.

-- TICKETS: Adult all-session, $14. Single session, $5. Student all-session, $9. Single session, $4.