Eagles Claim Another Gnl Title

It was neither the first five matches, when Lakeside was staked to a comfortable lead, nor the final five when Medical Lake staged a furious comeback, that determined the outcome of their Great Northern League wrestling finale.

Lakeside’s 41-28 triumph and seventh GNL championship in eight years was determined by wins in the middle four contests.

Two of them in particular, 130 and 135 pounds, had a major bearing on the Eagles victory.

Sophomore Zach Nees, questionable before the match with separated ribs, rallied from a 6-1 deficit for a pin at 130. Fellow sophomore Josh Austin followed with a 9-8 victory over Dan Gillispie in a non-stop battle.

Coupled with an eight-point advantage in bonus points - for pins, technical falls or major decisions - those wins thwarted Medical Lake.

The Eagles finished unbeaten at 6-0, one match ahead of Riverside, which won seven straight times between 140 and 215 pounds to beat Deer Park 46-27. The Cardinals finished third at 4-2, Newport was 3-3, Deer Park 2-4 and Chewelah bested Pullman 42-30 in a match between winless teams.

Lakeside got three pins and a major decision to lead 22-0 after four matches, and was ahead 22-4 before Nees and Austin came through.

Follow-up wins by Austin Laughery and Shawn Close guaranteed the match, making five successive Medical Lake wins at the end a case of too little, too late.

Nees fell behind after one period as Curt Smith got the best of a series of roll-throughs. Smith upped the lead to 6-1 in the second period before Nees took command.

“Coach told me if I wanted to wrestle tonight I had to give 100 percent,” said Nees. “I just wrestled as aggressively as I could.”

Austin and Gillispie went back and forth before Austin’s takedown with 26 seconds remaining for a 9-6 lead won the match.

“It was all a conditioning match,” he said. “I came out mentally prepared and I was ready for that battle.”

Thus Lakeside, despite replacing much of its lineup from last year’s state champions, kept a Great Northern League dynasty intact.

“This team has grown more than any I’ve coached,” said coach Scott Jones. “And it’s young, even the seniors. Three of them are first-year wrestlers. It’s neat.”