By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Chief Sealth International High School wrestlers Eli Policarpio and Lanuola Amituanai capped off a historic season with standout performances at the WIAA state wrestling championships, with Amituanai becoming the first girl in program history to win a state title.
For Policarpio, who first stepped onto a wrestling mat in kindergarten, winning a state championship had been a lifelong goal. Seeing that dream finally come to fruition was a surreal experience.
“When I actually placed, it was like it wasn’t a real feeling,” said Policarpio. “It was so surreal, crazy, and insane.”
Amituanai’s success on the wrestling mat followed a much different path. After needing some convincing to join the team as a freshman, she went on to develop into a state champion and a trailblazer for the program, a journey she said was shaped by the people around her.
“They were there to contribute to my growth and pick me up when needed. They would always push me, and I am so thankful they did, and I am so glad I got to show up for them,” said Amituanai. “It means everything to me, and it’s surreal that I am the first girl at my school to do so.”
That shared success reflects the growth of a program that has steadily built a culture of competitiveness and support under longtime head coach Maurice Dolberry. Now in his 29th year as a wrestling coach and 15th at Chief Sealth, Dolberry has led the team to multiple Metro League and District championships while earning recognition as a multi-time Metro League coach of the year.
As the program has evolved, Dolberry said it has reached a new level of consistency.
“We are no longer experiencing huge jumps. We are at a point now where we are a competitive program overall, so we are now just doing the fine-tuning,” said Dolberry. “Our program is really healthy right now, and it sets a precedent for Metro wrestling.”
That stability has helped create space for athletes like Policarpio and Amituanai to develop in different ways while still reaching the same goal. Dolberry said their journeys highlight both the depth and flexibility of the program.
“I have actually known Eli since he was about two years old, and he has always been around the sport. He grew up around the sport and consistently got better, and it all culminated this year,” said Dolberry. “Lanu is more of a traditional Metro wrestler, someone who starts in the ninth grade and really figures out how to wrestle and become extremely competitive in four years.”
“Very different paths, but then they converged in the end,” Dolberry added. “They are both elected team captains and seen as enormous leaders on the team by their peers and coaches.”
For Policarpio, that journey has also been shaped by a relationship with Dolberry that extends well beyond the mat, one that has influenced both his athletic and personal growth.
“He has definitely played one of the biggest roles in my life for sure, even outside of wrestling. Outside of the sport he has taught me how to mentally have faith in myself,” said Policarpio. “We have talked for hours over the course of this season about how important it is to have goals set, figure out ways to achieve them, and begin that mental preparation to reach those goals.”
At the same time, Amituanai’s success represents something larger than an individual achievement, reflecting the continued rise of girls wrestling at Chief Sealth and across the country.
“We keep seeing statistics that girls wrestling is the fastest growing youth sport in the country right now. Now we’re in a situation where our girls’ program got really healthy,” said Dolberry. “So for us, the success has come from saying we’re going to build an excellent girls program and the boys program is going to follow suit. So, we try to highlight our girls’ program as much as possible, because then it pulls our boys along and makes them better.”
That growth is something Amituanai said she sees firsthand, noting the increasing visibility and excitement surrounding girls wrestling.
“Girls wrestling has become much cooler to watch, I think that it is cooler than boys wrestling,” said Amituanai. “Girls wrestling is definitely growing and that is not a hard question to answer.”
That momentum has been matched by performance on the mat. Dolberry said both athletes demonstrated consistency and resilience throughout the season, with Policarpio losing just one match early in the year and Amituanai rebounding from her first loss to win every match that followed.
“The dominance that they both showed this season was incredible,” said Dolberry. “They pinned a lot of kids this year, worked hard, put in effort, and had really dominant seasons.”
Beyond wins and titles, Amituanai said the program has provided something deeper, shaping her experience both as an athlete and as a person.
“I am very proud that I get to represent Chief Sealth, especially because they feel like another family to me. Having a strong support system within the wrestling program at Chief Sealth has been huge, [picking each other up after loses or celebrating together after wins,]” said Amituanai. “Coach Gomes was a huge support system for me and told me that we don’t want to wrestle in fear and [if you don’t take certain risks you are going to be left with regrets] and I am so thankful for that.”
Looking ahead, Dolberry said the focus remains on continuing to build on that foundation, with an emphasis that extends beyond competition.
“One of the things that I hope we as a coaching staff have really impressed upon the young adults in our program is the challenge is to respond to things that are demanding and then continue to push yourself to get better,” said Dolberry. “That’s not about wrestling. That’s really about becoming better human beings.”
