Strong season expected from wrestlers

It’s a common mistake, asking a high school wrestling coach how his kids look. The season is about to start, after all.

But the 2004-05 season is a little different. Three of the Valley’s four Greater Spokane League coaches have sons in the lineup.

Central Valley coach John Owen’s youngest son, Brian, a 98-pound Greco-Roman national champion this summer, is a heralded freshman at University, where he wrestles for his uncle, Don. But he’s not the only Owen on the squad. His cousin, Tim, was a regional qualifier last year for his father.

East Valley’s Craig Hanson trumps them both with two sons in his wrestling room. Matt Hanson is a senior and the starter at 140 pounds. Clete, a freshman, is looking to break in at either 160 or 171 pounds.

Aside from the family competition, University is one of the early favorites to challenge for the State 4A championship with perennial power Lake Stevens.

The Titans’ path is eased somewhat because three-time Greater Spokane League champion East Valley is now a 3A classification school.

Central Valley beat Clarkston in a crossover match a year ago to finish third in the GSL and is a better team this year, but with a switch of divisions in the GSL a return to the four-team championship wrestle-offs is not necessarily assured.

West Valley is encouraged by a higher turnout than in previous seasons. Coach Geoff Hensley has 40 kids in his wrestling room, and the middle school has 60 kids out. Both are encouraging signs for a program with a rich wrestling history.

Central Valley

“We’re going to be better,” John Owen said. “We could do better and still not make the crossover.

“We have good numbers out and a fair amount of experience back. But a lot of those kids we have back did not have winning records last years.”

Owen, 21-4 in his first two years at the school, has three state wrestlers back in juniors Lucas Chesher (eighth at state, seventh at the junior national tournament over the summer), Camren Ebat (district champion, regional runner-up, state qualifier) and senior Geoff Palachuck (district runner-up, fifth at regional, state alternate).

Chesher and Palachuck will wrestle at 125 and 135, respectively; Ebat at 152.

Sophomore Nick Cambron returns at 103, and senior Joe Alderman is back at 140.

The turning point last season for the Bears was the crossover match. Central Valley avenged a humbling loss to the Bantams by upsetting them to take the third-place GSL trophy.

“We hung in there, and I think that kick started us,” Owen said. “We went on from there and had a decent district and decent regional as well.”

This year the Bears will battle, EV, Mead and Mt. Spokane for top-two American Division honors and the GSL’s championship series.

Both Mead schools are coached by men who wrestled for Owen at North Idaho College: Phil McLean at Mead and Travis Hughes at Mt. Spokane.

“I talked to Travis, and he’s really excited. He figures he has a team that can finally beat Phil,” Owen said. “And I know they both want to beat their old coach.”

East Valley

Another year, another GSL title.

East Valley captured its third straight league championship a year ago, and this year’s seniors want to end their career unbeaten in the Greater Spokane League.

Half of the Knights’ six state placers return: Jared Imes (seventh at 135), Drew Beaudoin (eighth at 140) and Fred Arnold (seventh at 160). Gone is state 171 champion Zac Hardwick.

“We’re going to be a little thin in a couple weight classes, but for the most part, we have two good wrestlers at most weights,” Hanson said. “I think we’ve got a good dual meet squad.”

Senior Joey Plumb is the fifth-ranked 103-pounder in the state, according to an Everett Web site that tracks wrestling statewide, with Imes ranked sixth at 140 and Arnold sixth at 171 going into the season.

“I don’t really like those rankings,” Hanson said. “On the one hand, they can give a kid a lot of confidence getting recognized by those things. But on the other hand, they can give him false confidence. I don’t like them to pay any attention to them.”

Matt Hanson has recovered from a broken thumb that ended his junior season and joins Brice Parker at 140 pounds. The wrestle-off to see who goes varsity for each dual meet will likely be a tougher battle than an actual league match.

Brothers Jordan and Tyler Jolley, at 189 and 215, respectively, also return.

The drop to Class 3A means the Knights compete in a different region instead of against the Big Nine to earn state tournament berths.

“I didn’t pay any attention to the Mid-Valley League last year, but there will be time to get a feel for who’s out there as the season goes along,” Hanson said. “The road to state is still tough. Sedro Woolley is on our regional and they may be the best team in the state.”

University

A year ago the Titans sent nine wrestlers to the Tacoma Dome for Mat Classic XVI, bettering by two the school record for state entrants.

Seven of those state veterans return, including state 103 champion Cory Fish, who moves up to 119 for his senior season. Junior Jeremy Montang placed third at 130 and classmate Trevor Robb was sixth at 125.

Freshman Brian Owen comes into the season as the No. 2-ranked 103-pounder in the state before he ever takes the mat for a regular-season match.

Such is the power of both his pedigree and his prior accomplishments. Owen won the national 98-pound Greco-Roman championship this summer, adding a fourth-place finish in freestyle, equaling his older brother, Tommy, a former national champion and a three-time state champion at University and a four-time state finalist.

Chase Fish, Cory’s junior brother, finally has a weight class to himself, stepping in at 112 pounds after sharing 103 the past two seasons. Chase finished a match away from wrestling for a spot on the state podium a year ago.

Both Fish brothers have statewide rankings, although both were assumed to wrestle at 112. Cory is ranked No. 1; Chase No. 5.

Cory Fish will not see much action at 119, however.

“I may have to wrestle him up at 125 in dual meets,” coach Don Owen said. “Mike Malsam, who wrestled 119 last year, won a couple matches at state for me last year and will be very tough there again.”

Ryan Williams, who returns at 125, reached the regional tournament as a sophomore. Elliot Nay was the top freshman in the GSL at 130. Tim Owen, Don’s son, reached the regional a year ago at 145. Junior Nick Zumwalt is a state veteran at 152

The toughest matches the Titans will have each week could be to decide who wrestles varsity and who wrestles junior varsity.

“A lot of our No. 2 kids are really tough,” Owen said. “We have a lot of depth and a lot of good, hard-working kids.”

West Valley

Eagles coach Geoff Hensley is a numbers fan, especially when they’re his numbers.

Hensley has 40 kids out for wrestling this season, up over his turnout the past few seasons.

What’s more, there are numbers down below.

“They’ve got 60 kids out at the middle school,” Hensley said. “One of the nice things about coaching at a smaller school like this is that you have the chance to be more hands-on with the whole program.”

The one small number in the mix is the number of seniors on the roster – but that’s been a problem schoolwide. You can count the number of seniors out for football, wrestling and boys basketball on two hands and still have fingers left over.

Seniors Jeff Degenhart and Keith Johnston will hold down 145 and 135 pounds, respectively. Senior Jeff White is out for the season after injuring a knee in the Eagles’ football game with Mead.

“I love my seniors,” Hensley said. “They’re everything you could ask a senior wrestler to be. They’re leaders, and they’re the kind of kids you love to have in your program.”

Hensley has depth through the middle weights but is waiting for most of his roster to sort itself out.

“I’m not sure where a lot of these guys are going to end up,” he said. “That will come once we start with some matches.”