As a team captain, he blamed himself when Lake Stevens didn't win the Class 4A state wrestling championship last season — even though he contributed an individual title. The Vikings were fifth and missed taking home a trophy.

"I felt like I didn't do my job," Soler said.

So it was extra satisfying Saturday at Mat Classic XXV at the Tacoma Dome when Soler not only became a two-time champion, but helped the Vikings return to the top in dominating fashion. They scored 162 points — second most in school history — to easily outdistance runner-up Tahoma (120).

And it was extra special, too, because Michael Soler, Eric's freshman brother, also finished first at 106.

"I was more nervous for him than I was for me," Eric said.

Although it was Eric's match at 145 that was the nail-biter. He trailed Graham-Kapowsin's Ian Steen, another returning champion, 2-1 before pulling a reversal in the final seconds.

It was all according to plan, according to Soler, who has battled a variety of injuries this season.

"Lately, my conditioning hasn't been very good, so I kind of wait 'til the end and then, bam, make my move," he said.

Soler is among a handful of Lake Stevens wrestlers who have earned four state medals. His two firsts follow a fourth and fifth.

"He's one of the best competitors I've ever coached," Vikings coach Brent Barnes said. "When he steps into the circle, he's going to find a way."

One of the hardest fought individual wins came from Eric Soler at 145 pounds. He went up against another defending state titleist in the final. Ian Steen of Graham Kapowsin took a 2-0 edge after the second period and Soler earned an escape point in the third. With 12.7 seconds to go in the match, he got a timely reversal for a 3-2 lead.

His strategy was simple.

"Stay in the match and then when it's time to go just go," Eric Soler said.

He went 1-1 against Steen during the regular season and used experience to his advantage. Over his career he's also come back from injuries including an ACL tear, a sprained MCL and torn meniscus.

"I don't know if I've coached as good a competitor as Eric," Barnes said. "He seems to have a flair for the dramatic. He finds a way and you have to be pretty special to find a way to get the job done."

The Vikings briefly talked of going for the 4A record for points set by Tahoma last year (190), but ended up not having enough wins.

Still, the team was proud of the overall victory.

"It means a lot, especially as a captain I'm responsible," Eric Soler said. "I feel like I didn't do my job last year when we took fifth. We just weren't where we wanted to be. People were getting in trouble and a couple kids didn't make weight. That was kind of on me because I was really looking after everyone."

Lake Stevens Journal Article:

Brothers Michael and Eric Soler took home individual championships. Michael, a freshman wrestling at 106, controlled Moses Lake’s Trey Long from the start of the match, winning the title by a score of 8-3.
Eric Soler, despite missing the first part of the season with an injury, put together an impressive list of accomplishments dating back to last year’s Mat Classic, where he beat two defending state champions to win his first state championship. This season he was the only person to beat North Kitsap’s Jake Velarde, who won his fourth 2A state championship on Saturday.

Soler’s only loss this season was to Graham Kapowsin’s Ian Steen, another defending state champion. Soler beat Steen 8-4 at a tournament, but a week later was pinned by Steen at a dual meet. The rematch between Soler and Steen was one of the most anticipated matches of the night, and it lived up to expectations. Soler, trailing Steen 2-1 late in the third round, scored a reversal to take a 3-2 lead, and held on for the match’s closing seconds to win his second state title.