Lakeside Wrestlers Resting Up Before Title Endeavor

A pair of Lakeside wrestlers welcomes the chance to rest and recuperate before the Eagles’ bid to become a two-time state champion.

While eight Great Northern League athletes per weight compete this weekend at Deer Park to fill the remaining district berths, the top four seeds in each earn byes into the 2A District 7 tournament Feb. 13 and 14 at Medical Lake.

That means most of the Lakeside team will rest, including three-time state qualifier Anthony Layton, and last year’s state qualifier Adam Christen.

Layton hyper-extended his right elbow in practice and was visibly hurting during last week’s Great Northern League title victory over Colville.

“It’s not going to matter,” said Layton of the injury. “I’ve worked too hard.”

Christen said he “tweaked” a knee during his last match at Dream Duals in late January.

“We owe them two weeks,” said coach Scott Jones following the Eagles’ 43-12 romp past league runnerup Colville. “Anthony wrestled eight matches in a week on a badly hyperextended elbow. And it was bad.”

Jones was not sure if cartilege surgery would be required on Christen’s knee. If so, it would likely be after state.

The pair are among seven Eagles who are unbeaten in league. State placers Tim Weisser, Jason Christen, Aaron Laughery, Matt Westenfelder and Sean Wheeler are the others.

Four more will be seeded second in their weight classes and the Eagles should advance its entire starting lineup and several others into the GNL district meet.

From there, three athletes per weight class qualify for state.

“I’m so nervous already it’s ridiculous,” said Jones, anticipating the post-season. “It’s a never-ending quest.”

Riverside, which finished fourth in league, has several state prospects each, including Ram unbeatens Joben Nuesse, at 122 pounds Spencer Murphy at 190 and Jesse Lee at 215.

Although Deer Park compiled a 3-4 league record, the Stags have nine wrestlers with two losses or fewer, including 101-pound freshman Travis Berger.

Mt. Spokane hosts GSL meet

The dual meet season behind them, Greater Spokane League wrestlers begin the task of qualifying for Mat Classic X.

First tournament is the District 8 4A event at Mt. Spokane High, Friday and Saturday.

For two North Side wrestlers, state is a familiar goal.

North Central’s David Sandberg is already a two-time state placer at 190 pounds, who will attempt to improve on last year’s third-place finish.

Mead junior Mark Denholm finished third at 101 pounds last year. He is now in the competitive 115 pound weight bracket.

The most notable absence is Rogers’ Ryan Anstrom. Third at state as a freshman last year, an asthmatic condition forced him to bow out early this season.

“He could go part of the distance and then his lungs kept shutting down,” said Pirate coach Walt Arnold. “It wore on him and the family was worried about it.”

It was that kind of year for Arnold’s Pirates, who had trouble fielding a consistent lineup because of injury and illness.

As a result, a team that went 5-3 last year dropped to 4-5 this season.

“Each match we were dealt a different set of cards,” said Arnold.

The Pirates do have some post-season hopes, most notably unbeaten 275-pounder Marshall Sims, Kris Clarke at 148 and Ben Houk at 108.

But the team will be hard-pressed to challenge tournament favorites Ferris, Central Valley and Gonzaga Prep.

The Bullpups bring back two state placers, have added a state-placing transfer and have five other district placers.

Included are Evan Volk, who wrestled behind Louis Peyron at 108, Paul Koehler, unbeaten in the same weight class as state placing teammate Nick Bliss, Kyle Gleason, unbeaten at 178 and Peter Foltz at 190.

Mead, which was part of a three-way tie for third place in league, has top-four prospects at several weights.

Included are unbeaten Jesse McCarty at 122, Tony Compogno at 101 and Keith Riddle in the wide-open 141-pound class.

Besides Sandberg, NC’s Tony Beggs, unbeaten since settling in at 129, Derek Phillips at 275 and Nick Stuart at 115 could move on.

Shadle Park’s young team is likely a year away, although its 3-5-1 record with a freshmansophomore oriented lineup was encouraging.

Ty Schuetzle at 148 is the leading Highlander.

In its first year, Mt. Spokane has a quartet of hopefuls, including once-beaten junior Derek McLash, at 122, sophomores Landon Crecelius, at 129, Adam Gumke, at 141, and Robert Smith, at 178.

, DataTimes