Stellar field for Tri-State
Between his teaching duties at North Idaho College and being head wrestling coach at Central Valley High School, John Owen runs the Tri-State Wrestling Tournament that takes over NIC’s Christianson Gym Friday and Saturday.
Owen started helping out with the Tri-State Tournament during the 1975-76 high school season and strengthened his ties to it as NIC’s wrestling coach.
“They have an annual Christmas party here at NIC every year on that weekend,” he said. “I’m proud to say that I’ve never been to it – I’m always here.”
Happily so, he adds.
Owen is especially pleased with this year’s tournament. Today he’s busily poring over area rankings and records, seeding wrestlers in their various weight classifications. With each weight class, Owen gets more and more excited.
Every weight is a who’s who of Pacific Northwest high school wrestling, with impressive pedigrees on display: state champions, state placements, national rankings. For a wrestling fan like Owen, it’s like cramming March Madness into one gymnasium for two days of wall-to-wall action.
From a team standpoint, Owen is excited to see how Flathead (Kalispell, Mont.) High School, a team that started the season with a dozen state placers back from a year ago, will fare against Hermiston, Ore., that state’s 4A runner-up last year, and perennial Washington 4A power Lake Stevens.
One of those teams will likely be this year’s team champion, Owen predicted.
“To win the team title here, you need to punch at least three kids through to the finals,” he said. “I can see these teams doing that.”
Coeur d’Alene and Owen’s CV, which finished second and third, respectively, at last weekend’s Inland Empire Classic, also should fare well.
Even with an all-star lineup ready, Owen said, several weight classes scream for attention. Among them:
“Jake Love, a 112-pounder from Montana’s Sentinel is his state’s No. 1-ranked wrester in his class and was the Tri-State champion at 103 a year ago. Derek Crouter, a senior from Sedro Woolley is ranked No. 1 in Washington and Sandpoint’s Alec Ward was a 103-pound Tri-State placer last year, as was Deer Park junior Levi Zadorozny and Jason Baker from Kelso.
“Locally, 119 will be a showdown. Both Anthony Rivera and Brian Owen of University, both state runners-up a year ago, are entered. Both are ranked No. 1 in the state, Rivera at 119, Owen at 125. Rivera won this weight at the Inland Empire Classic last week while Owen won at 125. CV’s Nick Cambron, last year’s 4A 103 champion, is in the bracket along with Auburn junior Matt Sencenbaugh, who placed third at 112 pounds at Tri-State a year ago.
“At 130, Lake Stevens’ Kelly Kubec, a two-time defending State 4A champion, goes for his third Tri-State title. The senior is ranked No. 5 in the nation by The Mat, No. 8 by Amateur Wrestling News.
“At 135, Michael Mangrum, a junior from Auburn Riverside, was the 125-pound state champ a year ago and is ranked No. 2 in the nation by both The Mat and Amateur Wrestling News.
“At 171, the top three ranked wrestlers in the state collide. Auburn senior Shane Onufer is ranked No. 1 and placed second at 160 at Tri-State last year. Andrew Buck, a senior from Kelso and a transfer from Battle Ground, is ranked No. 3 and East Valley’s Clete Hanson, last year’s 3A runner-up, is ranked No. 3.
“Kamiah senior Clayton Foster is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 189 by both The Mat and Amateur Wrestling News, and the latter has Hermiston’s Troy Kessell, who won the weight at the Inland Empire Classic last week, ranked in the top 10.
“This is just a really good year for our sport,” Owen said. “The final round should be incredible.”
The tournament will draw plenty of national attention, especially among recruiters.
Owen expects a healthy contingent of college wrestling coaches to be in the stands for the tournament, including coaches from the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon State and Boise State.