Sitting In Second, Sandpoint Likes Chances For Repeat
Idaho state wrestling
It was difficult to tell which group was the most confused amid the organized chaos at the State A-1 wrestling tournament at Holt Arena on Thursday.
Was it the fans, who tried in vain to follow the action of the eight matches running simultaneously?
It could have been the organizers of the tournament, who had to make sure hundreds of participants got to the right mat at the right time.
However, don’t count the two-time defending state champion Sandpoint Bulldogs among the dazed and confused. Eight Sandpoint wrestlers advanced to today’s semifinal round and not one of the Bulldogs’ first or second seeds lost on Thursday.
The Bulldogs sit 6.5 points behind first-place Idaho Falls, well within striking distance of their third straight title, after Thursday’s first round.
“There is a lot of pressure,” Sandpoint senior Brett Lawrence said. “Everybody expects us to win.”
Lawrence, who is attempting to win his fourth state title, got off to the expected start, pinning Pocatello’s Billy Ratzlaff in 42 seconds.
Sandpoint’s other returning state champions, Jared Lawrence and Pat Larson, each won their opening matches easily.
Lewiston’s Billy Greene, who won state last year as a sophomore at 130, took a 13-0 major decision over Skyline’s Kurt Holverson. His teammate, Laki Ah Hi, advanced at 189 pounds.
“It’s nice to get that first match out of the way - get rid of that sluggishness,” Brett Lawrence said.
Coeur d’Alene’s Paul Weseman, the No. 1 seed at 140 pounds, advanced, as did Post Falls’ Matt Smith, the No. 3-seeded heavyweight.
While Lewiston, Post Falls, Lake City and Coeur d’Alene are all but out of the running for the team title, Sandpoint is right where it wants to be. Or so one would think.
“We did OK,” Brett Lawrence said. “We have to pick it up tomorrow.”
A-2
Unlike the A-1 tournament, where North Idaho’s top seeds all advanced, there was one upset in the A-2 tournament.
Kellogg’s Pat Slusher, the No. 3 seed at 145, dropped a 5-2 decision to Salmon’s Ben Hanson.
However, defending state champion Justin Pluid of Bonners Ferry advanced, as did teammates Dennis Liermann and Kyle Watts, Lakeland’s Nathan Pascoe and Priest River’s Adam Lamb.
Bonners Ferry sat in fourth place after the first round, but the story, as expected, was Sugar Salem.
The Diggers have a 17.5-point lead over Weiser, though coach Jon Berry isn’t lighting a victory cigar yet.
“You never say you’re going to win until it’s all over,” Berry said.
And while they probably aren’t the best team at the A-2 tournament, the Weiser Wolverines proved Thursday they are the most confident.
Weiser, which sat in second place after Thursday’s first round, got wins from No. 1 seeds and defending state champions T.J. Olvera and Tim Cobb at 112 and 135 pounds, respectively. Neither seemed to think that the semifinals today will be any different.
“I shouldn’t have any problems until the finals,” Olvera said.
“I hope I get one close match for a warmup,” Cobb said.
Cobb, 28-0 this season, described his technical fall win over Buhl’s Chad Brown as a “good workout to get ready for (today).”
“It wasn’t too tough,” Cobb said. “I was just playing to lose weight.”
Olvera, who improved to 11-0 on the season, is feeling good, despite missing much of the year due to an ankle injury.
“It’s all right now,” he said. “It was just slow getting back in shape. I was going for my 100th win but I blew that with the ankle injury.”
A-3
Wallace’s Richard Clark (125) and Michael LaBau (171) advanced to the semifinals. Clark won with a pin and LaBau took a 1-0 decision over Jake Ball of West Jefferson.