CdA leading at state wrestling
The Coeur d'Alene wrestling team leads the State 5A tournament after the first day.
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By Jordan Rodriguez
Correspondent
POCATELLO, Idaho – The Coeur d’Alene wrestling team took a big step toward the first state title in school history Friday, racking up 142 points to take a commanding lead in the 5A team race.
The Vikings’ 21-point edge over Highland (121 points) is by far the largest margin of any of the four state tournaments being held at Holt Arena.
Still, Coeur d’Alene coach Jeff Moffat won’t rest easy until he has the trophy in hand.
“The kids wrestled really hard today, but it’s going to come down to the semifinals, probably,” Moffat said. “The tournament very well could be decided (Saturday) morning.”
If that is the case, Coeur d’Alene should be in good shape after sending eight wrestlers to Saturday’s 9 a.m. semis, led by defending state champion Braden Mowry at 135 pounds. Sam Howard (125), Kenny Staub (130), Christian Putman (145), Colin Comack (152), Jake Norris (160), Johnny Peregrina (160) and Kevin Moore (171) also advanced.
Championship matches in all four classifications start at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Mowry, a No. 2 seeded senior, is looking to set the tone for his team.
“I feel like I’m wrestling well,” Mowry said. “I feel good about my tournament so far and I feel good about my training, so the chips will fall where they fall.”
Moffat doesn’t want to count his eggs before they hatch, but he can’t deny what a state title would mean to his program.
“It would be huge,” Moffat said. “It would be great for the guys, great for the program and great for the school.”
In other 5A action, Post Falls scored 94 points Friday, good enough for third place. The Trojans had five wrestlers advance to the semis, led by 112-pound senior Chad Booth, a defending state champ.
James Ost (125), Derrick Booth (130), Tyler Booth (135) and Nathan McLeond (140) also remain in the state title hunt.
Lewiston isn’t likely to contend for a trophy, but the Bengals sent four wrestlers to the semis, led by defending state champion Casey George.
George and Mowry are likely to meet in the 135-pound final. George, a junior, defeated Mowry three times this season.
4A
Defending state champion Columbia will battle Blackfoot for the title. Moscow is in ninth place, while Lakeland ranks 12th.
Sandpoint sits in 16th place, but junior Garret Belgrade (112 pounds) is halfway to defending his state title after winning both of his matches by pin Friday.
“(Coach Mike) Randles always tells us to keep attacking, and I’ve been trying to stick to that,” Belgrade said. “I’ve just got to keep it going so I can be a state champion again.”
3A
Priest River is in fourth-place with 62 points. The Spartans trail leader and two-time defending champion American Falls by 17 points. Bonners Ferry (53 points) is in 10th, but the Badgers could make a run with three grapplers in the semifinals: No. 1 seeds Blaine Invernon (103) and Ben Watt (135) and 2009 runner-up Trevor Hampton (140).
North Fremont is the surprise 2A leader with 107.5 points.