Lawrence’s Fourth State Title Helps Sandpoint Keep A-1 Reign
The Bulldogs have bite and lots of it.
Sandpoint dashed the hopes of every other A-1 school in Idaho again by taking a third-straight team title at the high school state wrestling meet Saturday at Idaho State’s Holt Arena.
The Bulldogs had three state champions and 181 points for first. Idaho Falls followed with 137.5 and Blackfoot was third with 137.
Sandpoint senior Brett Lawrence had little trouble defeating Idaho Falls’ Pete Hodges 10-1 to win his fourth state title, an event that has occurred just one other time in A-1 wrestling.
“I was really pumped up I guess,” Lawrence said after his win. “I mean I was really pumped up.”
The entire Sandpoint team rushed the mat after Lawrence’s win and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
Winning as a team made his state title even better, Lawrence said.
“It’s great for all the wrestlers,” he said. “Only one more thing would make the entire dream come true and that would be if my workout partner won.”
He did.
Trevor Walkington, who calls Lawrence the “closest friend I really have,” beat last year’s state champion Billy Greene 7-2 for the 135-pound title. The win was his first state title after having finished second as a freshman and third as a sophomore and junior.
“It’s a big step,” Walkington said. “I can’t really express the feeling unless you’ve been a state champion yourself. It’s great.”
Walkington said he had little doubt his team would win.
“We’re a family,” he said. “If you want to have a great team you have to have a great relationship. If you don’t have that then you don’t have what it takes.”
Walkington and Lawrence work out together nearly every day, and it’s that support that gave him the ability to win, Walkington said.
“If it wasn’t for Brett, I don’t know where I’d be sitting right now,” Walkington said. “I really look up to him.”
Sandpoint’s other state champion was Jared Lawrence, younger brother of Brett, at 112. He beat Capital’s Josh Bales 9-2 for his second straight title.
Paul Weseman of Coeur d’Alene won the 140-pound title with a 5-3 overtime decision against J.J. Adkisson of Lewiston.
“This is my first time at state,” Weseman, a senior, said. “I just decided to turn it on and I won.”
The other area state champion in A-1 competition was Post Falls’ Al Mack, who defeated Idaho Falls’ Marty Croft for the 103-pound title.
A-2
Sugar-Salem won easily with 261.5 points. Snake River was second at 135. Bonners Ferry finished fifth.
Champions included Dessin Liermann of Bonners Ferry at 140, Nathan Pascoe of Lakeland at 152 and Bonners Ferry’s Justin Pluid, who also won last year, at 189.
A-3
North Fremont won the title with 150 points. Mark Stephens of Kootenai won the 103-pound title.