Sandpoint Muscles Up As Region I Mat Champ

Idaho wrestling

Lewiston wrestling coach Dave Harrington knows of only one way to dethrone Sandpoint: “Go back to work.”

Six individual champions boosted the Bulldogs to a second straight A-1 Region I Wrestling Tournament title Saturday night at Coeur d’Alene High School.

Sandpoint placed 15 in the top four as the Bulldogs scored 255 points.

Lewiston led by 10 entering the championship round, but the Bengals won just two finals and lost three head-to-head matchups with the Bulldogs.

The Bengals held off upstart Post Falls, 241-233.5, to claim second. The Trojans captured titles in three of the middle weights.

“Sandpoint is a very fine wrestling team,” Harrington said. “Post Falls did a real good job. All of them did. I think the parity was pretty evident in the team scores.”

The Bulldogs and Bengals never dueled during the Inland Empire League season, and Lewiston edged Sandpoint for the team title in its own Clearwater Classic.

”(The Bengals) were suppose to host us - this was kind of like the payoff for the dual,” Sandpoint coach Dan Taylor said. “The Clearwater Classic, they beat us; we wanted them bad.”

The top four individuals in each weight class advance to this week’s state tournament Thursday-Saturday at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

Sandpoint takes 15 to state, as does Post Falls. Lewiston qualifies 14.

The Bulldogs made short work of the Bengals in two of those three championship matches, as junior Brett Lawrence and sophomore Pat Larson each recorded pins.

Lawrence ran his record to 29-0 at 119 pounds, stopping Carson Hundrup in 4 minutes. It was one of three pins during the day for Lawrence.

Larson made even shorter work of Lewiston’s J.J. Adkisson at 140, with his fall timed at 57 seconds.

In between those pins, Sandpoint junior Trevor Walkington shut out the Bengals’ Billy Greene, 6-0, at 130.

The most exciting championship match featured a gutsy 12-10, come-from-behind victory for Sandpoint’s Rusty Irish over Post Falls’ Shane Elmose at 160.

Elmose flipped Irish to his back midway into the opening period, but the Bulldog bridged out of the pin attempt. Elmose led 9-2 to start the third period, when Irish exploded for nine points in the last 48 seconds. Irish’s go-ahead takedown was scored at the buzzer.

“It was all heart,” Irish said. “You’ve got to be willing to do it. There’s a lot of pride in there. It’s my last year, I’ve got to do my hardest.

“We all work hard,” Irish added. “We all work as a team, instead of as individuals. It takes a lot of energy, and I figured I had more than he did.”

Sandpoint couldn’t lose at 103 and 112, where teammates battled each other. Jared Lawrence kept his record (26-0) unblemished at 103, and Zach Vaught won at 112.

Post Falls’ titlists included Ben Frank at 135, Clayton Foster at 145 and Mike Booth at 152.

Lewiston seniors Pat Clevenger at 125 and Trevor Derrick at 171 won, as did Coeur d’Alene seniors Mike Butkovich and Josh Curran at 189 and heavyweight, respectively.

A-2: Kellogg prevails

Depth powered Kellogg to the A-2 District I-II Wrestling Tournament title at the Priest River High School gymnasium.

The Wildcats picked up individual titles from Jeremie Figueroa at 125 pounds and Tyrell Hendrix at 189.

Kellogg cruised past two-time defending district champion Lakeland, 272.5 points to 249. Bonners Ferry was a distant third with 209.5.

The top four placers per weight advance to this week’s State A-2 Tournament at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

“Kellogg won just because they had more kids,” Lakeland coach Mark Johnson said. “They very much were a dark horse.

“Kellogg beat Bonners Ferry kids, and we were surprised to find out Kellogg was all of a sudden there,” Johnson added.

Lakeland and Bonners Ferry had three individual winners each.