Idaho Falls Pins Bulldog Hopes Present, Future Look Good For Young Squad
Now the Sandpoint High wrestling team knows how the rest of the State A-1 Tournament teams feel.
After sewing up each of its three consecutive state championships in the semifinals, Sandpoint watched a deep Idaho Falls team turn the same feat Friday at Idaho State University’s Holt Arena.
Actually, the state title may very likely have been decided after the first day.
The next power has emerged. A-1 state titles seemingly come in bunches - not one here or one there - and Idaho Falls appears to be the next team that will stay on top for a while.
Idaho Falls finished the second day with 204.5 points, 70 ahead of second-place Sandpoint. Meridian is in third (99.5). Post Falls (50) in ninth and Lewiston (41.5) is 11th.
“It’s no embarrassment,” Sandpoint coach Dan Taylor conceded. “They’ve got it, the writing’s on the wall. We’ve been down that road before and we know about the snowball effect.”
After its 15 state qualifiers each won opening-round matches Friday, Idaho Falls pushed 6 of 11 semifinalists into the championship finals. Just two of Idaho Falls’ wrestlers are seniors, and 14 of 15 Tigers are guaranteed medalling today.
Sandpoint may be a distant second, but the Bulldogs still have much to compete for today. All five Bulldogs in the semifinals - Jared Lawrence (119 pounds), Zack Vaughan (125), Shawn Garner (140), Pat Larson (152) and A.J. Chubb (160) - advanced to title bouts.
Vaughan, Garner and Larson won head-to-head battles against Idaho Falls wrestlers.
One other North Idaho wrestler, junior Al Mack (103) of Post Falls, will be after a state crown.
Mack, the defending champ and No. 3 seed, easily knocked off No. 2 Joseph Corral of Meridian, 9-4.
Taylor was all smiles following the semifinals.
“Oh, baby!,” he exclaimed as he talked about his five finalists. “We did all we could do. I said when we left home that win, lose or draw in this tournament these kids would do their best. They showed tonight the heart. They had to get out there and keep going on guts, integrity and pride - and they did that.”
Taylor was especially pleased with the head-to-head wins against Idaho Falls.
Vaughan scored a gutsy shutout over Idaho Falls’ Taylor Hunter, 3-0. After a scoreless first period, Vaughan escaped for a point. He followed it with a takedown.
He took the up position in the third period, riding Hunter hard for 2 minutes.
The win of the day for Vaughan, though, came in the quarterfinals against top-seeded C.J. Campbell of Blackfoot. The match went to overtime knotted at 2. Neither wrestler scored in sudden death so the match went to an extra 30-second session.
Campbell chose up. By rule, if Campbell escaped he’d win, and if Vaughan stayed on top for 30 seconds he’d win. Campbell couldn’t get loose.
Garner provided the second win in the semis against Idaho Falls, topping second-seeded Russ Bird 4-3 in another down-to-the-wire battle.
Larson made it a sweep over Idaho Falls in perhaps the wildest semifinal. He eventually pulled away from Fred Bullets 23-11, but Larson had himself and his parents, not to mention his coach, nervous because of his pin-at-all-costs style.
“That was a great match,” Taylor said. “Those two wrestlers are the same kind - they live or die (on being aggressive). Bullets died more than we died and (Larson) lived more than (Bullets) lived. You wouldn’t want too many of those as a coach.”
Lawrence, seeking a third consecutive state title, manhandled Sandy Lilya of Blackfoot in a 6-2 decision that wasn’t that close.
Lawrence, who rarely displays any emotion, got a little frustrated because Lilya seemingly glued himself to the mat and wouldn’t move. Lawrence tossed his headgear in disgust afterward.
“The kid didn’t do anything on bottom and I kept getting the stalls and it was frustrating,” Lawrence said. “You have to deal with that frustration and I didn’t deal with it well.”
Chubb finished Sandpoint’s stroll through the semis with a 9-5 decision over Centennial’s Erik Larson.
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