Tri-State Meet Will Be Offering Leaner Menu

The 23rd annual Tri-State high school wrestling tournament will be leaner and meaner this year.

Tri-State, which will be held next Thursday and Friday at North Idaho College, will be without a sponsor as Wendy’s hamburger chain dropped its sponsorship. Tournament director Bill Pecha said Wendy’s pulled out because it beefed up an advertising campaign in the Arena in Spokane.

Wendy’s and wrestlers? Some thought it was an odd mix, anyway.

Pecha has also taken steps to trim the tournament field, which had gotten too fat last year. With more than 40 teams, including a number of junior varsitylevel teams and individuals, first-day competition last year started at 8 a.m. and didn’t conclude until 1:30 the next morning. Action next Thursday will begin at 10:30 a.m. and should conclude by 11 p.m., Pecha said.

“I fired eight teams,” Pecha quipped. Defending champion Moses Lake (Wash.) and runner-up Sandpoint will return and should stage a tug of war for the team title.

Pecha said the top 28 teams will be invited back next year and the final spots will be rounded out by partial teams and top individuals.

Top coaches

The District I Coaches Association (which includes the five northern counties) recently announced coaches of the year for the 1994-95 school season.

Here are the names of the honored coaches:

Volleyball: Mitch Santos, St. Maries; cross country: Donna Messenger, Lake City; football: John Drager, Mullan; boys basketball: Scott Moore, Post Falls; girls basketball: Dave Fealko, Lake City; wrestling: Dan Taylor, Sandpoint; track: Wade Quesnell, Post Falls; and baseball: Ken Busch, Lakeland.

Academic state champs

The Idaho High School Activities Association has announced the recipients of the first Academic State Champions in each of the classifications for volleyball and football. The award is sponsored by the United Dairymen of Idaho and is given to the varsity team that has the highest combined cumulative grade-point average.

Here are the champions:

Volleyball: A-1 - Burley, 3.81 (Sandpoint, 3.6, was runner-up); A-2 - Buhl, 3.78; A-3 - Glenns Ferry, 3.74; A-4 - Genesee, 3.85.

Football: A-1 Division I - Skyline, 3.12; A-1 Division II - Madison, 3.097; A-2 - American Falls, 3.21; A-3 - Glenns Ferry, 3.29; A-4 11-man - Murtaugh, 3.31; A-4 eight-man - Greenleaf, 3.07.

The IHSAA will honor academic state champions in two other sports this year, girls and boys basketball.

“We’re doing it on a trial basis,” IHSAA assistant director Myrna Johns said. “It’s been received well.”

, DataTimes