Idaho Falls Dethrones Sandpoint Bulldogs’ Lawrence Collects His Third Straight Title; Post Falls’ Mack Also Wins

When is a team satisfied finishing second instead of first?

When first isn’t attainable.

In other years the Sandpoint High wrestling team’s 145 points Saturday would have been enough to capture the State A-1 championship.

Sandpoint ran into a team much like itself in recent years, and Idaho Falls pelted the field by piling up 239.5 points before a crowd of 5,000 at Idaho State University’s Holt Arena. That ended Sandpoint’s three-year reign as champion

Fourteen of fifteen Idaho Falls wrestlers took home medals in the 40th annual prep tournament, but just one of six finalists claimed an individual title. Just one of five Sandpoint title-match qualifiers captured a gold medal.

And the Bulldogs’ lone champion isn’t just an ordinary champion either. Junior Jared Lawrence collected his third title, winning at 119 and extending his career record to 93-0.

Meridian, which finished third with 122.5 points, had the most individual champions with three. Post Falls junior Al Mack defended his title at 103 pounds as the Trojans finished seventh (71). Lewiston, led by heavyweight champ Laki Ah Hi, was 11th (47.5). Coeur d’Alene and Lake City were next to last and last (26th and 27th), respectively.

Sandpoint coach Dan Taylor offered no excuses, but did note the season had its detours.

“With the rough winter we had - school closed for a month, missing two tournaments - these guys put on a show,” Taylor said.

Taylor also took pride in his team winning 6 of 7 head-to-head matches against Idaho Falls.

“They’ve got a good coach (Idaho Falls),” Taylor said. “They’ve worked real hard just like I have, and when you do that the payoff is good.”

Lawrence showed why he’s ranked No. 1 in the nation. He needed just 1 minute, 27 seconds to take care of Pocatello’s Kirk Nestler.

Lawrence allowed a big smile when Taylor hugged him and kissed his neck.

Lawrence, who abided by one of the strictest diets of any wrestler all season, walked up to the upper concourse with his girlfriend about 15 minutes after his match to buy a cup of ice cream.

He wants to join his brother, Brett, and two other A-1 wrestlers as a four-time champion next year.

At 103, it was the attack of the Little Big Mac(k). Post Falls’ Mack was solid from start to finish in a 6-3 decision over Idaho Falls’ Marty Croft.

Mack (36-4) scored a takedown with 15 seconds left in the first period and followed that with an escape and takedown late in the second. He wrestled cautiously but intelligently in the final period.

He became Post Falls’ second two-time champ. He wants to be the school’s first three-time winner.

“He wrestled like a state champion,” Post Falls coach Dennis Amende said. “When you come in defending you’ve got everything to lose. He wrestled with a lot of composure.”

Said Mack: “There was a lot of pressure coming back and trying to win it again. The first couple of matches I was a little sluggish. When I got to the semifinals I knew I had to turn it up a little bit.”

Sandpoint’s runners-up were: Zack Vaughan, who fell to defending champ Justin Hugo of Eagle 7-3 at 125; Shawn Garner, whose late comeback was stopped by Meridian’s Gary Little 7-5 at 140; Pat Larson, the home run-or-strikeout wrestler who was upset and pinned by Rustan Burton of Madison (3:33) at 152; and A.J. Chubb, who was handled by Idaho Falls’ Spencer Johnson 9-2 at 160.

Larson, who had 30 wins, suffered his first loss.

“I just didn’t have anything,” he said as he sat alone behind the matside bleachers.

Lewiston’s Ah Hi had his own fan club standing about 15 feet from the mat. Ten of his teammates and friends stood shirtless with “GO LAKI AH HI” spelled out on their chests.

Ah Hi, who missed about two months with a shoulder injury, won his 11th match against no defeats, downing Idaho Falls’ Phil Colburn 6-1.

Helping Post Falls to a respectable finish were heavyweight Matt Smith and Bryan Roberts at 171. Both finished third.

Other North Idaho placers were: Sandpoint’s Cody Crawford (125, third) and Jake Macdonald (103, sixth) and Lewiston’s Travis Swam (152, fifth).

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