Wallace Duo Takes Last Shot At Crowns Second-Place Finishes Last Season Drive Labau, Clark

Injury default.

That wasn’t the way Mike LaBau wanted to leave the mat during the 160-pound championship match at the State A-3 wrestling tournament in 1995.

“I got my knee taken out,” reminisced the Wallace senior. “I was working the kid, and kinda got taken down out of bounds, cradled up and strained my knee something fierce.”

LaBau moved up to 171 this year and the 18-year-old is seeded No. 3 going into today’s opening matches at Idaho State University’s Holt Arena.

Senior teammate Richard Clark, too, finished second for the Miners at state last year at 125. He is back for a fourth straight year and the No. 1 seed at that weight.

Wallace hasn’t had a state titlist since Bob Schreiber, Jr., in 1992.

And the Wallace school district barely endorses the Miners’ wrestling program, which exists under a threat of elimination if numbers dip below 15.

The Miners qualified four team members for state, and 15th-year coach Bob Schreiber, Sr., will personally pay a portion of the team’s expenses to Pocatello.

“We do put out some quality kids, but they want numbers,” Schreiber said. “(LaBau and Clark) should do better than they did last year.

“The biggest problem is neither one of them have anyone to practice with,” Schreiber added. “They’re far superior (skill-wise) to what we’ve got.”

That’s probably why it’s a good thing LaBau and Clark started to wrestle as kindergartners.

“We just try not to let (the Miners’ vulnerability) get to us,” LaBau (27-5) said. “It’s been this way for so long. You get use to everybody saying it can be cut.

“State’s the one thing I look forward to all year,” LaBau added. “Practices aren’t any fun and state makes it all worthwhile. I didn’t wrestle in the finals the way I wanted to last year.”

LaBau’s style is that of a “brawler,” Schreiber said. “He’s a muscler. If it’s not a pin, it’s sudden-death overtime.”

“I’ve been getting more aggressive,” LaBau explained. “It’s not pretty; I don’t go out there with a lot of flash. At 171, the guys are so much stronger. I can’t go out and really throw my weight around; I just kinda go out and get the job done.”

Clark (28-4) provides the perfect technical complement to LaBau, as a takedown master.

“We try not to be too overconfident,” LaBau said. “We take it as it comes. Last year, I don’t think either one of us expected to be in the championship.”

A-2 contenders

A little bit of luck will be involved in winning the State A-2 title, figures 10th-year Bonners Ferry coach Conrad Garner.

And with a dozen Badgers in the field, Bonners Ferry has the manpower to challenge for the school’s first-ever state wrestling trophy.

Senior Justin Pluid won the state title at 171 as a junior and is the No. 1 seed at 189. The Badgers also have returning state placers in seniors Dennis Liermann, the No. 1 seed at 140, and the No. 2 heavyweight in Kyle Watts. That trio has a combined 85-5 season record.

“They really wrestled super well,” Garner said of the Badgers’ championship District I-II showing last weekend. “Hopefully, they can wrestle that way this weekend.”

Snake River is the two-time defending team champ. Sugar-Salem was 10 points back last year. Both traditional southern powers should be at the top of the team race, along with the Badgers, Buhl and Weiser.

Lakeland, state champs in 1988 and 1989, has the region’s only other top seed in junior Nathan Pascoe at 152.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: STATE WRESTLING AT A GLANCE When: Today through Saturday Where: Holt Arena, Pocatello Times (PST): Today, first round, A-1, 1-3 p.m.; A-2, 3-5; A-3, 5-7. Friday, quarterfinals, A-1, 8-9 a.m.; A-2, 9-10; A-3, 10-11. Friday, semifinals, all divisions, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday, consolation finals, all divisions, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, championship finals, all divisions, 3 p.m. At stake: Top six finishers medal.

A-1 Defending champion: Sandpoint Returning champs: 9, including 4 from North Idaho - Jared Lawrence, sophomore, Sandpoint, 103 pounds last year, at 112 this year; Brett Lawrence, senior, Sandpoint, 119, 125; Billy Greene, Lewiston, sr., 130, 135; Pat Larson, junior, Sandpoint, 140, 152. Top local seeds: 112 - Jared Lawrence, 27-0, seeded No. 1; 119 - Zack Vaughan, jr., Sandpoint, 25-2, No. 2; 125 - Brett Lawrence, 28-1, No. 1; 130 - Brandon Larson, jr., Sandpoint, 25-6, No. 1; Shawn Garner, jr., Sandpoint, 17-2, No. 2; 135 - Trevor Walkington, sr., Sandpoint, 25-5, No. 1; Greene, 29-3, No. 3; 140 - Paul Weseman, sr., Coeur d’Alene, 29-2, No. 1; 152 - Larson, 20-0, No. 1; 189 - Laki Ah Hi, jr., Lewiston, 29-1, No. 2; Heavyweight - Matt Smith, soph., 20- 5, No. 3. Coach’s comments: “We’ve been excited all year with what’s happening,” Sandpoint coach Dan Taylor said. “Our focal point is to do a great job at the state tournament. We’re right where we want to be. “Everything is going right to par. We’re as prepared as we’ve always been, nothing more, nothing less. When the door closes on the bus Saturday night, there’s no more that I could have done as a coach.”

A-2 Defending champion: Snake River Returning champs: 5, including 1 from North Idaho - Justin Pluid, sr., Bonners Ferry, 171 last year, at 189 this year. Top local seeds: Dennis Liermann, sr., Bonners Ferry, 140, 32-3, No. 1; Pat Slusher, jr., Kellogg, 145, 22-7, No. 3; Nathan Pascoe, jr., Lakeland, 152, 30-2, No. 1; Adam Lamb, sr., Priest River, 171, 30-4, No. 2; Pluid, 29-1, No. 1; Heavyweights - Kyle Watts, sr., Bonners Ferry, 32-1, No. 2. Coach’s comments: “Everything (at state) takes a little bit of luck,” Bonners Ferry coach Conrad Garner said. “Bonners Ferry has never placed at state.”

A-3 Defending champion: West Jefferson. Returning champs: 5, none from North Idaho Top local seeds: Mark Stephens, sr., Kootenai, 103, 27-2, No. 1; Richard Clark, sr., Wallace, 125, 28-4, No. 1; Mike LaBau, sr., Wallace, 171, 27-5, No. 3. Coach’s comments: “Grangeville has got a good shot at (the state title),” Wallace coach Bob Schreiber said. “They took quite a few kids.”