Mead Strolls To 3-0 Start

Using fundamentals rather than flash, Mead’s wrestlers defeated injury-depleted Central Valley 42-16 to remain unbeaten in the GSL.

The Panthers, along with Gonzaga Prep, have reached the holiday break at 3-0. Four teams - the defending league champion Bears, University, Rogers and North Central - are 2-1.

The Bullpups rested some regulars while beating winless Lewis and Clark 48-18. U-Hi juggled its lineup during a 48-22 win over winless Mt. Spokane. Rogers crushed North Central 54-8, handing the Indians their first loss. Ferris won its first match 42-29 over winless Shadle Park.

The most entertaining contest of the night between the Panthers and Bears came at 129 pounds. By then, Mead had systematically built a 37-9 lead by parlaying errors in technique by young CV wrestlers into points.

But CV’s Dave Burnett and Mead’s Bobby Devine went at each other as if the outcome of the night depended solely upon them.

Burnett outscored his opponent in the non-stop contest 16-7. It was the matchup that Mead coach Scott Bliss enjoyed the most.

“That was a great high school match,” said Bliss. “Both did tremendous things.”

That wasn’t the case earlier for CV, which was missing five regulars because of injury.

Things turned Mead’s way from the outset with Adam Johnson’s pin at 148. He had trailed until the end of the second round.

Jeff Hennessy followed with a five-point move to break a tie with 50 seconds to go in his match.

The run continued with two more narrow wins and three pins for a 27-0 lead midway through the night.

The only glitches up to the 129-pound match were Blair Alderman’s pin for CV at 178 pounds and an OT win by Matt Pegram at 101.

“We try to preach aggressive fundamental wrestling and I think that’s what you saw tonight,” said Bliss. “Some of our inexperienced older kids are really starting to come along and do well.”

At Gonzaga, Matt Turner earned a reversal and near fall for a 10-8 win in the opening match for the Bullpups against Lewis and Clark. Like Mead, G-Prep won 10 of 14 matches.

The Titans had only four regulars in the lineup while winning at home over Mt. Spokane. Zach Ewers won to begin the night and five matches later Fred Craner won his first varsity outing by pin.

Rogers stormed back into GSL contention by winning 13 straight matches after trailing 6-0 early against North Central.

At 101 pounds, Mike Zinkgraf reversed last weekend’s tournament loss to Zach Willis. And in the night’s final match, Tony Kenyon upset state placer Tony Beggs at 135.

Ferris trailed the Highlanders 23-0 at Shadle before winning eight of the last nine matches. The Saxons had five successive pins, including ones by league unbeatens Aaron Sedler, Dan Durham and Doug Baker.

Gymnastics

Ferris dominated the floor exercise and balance beam to win a five-team meet at Ferris.

The Saxons swept the top three in the floor and took four of the top five places on beam to score 171.5 points, easily outdistancing runner-up University (161.3).

Ferris senior Gail Larsen won the allaround with 35.25 points, notching wins on beam and floor. Teammate Kimberly George, also a senior, was second with 34.65 points.

U-Hi’s Marci Hulbert won the vault. Ciara Mylnar of third-place Mead edged George 8.85-8.8 on the uneven bars.

Ferris improved to 10-1 in league for a narrow lead on Central Valley (9-1), which won a four-way at Lewis and Clark.

CV’s Emily Roberts won all four events for 36.1 points and a solid win in the all-around. Leah Borg, who scored 32.85, was runner-up in the all-around and helped Shadle Park to second place.

Shadle (7-4) remained in fourth place, right behind 7-3 U-Hi.